NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

Going to Atlantic City for first time. Describe the easiest body, head, hand, rearend [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img] and card motion to check your hole cards so that they are not flashed.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

Sort of hard to explain, but let me try....

You sort of criss-cross your fingers, so that they almost make a triangle... the triangle you just formed with your fingers should go overtop the cards that are on the felt, and while they are covering your cards, you use your thumbs to slightly lift the cards up underneath your criss-crossed fingers... While lifting them, you should barely have to bend them upwards to see your hole cards... Hope that helps...

On a side note, the players that take the cards totally off the table and look at them so that the whole room, let alone the guys next to him at the table, can see what their cards are really starting to piss me off and annoy the *bleep* out of me...

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

You've never seen poker on TV?

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

Keep in mind the cards you'll be playing with in the casino aren't the 49 cent cards you play with at home. You can bend up the corner of the cards without fear of damaging them. Don't try to crease the cards because they will, but for the most part they're hard to hurt.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

Just lift up the corner of the cards on the left side at an angle where the player on your right won't be able to see it. Try to do it using your right hand thumb in such a way as to where you can use your right hand to provide extra cover. Then position your left hand in a way to shield the cards from the player on your left. The only way to see the card should be looking straight at it.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

Some essential advice.

Never take the cards off the table. This can get you in trouble. Put a chip on top of your cards after you have looked at them. This should prevent the dealer from mucking your cards by mistake.

The first time you play live, it can be a very very confusing experience. You will probably have to be reminded to post your blind, and you may act out of turn by accident, or fail to act, and have it checked around behind you before you get a chance to bet. If this happens, say "wait, or TIME" loudly.

Remember to table your cards at showdown. Just display them in front of you faceup (not on top on the muck face up). until the pot is pushed to you. Never allow the dealer or anyone else to touch your cards unless you have folded or the pot has been pushed to you.

You shouldn't waste time looking at players to try to spot tells. Until you are able to keep track of everyone's position, their prior action, and the amount of bets in the pot, you won't be able to make use of tells anyway.

Someone may take a beat from you and get angry about it. Don't ever let this affect you aversely. Never let anyone ruin your experience at the casino, ever.

Have a great time at the tables!

P.S. You may want to spend some time around the brick and mortar casino forum to discuss table etiquette, floor rulings, and other topics of interest.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

i like cupping my left hand over the first inch of the cards (my pinky flat on the cards one inch inside the edge). i squeeze out my cards with my right thumb and ULTRA protect with my left hand. do not let anyone see your cards, it's your job to protect your hand. also a good idea to place a chip on your cards, i saw one guy sliding his hole cards just underneath his chipstack, that was pro. even the slightest gesture could look like a fold and the dealer could get mixed up and muck your cards. hope you have fun!

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

For the price of a cup of coffee, I can sit with you for an hour and teach you the finer points of etiquette in brick and mortar casinos. Send me a pm and I will act as your guide.

In all seriousness, get yourself a little trinket to protect your cards. You can use a game piece from the game Monolopy. Do not look at your cards until action gets to you. Announce what you want to do. Better to say raise then to throw in chips and have the dealer declare the action a string raise.

I take my cards place them under my pyramid and cover the cards with my hands. I then check the first card, and then I check the second one.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

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In all seriousness, get yourself a little trinket to protect your cards. You can use a game piece from the game Monolopy. Do not look at your cards until action gets to you.

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Don't use a "trinket". It's gay. Use a chip, like a man.

If you're still trying to figure out how to look at your cards, do us all a favor, and look at them BEFORE the action gets to you, so we don't have to wait on you EVERY SINGLE HAND. Don't worry about giving off tells--at the low limits, nobody notices anyways. Or if they do notice, they call anyways.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

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Don't use a "trinket". It's gay. Use a chip, like a man.

[/ QUOTE ]

I use a Ronald Reagan chip -- it's a trinket, it's a chip, and it's certainly not gay!

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

Mid and upper level games: peek at turned up corners as described above.

Low limit games: I like to play drunk, raise blind and use plastic dog poop as a card protector. It can only improve your EV.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

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I take my cards place them under my pyramid and cover the cards with my hands. I then check the first card, and then I check the second one.

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I think there is another piece of advice hidden in here if you're nervous about the casino.
Do the same thing every time and then it's no problem with tells. And you can wait till its your turn every single time and it's your right. However do note that it is -EV to really slow the game down, so if you're not yet entirely sure what you'd do for most hand combinations, then you're better off to peek early and think about it for a while.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

I think there is another piece of advice hidden in here if you're nervous about the casino.

You really do think quick,ThinkQuick. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

However do note that it is -EV to really slow the game down, so if you're not yet entirely sure what you'd do for most hand combinations, then you're better off to peek early and think about it for a while.

I never considered a person would need time preflop to ponder a decision. Good catch. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

You know, I tried the chip cover , but it's just too clumsy IMO. When it's time to fold, it's just another move to make - taking the cover off - and then flipping the cards to the muck. Doesn't seem like much, but too time consuming for my tastes.

Only exception would be the 1 or 10 seat where your cards are always close to the muck.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

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You know, I tried the chip cover , but it's just too clumsy IMO. When it's time to fold, it's just another move to make - taking the cover off - and then flipping the cards to the muck. Doesn't seem like much, but too time consuming for my tastes.

Only exception would be the 1 or 10 seat where your cards are always close to the muck.

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OMG

There are 2 easy ways to do this, either (1) grab your cards and with a quick jerk your card cap will stay behind as your cards head towards the muck or (2) lift up your card cap and use the edge of it to push your cards in the muck.

Even if you're a klutz and can't do either of these, you'll learn to put up with the extra motion after some guy flings his cards and one or both of them get intangled with yours and your hand gets killed. If you protest, you'll get the standard "It's the players responsibility to protect their hand" retort from the floor.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

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Only exception would be the 1 or 10 seat where your cards are always close to the muck.

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I've seen dealers muck hands from many seats other than 1 and 10. Everytime it happens I'm stunned, like there wasn't even a bet or any action and the cards are near the table edge and the dealer just reaches for them while they're smushing the pot together and mucks 'em. This [censored] happens, and it can happen to you.
Also people sometimes radically miss when flinging cards, and a hand is dead if not protected.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

I am now a fan of just looking at one card at a time. I basically use both hands to make a barrier around the cards, then use my right thumb just to flick up the card so I can get a good glance of it. I just try to view each card individually. I guess I now prefer that method.

I am strong believer in two things. 1) Remembering your card and suit so you never have to look back at them. 2) Placing a chip on your cards if you plan to play the hand. That helps two fold. One your hand is protected incase someone else folds their hand and their cards land on yours (its bound to happen at least once to you). 2nd, holding your cards during any hand is just one extra tell you will have to worry about. If you already know the hand in your head, and never have to look back, it will just make it that more difficult to focus on the hand. Plus you spend less time actually looking at the cards, and more time looking around at every other single thing that is going at the table.

Re: NOOB question, checking your hole cards safely
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Don't use a "trinket". It's gay. Use a chip, like a man.

[/ QUOTE ]

I use a Ronald Reagan chip -- it's a trinket, it's a chip, and it's certainly not gay!

[/ QUOTE ]

I use a small rubber chicken. If you think it's gay, then I have the advantage of you. Raymer uses a fossil, hence the name "Fossilman." I use a chicken. You can call me "Chickenman" if you like.