What I learned from going to a casino this weekend....

Not playing in a live game in about 4 months more than three handed ended last weekend by going to Turningstone in New York. I guess I have improved a lot at poker because at my home game in Iowa I wasn't as observant as I am now (probably because I thought I knew these peoples plays so well). Here's what I learned, most has to do with playing in casinos (at low stakes games)

1. Get extensive reads. Pay attention to every single hand... note in your mind standard raises, how they play what hands, everything. A lot of times when multi tabling I can't get that extensive of reads because I am playing so many tables (READ: Is this a leak? Should I be playing less tables?).

2. C-bet much less on bluffs. The pots get so deep preflop, people tend to fold because "I'm not calling $20 with mid pair" even in a $100 pot. The pot doesn't matter to them. It's only the size of the bet. Yes, this will be exploited in higher stakes games, but in low stakes they don't pick up on it.

3. Physical tells rule. It's unbelievable how easy it is to pick up tells on people. There are so many tells to pick up, and they can give you such a specific range on a hand.

4. Because of the above 3, play a lot of hands. A smart player can absolutely kill these games to an unreal point. I wouldn't be suprised if you could make 50BB/100 at these games. You want to play a lot of hands because:
a. the players suck and can't get away from hands.
b. bluff are much more profitable because of 2
c. you get so much more information live because of 3

5. Play at 3-7 a.m. The games aren't going hard at this point, but the tables are filled with either deep stacks (who 9 out of ten times suck) or players who are tilting because they lost a lot of money that night and can't quit.

6. Bad players will play some (very few) hands that displays almost anti logic.
i.e. a player at a table I was at limped UTG with JJ. then proceeded to min raise a 3x BB raise that had 4 callers. 6 players to the flop and it comes 56T two clubs. UTG CHECKS. This does not make any sense, it was completely against most of the reads i had on him (i did know he liked limp reraising so that didn't suprise me, he did it with A8+ 99+ LOL) and that play is absolutely ridiculous, and no, he did not reraise the bet on the flop, which was 1/10 the pot.

7. Capped rake rules, especially when there are $400 pots (on a regular basis) at $100 buy in.

Thoughts?

Live games are weird. I absolutely dominate the 1/2 and 2/4 nl at my local casino and yet I still feel outclassed at 50/100nl online.

Originally Posted by Margin Of Error

Live games are weird. I absolutely dominate the 1/2 and 2/4 nl at my local casino and yet I still feel outclassed at 50/100nl online.

those 10,000NL games are pretty classy

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

Originally Posted by Margin Of Error

Live games are weird. I absolutely dominate the 1/2 and 2/4 nl at my local casino and yet I still feel outclassed at 50/100nl online.

those 10,000NL games are pretty classy

lol

I agree with all of this. Playing live is so much fun, outside of the WSOP we try to get to vegas about 3 times a year and its so much more fun than playing online. Hopefully they approve gambling in my state soon so that they can open up some card rooms.

Awww man the live games... can't get enough of em. I dunno about you guys, but I started on live games- I played every 2 weeks with HS friends all back half o senior year. All summer, too, hehe. Well I've graduated to swindling college chumps.

I'm talking 6-10 person live home games too- really classy shlt- ok not really but games are the real deal. Live games are a llooooot more fun than online microstake contests where you see who can outdonk the rest.

Live games there's conversation, joking, and REAL adrenaline when you bluff or push all-in. Plus, actual clay chips, mmmm.... and raking 'em in urself- best feeling. Build stacks too... live poker is the way cards are supposed to played, so much better than clicking on the internet.

Tells are fun, too- i picked up a dead tell on a really good LAG regular at our table. Guy's real damn good, cept for this tell he gives away. When he holds a monster, he plays Freud and thinks aloud about his opponent, "hmmm what does Joe have.... he could have two pair, he didnt raise before the flop... etc., etc. etc." Thinks long n hard then says he doesn't know "where he's at" so he must raise. I think wow this is such obvious BS lol but he actually dupes ppl to thinking he's weak! Anyway it's dead on, dead f'in on tell and it's great owning someone like that.

Also in live games, it's easier to peg players with style- you can tell their personality (rock, bully, fool), and also if some guy bluffs you remember who did it , like his face, not some random internet name.

And again, actually raking in the chips... ppl luv those damn clay chips!

BTW nother pointer 'bout live games- (a random piece of advice i jus thought of) ppl bet with the big chips (the "valuable" ones)- they have something they like whereas when they bet with the shit chips they're weaker. ex: some guy bets 3 $1 chips likes his hand more than the guy who bets 30 $.10 chips.

A good live tell that I've found when you're faced with a huge river/all-in on any street decision is to very quickly (If it's allowed in your casino) turn your cards face up and show the opponent who's just bet. Watch their eyes VERY carefully. Even the cool, calm players get thrown by this move and give stuff away if you can do it in a fast and shocking enough manner.

Originally Posted by martindcx1e

Originally Posted by Margin Of Error

Live games are weird. I absolutely dominate the 1/2 and 2/4 nl at my local casino and yet I still feel outclassed at 50/100nl online.

those 10,000NL games are pretty classy

he means nl 50 and nl 100, not nl 50/100.

Originally Posted by izybx

he means nl 50 and nl 100, not nl 50/100.

I know he was just making fun of me for my hard to decipher post.

I thought you were playing 10000NL...

Originally Posted by Margin Of Error

Originally Posted by izybx

he means nl 50 and nl 100, not nl 50/100.

I know he was just making fun of me for my hard to decipher post.