First time to a B&M

[ripwalk]

On Wednesday I will be making my first trip to a B&M (for poker, anyway). 5/10 is the lowest limit they have at my casino - except for a cheap night where they have 2-4. However, I'm not going to be there for 'cheap night', so 5/10 it is.

My question is, the minimum buy in for this game is 100 dollars, but that being only 10 big bets, I don't think it would be wise to buy in with only that much. However, I wouldn't feel comfortable losing much more than 150-200 dollars. My question is, will 150-200 be enough to be competitive at a 5/10 table?

I thought I had heard a rule of thumb about 30 big bets, but I wouldn't be comfortable losing 300, so I will stay lower. Since this is the lowest limit, I'm still assuming it will be pretty soft and by playing tight and not chasing I can do okay, but, will 150-200 be enough in a 5/10 game?

Thanks.

[DrewOnTilt]

If you aren't comfortable losing $300 then don't play $5-$10. Stick with $3-$6 or even lower. Don't play in this $5-$10 game because you will play scared, and that doesn't generate a winning session. And don't forget that just playing tight at a table full of weak players doesn't guarantee a win. You could go all night without winning a pot.

My advice to you is for you to stay away from this limit until you build up both your bankroll and your confidence.

[neotope]

Poker players and gamblers in general always talk about how much they can lose. This is the wrong attitude to have and a factor that I believe makes a lot of average players, losing players. You need to believe in your game and believe that you can win. If you head into a poker room telling yourself that you can only lose $200 you are probably more likely to lose than win.

[AKQJ10]

Differing from the first two, I would say:

Sounds like you have a healthy attitude of only playing with discretionary cash. Sit down with your 20 big bets and play the best poker you can. Have a ball. If you win, great; if you lose, no tragedy. One day soon you'll have another $200 and can probably expect that on average you have the skill to beat this game in the long haul.

Now, if $200 is all the money you'll ever have to play poker, then go play microlimits online and work your way up. But I don't infer that from your post.

[ripwalk]

[ QUOTE ]
Poker players and gamblers in general always talk about how much they can lose. This is the wrong attitude to have and a factor that I believe makes a lot of average players, losing players. You need to believe in your game and believe that you can win. If you head into a poker room telling yourself that you can only lose $200 you are probably more likely to lose than win.

[/ QUOTE ]

This isn't my attitude. I have full confidence that I can win, and I would be disapointed if I lost 200 is all. I'm just saying it wouldn't be life ending.

[ripwalk]

[ QUOTE ]
Differing from the first two, I would say:

Sounds like you have a healthy attitude of only playing with discretionary cash. Sit down with your 20 big bets and play the best poker you can. Have a ball. If you win, great; if you lose, no tragedy. One day soon you'll have another $200 and can probably expect that on average you have the skill to beat this game in the long haul.

Now, if $200 is all the money you'll ever have to play poker, then go play microlimits online and work your way up. But I don't infer that from your post.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right, no.. 200 isn't the only money I'll ever have to play poker. I think I will do just that ...

I would play a lower limit, but the poker room in my casino only has 5/10 as it's lowest limit. At any rate... I need to at least check out what the game is like, so yeah .. I will go play with my 20 big bets and see how I do.

Can't wait, should be a ball.

[AKQJ10]

I will highlight a good point that DrewOnTilt made:

Don't play scared. You can't let yourself play in a way you know to be suboptimal because you're getting toward the bottom of your stack, or you'll turn a +EV game into an even or -EV game.

That said, you can play a little tighter than normal to decrease the variance. Just don't, for example, pass up a preflop raise for value with AK because you're afraid to miss the flop or something like that.

And of course, remember that poker and LHE in particular are very high variance. If you lose 20 BBet on 3 hands, that's no reflection on you as a player -- provided you knew what the right thing was to do and did it.

[ripwalk]

[ QUOTE ]
I will highlight a good point that DrewOnTilt made:

Don't play scared. You can't let yourself play in a way you know to be suboptimal because you're getting toward the bottom of your stack, or you'll turn a +EV game into an even or -EV game.

That said, you can play a little tighter than normal to decrease the variance. Just don't, for example, pass up a preflop raise for value with AK because you're afraid to miss the flop or something like that.

And of course, remember that poker and LHE in particular are very high variance. If you lose 20 BBet on 3 hands, that's no reflection on you as a player -- provided you knew what the right thing was to do and did it.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's definitely a good point. I won't play scared. I think it's a lot harder to play scared in limit, since it's fixed betting. That's why although I enjoy NL more, I'm glad my first B&M experience will be limit ... In NL it seems a lot easier to play scared, and to have people with deeper stacks push you around.

So yes, I'll play tough.

[ripwalk]

So yeah .. First time to a B/M was somewhat of a success .. But, financially a failure.

I sat down at 5/10 with 200 dollars. And, as DrewonTilt said was possible, I didn't win a single hand! I would have liked to have won at least once, but the flops treated me like garbage, and I couldn't even take many hands to showdown.

I think I had high pair or better once, and the guy who beat me had the same high pair, but a better kicker.

I was a little over anxious to win a pot I think, so I was playing a few too many hands, but in general, I didn't chase too much. It's possible I did play a little bit scared, which definitely wasn't a good thing. But yeah, there were quite a few deep stacks at the table. I had 4 to a flush on one pot, and one guy ended up having 3 of a kind. If I could have hit my flush it would have been a huge pot, as the guy reraised in front of me, and I would have reraised again and hoped he capped it.

At any rate, one positive was that the people were super friendly, and it was a good time despite losing my money (or, most of it.. I stopped when I had only 50 dollars left and went to play black jack).

I felt like a bit of a fish at times, and I know I didn't play my best game. The game seems easily beatable, but I guess not by me at that time.

I wish my casino spread a regular game lower than 5/10, as I think I'd feel more comfortable at 2/4 or 3/6 or something. However, they only have 2/4 one night of the week, and it's super busy.

[toots]

[ QUOTE ]
I think I had high pair or better once, and the guy who beat me had the same high pair, but a better kicker.


[/ QUOTE ]

Welcome to kicker school.

Sorry. Just felt like saying something snarky.

BTW - where is this casino, anyway?

Glad you had a good time, other than getting cold decked and everything.

[ripwalk]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think I had high pair or better once, and the guy who beat me had the same high pair, but a better kicker.


[/ QUOTE ]

Welcome to kicker school.

Sorry. Just felt like saying something snarky.

BTW - where is this casino, anyway?

Glad you had a good time, other than getting cold decked and everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry for responding couple months late, but yes ... the casino is in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

[hhughes]

I havent played a live B&M yet either, though I had the chance in February...The lowest limit spread was $1-4-8-8 (essentially $4/8 with a smaller than normal SB).

I only had like $400 to gamble with for 4 days. I didnt feel comfortable with that roll for that limit, so I didnt play...went to the BJ tables instead.

Im with Drew that with that small a BR that almost any average player will play weak/tight(and probably a little scared) given the limit.

Im going again at the end of the month. I taking $500 to play poker...that's ~60BB's for this limit. I know this is a more reasonable BR and that I can play my "normal" game (whatever that may be...)

Im also taking the laptop in case I dont do well live..... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

FWIW