Never played hold em in a casino, need help!

[Idontknow]

I've been playing no limit hold em for about 2 years now and have a trip lined up to go to Tunica now. I have a pretty simple question.

Can anyone give me a "chart" as to how much I should buy in with at a cash table depending on what the blinds are? For instance: How much should I buy in with at a 1/2 table? 2/5? 5/10? Etc...

I'm not completely sure how it works at a casino and I would like to go there knowing a little bit about what's going on so I don't come across as a fool. Thanks.

[cardsman1992]

I wouldn't feel comfortable sitting down with less than 100 BB ie in a 2/4 game, I would want $400. For $1/2, I would want $200, etc. I think that's a good rule of thumb.

I don't have a chart though.

Some of these tables have a minimum buy in, and NL tables may have a min/max to keep someone from buying in with a massive stack and bullying the table. Usually the casino's website will tell you if this is the case.

Don't know if that helped or not....

[Idontknow]

That does help a bit. Thanks.

[umcanes73]

When I play in my local casino's 3/6 game, I only buy a rack. I have on me at least 100 BB's but I don't see the need to have that many chips on the table. If you start with 600 chips, well thats just alot. Most 3/6 tables don't try to introduce $5 chips for simplicity reasons. And I don't think I've ever seen someone buyin at a3/6 table with more than 2 racks. That is 3/6 limit. For NL always buy the max if possible. My typical buy in online is only 40BB's and I rarely, if ever, rebuy at the same table, same seat online

[Kessler]

For 2/4 Live, I buy $100, with one rebuy in my pocket. If I bust that too, I leave and call it a day, it's obviously not a good poker day for me.

For 3/6 Live, I buy $150, again with another $150 in my pocket.

For 4/8 Live, $200 with a rebuy.

Yes, it's not the suggested 50BB, but I don't let myself get close to burning out. Some limit players enjoy going AI on a hand, because they don't have to make as many decisions. (I've seen players buy $20 in chips at a time, and rebuy every 15-30 minutes) But I prefer to keep my stacks high enough so if I do get into a monster pot, I have enough to make sure I've put the last raise in when I have the nuts.


-Kes

[RiverMonkey]

For NL, buy in for the max if there is one.

For LHE, 50BB should be plenty as an initial buy-in. But, I'd have another 50BB in my pocket for a re-buy if required BEFORE I got short-stacked. It depends on the style you play and the texture of the game. Keep in mind that +/-100BB swings are certainly possible.

[donkbee]

I would like to go there knowing a little bit about what's going on so I don't come across as a fool.

Hehe the first time I played in a casino, I totally didn't know what was going on and I KNOW I came across as a fool. Or a stupid girl, who knows, lol. I posted my BB and when it came to me and I had the option to check, I accidently said "fold" (guess I forgot I posted ) and pushed my cards in the middle. The dealer was like, "uhh" and I said, "oops" but obviously it's too late once you muck your cards. I think someone was like, "do you know how to play poker?" Haha that was just great.

Good luck, have fun, and pay attention!

[EricE]

I would like to go there knowing a little bit about what's going on so I don't come across as a fool.

Hehe the first time I played in a casino, I totally didn't know what was going on and I KNOW I came across as a fool. Or a stupid girl, who knows, lol. I posted my BB and when it came to me and I had the option to check, I accidently said "fold" (guess I forgot I posted ) and pushed my cards in the middle. The dealer was like, "uhh" and I said, "oops" but obviously it's too late once you muck your cards. I think someone was like, "do you know how to play poker?" Haha that was just great.

Good luck, have fun, and pay attention!

LOL, Thats an awesome way to start...if you know what your doing or not. It would start out your table image right.

[Idontknow]

Thanks everyone, at least I have a feel of the buy ins now. I appreciate it. Courtie, that's a funny story. I'm very sure you're not the first to do anything like that though.

[siknd]

I would like to go there knowing a little bit about what's going on so I don't come across as a fool.

Hehe the first time I played in a casino, I totally didn't know what was going on and I KNOW I came across as a fool. Or a stupid girl, who knows, lol. I posted my BB and when it came to me and I had the option to check, I accidently said "fold" (guess I forgot I posted ) and pushed my cards in the middle. The dealer was like, "uhh" and I said, "oops" but obviously it's too late once you muck your cards. I think someone was like, "do you know how to play poker?" Haha that was just great.

Good luck, have fun, and pay attention!

i saw one worse at the Bellagio, this girl called AND folded, and wasnt in a blind. tossed in a red chip, then mucked her cards. and THEN she woulda made a full house. but hey, it was Christmas.

other advice. be prepared for larger bet sizes than online. online youll find 3-4xBB raises to be standard, and 5-6x means aces. live i find that a 5x raise is standard and anything less considered post oak.

dont get too worried about spotting tells. some ppl get so wrapped up about that, thinking there is this magical formula to 'see' your opponents hands. just play your normal game.

[siknd]

theres a couple good ways to look like a noob, if thats the image you want, ie ppl coming after you.

1. try to shuffle your chips ala boyd, and knock one of your stacks over.
2. dont stack your chips in piles of twenty.
3. try to make a raise less than double the previous bet, and say, 'i see your thirty, and i raise you five!'
4. wear sunglasses, and keep looking over the top of them, as if they are too dark to actually see the board cards.
5. always post the wrong sized blind.
6. say 'i check!' preflop when clearly you have to call or fold.
7. just call on the end with the pure nuts, and think about it for ten seconds or so.
8. ask the table if anyone has played online before.
9. etc.

[Idontknow]

10. Keep asking "what's this chip worth?" hours after you've been seated.

[donkbee]

theres a couple good ways to look like a noob, if thats the image you want, ie ppl coming after you.

1. try to shuffle your chips ala boyd, and knock one of your stacks over.
2. dont stack your chips in piles of twenty.
3. try to make a raise less than double the previous bet, and say, 'i see your thirty, and i raise you five!'
4. wear sunglasses, and keep looking over the top of them, as if they are too dark to actually see the board cards.
5. always post the wrong sized blind.
6. say 'i check!' preflop when clearly you have to call or fold.
7. just call on the end with the pure nuts, and think about it for ten seconds or so.
8. ask the table if anyone has played online before.
9. etc.

LOL ...!

[umcanes73]

One more way B&M differs from online, many casinos have kill pots and you need to make sure you are properly stacked if you get involved with a monster in a kill pot. (Kill pots being if one person takes down two pots in a row with more than 10xSB the next pot becomes a kill pot, all bets double and the person winning the first pots gets to act last preflop regardless of button position.

[Irisheyes]

theres a couple good ways to look like a noob, if thats the image you want, ie ppl coming after you.

1. try to shuffle your chips ala boyd, and knock one of your stacks over.
2. dont stack your chips in piles of twenty.
3. try to make a raise less than double the previous bet, and say, 'i see your thirty, and i raise you five!'
4. wear sunglasses, and keep looking over the top of them, as if they are too dark to actually see the board cards.
5. always post the wrong sized blind.
6. say 'i check!' preflop when clearly you have to call or fold.
7. just call on the end with the pure nuts, and think about it for ten seconds or so.
8. ask the table if anyone has played online before.
9. etc.

LOL ...!

Lol, Thats a good way to get punched if nothing else!

[Murd0c]

I felt like an idiot when I went to my first casino just recently. The blind was $2 and I only had $5 chips and I didn't know what to do.

[donkbee]

I felt like an idiot when I went to my first casino just recently. The blind was $2 and I only had $5 chips and I didn't know what to do.

HAHA yeah, this confused me at first too!

[cardsman1992]

One dealer kept getting pissy when people sat down with and used $5 chips at a $2/4 game. he had to keep making change, poor guy....

I told him I was initially buying for a NL game, so they gave me the $5 chips. I just happened to get seated there first.

That was the only rude dealer I ran across though. Most of them were really cool...

[RotterSod]

I've been playing no limit hold em for about 2 years now and have a trip lined up to go to Tunica now. I have a pretty simple question.

Can anyone give me a "chart" as to how much I should buy in with at a cash table depending on what the blinds are? For instance: How much should I buy in with at a 1/2 table? 2/5? 5/10? Etc...

I'm not completely sure how it works at a casino and I would like to go there knowing a little bit about what's going on so I don't come across as a fool. Thanks.

This may be too late but in NL games the buy in is often set. For example here at the Bicycle Casino in LA there is a $100 NL with a buy in of $100 and blinds of $2/3. Higher limits have higher blinds. One thing that many new people don't know is that you can re-buy when your stack reaches a certain level and the re-buy can be for up to 150% - ex: if you go AI and lose you can re-buy for $150. Or say your stack dwindles to $30, you can buy up to $150. This is very important to know. If you just re-buy for $100 you will be setup for larger stacks to bluff you.

Also, at the BC they have rules against people changing tables with more than the table buy in unless you come from a broken game.

My advice if you want to enter these NL games and haven't played at a BM before is to wait until a new table is seated and everyone has to buy in for the same amount. This is a great equalizer. I remember one night when I had more than $1500 in a $100 NL game (that's a huge amount to have for such a small limit but I won some massive pots) and when a new player would come in with $100 I was able to push them around quite easily. Some people don't want to call AI bets for their whole stack just moments after they've been seated.