B&M Question

Ive not played a lot of poker in card rooms. What I have has always been limit. So ive been really getting into NL lately. My problem... I dont know the ettiquites of NL tables. Namely - how much do can/should I sit with? Should I prebuy my checks? I know in limit, especially lower limits, they prefer you get your racks from the cage. Does this apply to NL tables?

thanks for the newbie advice.

[Pov]

For the specific questions you ask the answer will be card room specific. However, as a general rule the "modern" NL game has a fixed or at least maximum buy-in unlike in limit so just ask the brush (quietly) when you get on the list. Where to buy your chips is pretty much dependent upon what the room prefers regardless of limit or no limit. I suspect there is a higher chance they will want you to buy-in at the table in no limit so they can enforce the buy-in size restrictions more easily.

[SheridanCat]

As Pov points out, this is all going to be room-dependent. What you'll probably do is sign up for a NL game that indicates the maximum buy-in. There is also usually a minimum buy-in.

However, if you find yourself playing in a room without a maximum buy-in (such as at the Wynn room where they have a min but not a max) you should buy-in what you're comfortable with. You might want to wait until called to decide and base your buy on the other stacks at the table. Normally, though, there is a max these days.

Also, I would suggest you make your first buy from the cage or a chip runner rather than from the dealer. The reason is this. Many no-limit games charge time rather than rake hands. The time it takes for you to buy chips from the dealer and, later, for fills to replenish those chips, is time away from play that you're paying for. If you sit down with more than the table max, I guarantee that someone will correct you - hopefully gently.

Good luck,

T

[4_2_it]

[ QUOTE ]
Namely - how much do can/should I sit with?

[/ QUOTE ]

Always sit with the max. If you play in a room with no max, then just make sure you have one of the top 4 or 5 stacks at the table (unless you like playing a short stack strategy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img])

[AKQJ10]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Namely - how much do can/should I sit with?

[/ QUOTE ]

Always sit with the max. If you play in a room with no max, then just make sure you have one of the top 4 or 5 stacks at the table (unless you like playing a short stack strategy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img])

[/ QUOTE ]

With all due respect to my fellow poster, everything up to the parenthesis is absolutely horrendous advice for a beginner. Ed Miller has made this case in GSIH if you want to read fairly concise summary of the argument, so I won't even try to do it justice. I'll just say that if your enjoyment of poker comes largely from trying to increase your expectation, and if you don't walk in expecting to be one of the better players at the table, then you DO like playing a short stack strategy. It's a matter of personal taste, but only in the sense that folding KJo in middle position to a raise is a matter of personal taste. Someone else may prefer to play hands and gamble, but I like to win the money.

If you are new to NLHE, and you play a large stack strategy, you won't win money. Whether you have fun paying for lessons is up to you, but you won't win money until you're able to outplay your opponents at a much more complex game than short-stack NLHE.

[4_2_it]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Namely - how much do can/should I sit with?

[/ QUOTE ]

Always sit with the max. If you play in a room with no max, then just make sure you have one of the top 4 or 5 stacks at the table (unless you like playing a short stack strategy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img])

[/ QUOTE ]

With all due respect to my fellow poster, everything up to the parenthesis is absolutely horrendous advice for a beginner. Ed Miller has made this case in GSIH if you want to read fairly concise summary of the argument, so I won't even try to do it justice. I'll just say that if your enjoyment of poker comes largely from trying to increase your expectation, and if you don't walk in expecting to be one of the better players at the table, then you DO like playing a short stack strategy. It's a matter of personal taste, but only in the sense that folding KJo in middle position to a raise is a matter of personal taste. Someone else may prefer to play hands and gamble, but I like to win the money.

If you are new to NLHE, and you play a large stack strategy, you won't win money. Whether you have fun paying for lessons is up to you, but you won't win money until you're able to outplay your opponents at a much more complex game than short-stack NLHE.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hear what you are saying about short stack strategy, but based on my experience B&M players on average are much worse than online players. Any decent online player who has read a few books should have no trouble playing a $1-2 game in a casino.

I would agree that people should make an honest assessment of their ability before putting $1 on the table.