Master Dilettante

Updated: 20 April 2007 (thanks to Jason S. and Caleb L. for their comments)

This post comes at the request of my friend Matt who has been watching poker on TV avidly and playing recreational, play-money games on Yahoo. If you’re like him in that you’re building up the courage to play for real money in a live environment but don’t know where to begin, here is what to do:

1. Find a local card room. If you are in Vegas, the San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles, card rooms abound. To find a venue in your area, try the online Poker Room Finder on CardPlayer.com.
2. Find “the board” for your game. Poker rooms typically arrange tables by stakes. High stakes, medium stakes and low stakes tables (or just high and low) each tend to be clustered together. For each area, “the board” is the mechanism by which a new player joins the wait list for a game or immediately enters it. Boards come in three forms: (1) a sheet of paper, usually on a clipboard at a podium (2) a chalkboard or dry-erase white board or (3) a computer-based system with display monitors. All three types of boards are maintained by a floor person, and columns with wait list names on the board will be arranged by game, e.g., $1/2 Limit Hold ‘em, $2/5 No-limit Hold ‘em, $15/30 Limit Hold’em, $8/16 Omaha Hi-Lo, etc. Depending on the size of the card room, multiple tables for each game might be “running.” Look around the card room, and find the board for the game you wish to join. If you need to read this, you are a rank beginner, and, as a rank beginner, you probably should join the game with the lowest stakes in the room.
3. Join the waitlist. Approach the floor person and ask, “Are there any seats open for $2/$4?” A quick visual peek at the board also will reveal whether the game has a waiting list of names. If a seat is open, you will get seated immediately. If it not, ask the floor person to “please add [insert your name or initials here] on the list for $2/$4″ or whichever game you wish to play. You are now in the queue. (Note: If the list is long, at many card rooms, a floor person will accept a $5-20 tip to move you to the top of the list).
4. When called, take your seat. When the floor person calls your name, the floor person typically will direct you to a particular table with an open seat. Sit in it.
5. Get chips.
   • You can get chips in three ways: (1) from a “chip runner”, (2) directly from the dealer or (3) from “the cage.” For card rooms with chip runners, a chip runner will usually approach you and ask for how much you want to buy into the game (your initial stake of money for the table). Alternatively, the dealer may ask you for how much you wish to buy and summon a chip runner or provide chips from his or her tray directly. If neither of these things transpire, tell the dealer, “Chips, please: $X.” Again, he or she will either give it to you or call a chip runner to get it. When you get your chips, some players will tip a chip runner a dollar or two.
   • How much to get? As a rule of thumb, for a low limit game ($10/20 or below), players buy in for “a rack,” or 100 chips. In a $2/$4 game, for example, a rack would consist of 100 $1 chips, or $100.
6. Enter the game. In most games, you will need to “post” a bet to enter the game. This means you may be required to post the minimum pre-flop bet amount before the cards are dealt. You can post in any position relative to the dealer button. The most common and financially prudent is immediately after the button passes you. (If you don’t know what a button is, you probably shouldn’t be playing at all at this point). Before the dealer deals, simply place the required amount, $2, for example, in a $2/$4 limit hold ‘em game, across the line in front of you. Because placing chips on the table is a binding action, you should first ask the dealer whether you need to post or tell the dealer to deal you in and ask if you need to post.

Congratulations, you’re now playing live poker in a cash ring game!

You should also be aware of the following:

• Protect your cards. Players are responsible for protecting their own cards so that the dealer does not inadvertently “muck” (fold) them. When you receive your two cards, place a chip or other object on them to prevent them from being mucked. When you look at your cards, cup your hands on top of them and lift the edges with the ranks and suits to see them. Avoid picking your cards up off the table. Protect them at all times from prying eyes.
• Beware of “string bets.” “String bet” definitions differ, but the basic rule is that raises must be made in one continuous motion. The underlying purpose of the rule is to protect other players from physical actions by the betting player designed to elicit a physical response. To illustrate, if you wish to raise the bet of a player, you cannot call his bet then return to your stack to add additional chips for a raise in two separate motions. Instead, place both the call and raise amount in front of you simultaneously or announce “raise” before taking any action. Caleb adds: “This does NOT work like in the movies. You should never say ‘I call your X and raise you Y.’ Once chips begin hitting the felt in front of you, you can only bet as much as that motion allows.”
• You can leave the game whenever you like. At any point between hands, simply tell the dealer, “I’m out” or “Deal me out” or “Seat open.” Rack up your chips and leave.

These instructions should get you through your first session. If you have a friend who is familiar with playing in live cash games, it might be even better to go with him or her as a guide in your first session.

And, now, a parting inspirational quote — albeit about 7-card stud, not Texas hold ‘em — from Mike McDermott, Matt Damon’s character in the classic poker flick Rounders.

All right, here’s the thing. You only play premium hands. You only start with jacks or better split, nines or better wired, three high cards to a flush. If it’s good enough to call, you gotta be in there raising, all right? I mean, tight, but aggressive. And I do mean aggressive. That’s your style, Professor. I mean, you gotta . . . you gotta think of it as a war.

Good luck!