Andy 'golfpro699' Teng at PKR Live II
Is everyone ready to play?
PKR Live III is a two-day $1,000 buy-in live tournament [ED - which, if you live in a cave, is this weekend!). For many people this will be the biggest tournament they've ever played, or at least will play in the near future, so it would make sense to prepare a little for it, right? In this article I'm going to look at some aspects of live poker that internet players might find different.
Experience
My number one tip would be to get some live experience - it can be a very different experience to playing online. It's definitely worth getting some practice, if only to get the feel of it and be more comfortable when the tournament comes around. The pace is different and requires more patience because of the small number of hands per hour.
I would recommend reading this, playing some live poker and rereading this again; reflecting on how you did in every situation and correcting mistakes that might have happened.
Environment
The first thing that's noticeable: you're in a different environment. No longer are you at home in front of your computer wondering whether or not to utilise more clothes than just underwear (if that!?). Every poker room has its own vibe and energy, and feeling at ease in the poker room will help you play better. It might be worth checking the venue out, getting a feel for the place and maybe taking a look at the house rules (every poker room is different and not knowing the house rules is always considered your own fault).
When the tournament starts, you are (obviously) sitting at a table with all of your opponents (if they're on time). At the table, to participate the player touches chips and cards (and only his own!). There's a skill in managing both...
Chips
Looking at chips
Online we get the exact numbers. It's clear, in our face and everything runs smoothly. Live, we have to look or ask for a count to find out stack sizes. At any point, you can ask for a count. The other player doesn't have to tell you this information himself, but he must let you be able to know either by looking and counting yourself, or asking the dealer for a count. It's generally bad etiquette to ask all the time, but any time you feel it's necessary, do not hesitate to ask. Thus practising eye-balling stacks is a useful skill in live poker.
Handling chips
I often see beginners being told to practice handling chips at home, in order to look less like a fish. I think it actually doesn't matter if you look like a fish or not. The main thing is that you are comfortable with whatever action you are making and that you don't unintentionally give away information.
So what is important? Not making live misclicks. Unless it's intentional, try not to put the wrong chips out when trying to raise, or put out a raise when you mean to call. Simple example: don't throw one chip to raise, without announcing 'raise'. If you throw one solitary chip into the pot, it's always a call (unless, for example, you're the BB and everyone limps - if you throw one chip in here, it's obviously a raise).
Storing chips
This is actually a topic? Yes. I like to look at poker chips like LEGO bricks. We're trying to accumulate chips to build the prettiest (and biggest) castles. Tip: As the tournament progresses and stacks get shallower, your stack should always be in a position whereby you can move all-in with the least physical movements available, in order to reduce live tells.
'Castle management' can also give information away. If people have a lot of ante chips, they probably won them by playing lots of pots. If someone has a decent stack, but only big chips, he's probably tight. These kind of things help you make generic reads on people when they've just moved to your table, or when you've just joined a new table. (So maybe it's a smart idea to get a load of ante chips if your nitty, or give a lot of change out if you're loose?)
All that being said, the only real rule about stack management is this: have your big chips visible at all times at the front of your stack.
Cards
Protection
First thing to do with cards, is protect them. Firstly, this means that when you look at your cards, make sure no one else can. This may seem obvious, but people do mess this up. Next thing is to make sure your hand is never accidentally mucked, in the 9 or 10 seat especially, as this can be a problem with overenthusiastic dealers who are taught to just scoop cards. Often they're not fully paying attention and could make a mistake. One way around this is to use a chip protector, a chip from your stack or my personal favourite: just holding your cards. If someone else mucks their card and it touches yours without a chip protector, it could easily kill your hand without you doing anything wrong.
Keep yours cards in same position during hands. Something to consider with some people, is that they place their cards slightly differently subconsciously when they like their hand or don't like their hand. Obviously this can be reversed easily, if the opponent is smart.
Folding
When folding, try not to show cards (duh?)
Showing
Showing cards should be done rarely, and for a good reason (like winning the pot), not just to show a bluff.
People
Appearance
Everyone approaches dressing at the table differently. There's no right or wrong in terms of sunglasses/cap/iPod, just do whatever you feel most comfortable with. Remember though that final tables have a lot of bright lights, so even if you don't usually play with sunglasses, it might be worth having some with you, just in case.
Talking
Talk all you want, we're here to have fun! Some people don't, that's OK too! I think that it doesn't matter if you like to chat or not, but during hands one should be very deliberate when saying anything, and any chat needs to be approached with extreme caution if you're inexperienced or uncomfortable.
When not in a hand, make sure you NEVER talk to someone whilst they are still in a hand though. This is terrible etiquette because you're helping their opponent(s) gain information which should be something that just doesn't involve you.
Announcing bets
This is not recommended and usually done by fish. This is because they've been told it's a good idea to announce bet sizes to avoid betting the wrong amount. In reality it really only serves to give away information in the long run. The only time to actually say a number, is for example, betting 350 with a 500 chip because you don't have any smaller denominations.
Something to keep in mind when playing a hand: at no point in poker are you ever explicitly required to use your voice.
Miscellaneous
Dealers
Dealers are people too, they don't like to be berated and they can make mistakes. If something bad happens, don't lose your cool and just chalk it up to variance.
Floor
If a dispute arises and a floorperson is called, their decision is always final. Don't get heated up or act aggressively, just calmly explain the situation accurately and hopefully the correct decisions will be made (knowing the house rules could help here because dealers don't necessarily know all the rules themselves).
Preparation
It helps to have a good night's sleep, and food. You're about to play multiple long days, stamina comes into play late into each day and being the freshest player at the table will be instant profit.
Hopefully this will help the most inexperienced live players have a more enjoyable PKR LIVE III. At the same time I hope it hasn't hurt my own chances too much! Experience counts, and thinking about the above aspects a little more should help conceal information, as well as pick up information at the tables.
GL!
Andy