New B&M player - looking at cards, chip management

[kong98]

I've just started playing live, and boy do I love it! I was hoping someone could help me with a few things:

1. Looking at my cards... I know how to peek at them with 2 hands (forming a tent and looking through the hole between my hands. But I find it incredibly awkward to get into this position. I have my chips stacked directly in front of me, so my arms are coming in on both sides of the chips. My last game I had a big stack of chips out front (big problem /images/graemlins/smile.gif ), so I ended up looking at my cards way out in front of me.

Should I be stacking my chips to the side so I have room to squeeze my cards next to them? I wasn't sure I had room for this, as I was on the end (seat 2?) and we had a big guy in the middle squeezing us out to the sides.

2. Also, am I managing my chip stacks OK? We're playing 3/6 with $1 chips. I kept them in stacks of 20. I'd bought in for a rack of $100, and was now up to $200-250. Should I have colored up or just kept stacking them in an ever-expanding pile of domination? /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Thanks!
Kent

PS: A while back I read a quote from a B&M poster about how live games were "softer than you ever thought possible". Whoever you were, thanks for helping me get the courage to get out of the house and try it out!

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
2. Also, am I managing my chip stacks OK? We're playing 3/6 with $1 chips. I kept them in stacks of 20. I'd bought in for a rack of $100, and was now up to $200-250. Should I have colored up or just kept stacking them in an ever-expanding pile of domination?

[/ QUOTE ]

Search for poster Barry and examine his avatar.

[ QUOTE ]
Should I be stacking my chips to the side so I have room to squeeze my cards next to them?

[/ QUOTE ]

I do this since it lets me look at my cards with one hand. The chips shield one side and my hand naturally shields the other. It also lets me keep 12 or 16 chips in the other hand so I don't have to reach back if I'm going to raise or whatever.

[CrashPat]

1. Hmm, I've never had the problem of having too many chips. Usually I can see over my stack of 8 chips when I play. /images/graemlins/ooo.gif Seriously though, you will get used to it in time and find a way that is comfortable to you but still protects your hand.

2. Never color your chips up in poker. Just keep building your castle of $1 chips. In my opinion red chips should never be used in 3/6.

[sfer]

[ QUOTE ]
2. Never color your chips up in poker. Just keep building your castle of $1 chips. In my opinion red chips should never be used in 3/6.

[/ QUOTE ]

I like your style.

[W. Deranged]

Best chip stacking structure:

Make 20 stacks in a 4-3-2-1 triangle as the bottom layer:

X
X X
X X X
X X X X

Then stack a three-stack on stop:

X
X X
X X X

Then a 2-triangle

Then a 1-triangle

Then start building another one next to it.

When #2 is done you win.

[kong98]

Thanks for the help guys! I'll try it out this weekend. Hopefully I'll get both pyramids built!

Kent

[Bremen]

[ QUOTE ]
2. Never color your chips up in poker. Just keep building your castle of $1 chips. In my opinion red chips should never be used in 3/6.


[/ QUOTE ]
This is almost certainly going to be the most popular option for posters here. However many fish do not like massive chip creations (I have no clue why, perhaps they're afraid they'll lose more if they have more on the table)

[W. Deranged]

Yeah... this is really weird. I've often notice fish complaining that they don't like having a lot of small chips. Of course the result is that they are constantly requiring change and slowing the game down... as they play their 13 stack of red chips out of the rack...

[scott2130]

WHAT?

I don't think I could play if I didn't color up. 400 - 500 chips take up alot of table space.

[Bremen]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think I could play if I didn't color up. 400 - 500 chips take up alot of table space.

[/ QUOTE ] My standard chip castle would take 4 racks to build (a 4 level pyramid). If I ever get a complete pyramid I might consider coloring up, though I doubt it. I've seen people with far more chips who were able to manage well enough.

[jnalpak]

[ QUOTE ]
In my opinion red chips should never be used in 3/6.

[/ QUOTE ]

[DuceTrey23]

Yea, live games are much better (more $$ per hour) than on-line...un-rack your chips, stack 'em to the right to shield your cards (i'm left handed - not sure if it makes a difference), don't color-up, and NEVER wear sunglasses...

[ThomasPHoolery]

As someone who has played with W. Deranged numerous times in live games, let me assure you, he rarely has the problem of how to stack his chips.

[Margeaux]

[ QUOTE ]
As someone who has played with W. Deranged numerous times in live games, let me assure you, he rarely has the problem of how to stack his chips.

[/ QUOTE ]


oh SNAP.

-Gawkes