Tips On Playing Live Poker (Part I)

Playing poker live in a casino is different from playing online poker. Unlike typical online grind, casino poker, especially cash games, can be a lot of fun. You can sometimes stumble into juicy situations sitting with opponents who play badly. Yet those occasional big wins are not the main attraction. For me main draw of live poker is an opportunity to watch people. Not just any people. While the game can be easy or tough, there is almost always a character or two at the table. Those characters are simply fun to watch. I consider it free entertainment. I can write ten times  as much simply describing various characters I met in casinos’ poker rooms, but this is not what this post is about. Assuming that you care about your results, here are some tips which could make you a better live poker player.

Show Your Cards on Showdown

All the betting has ended and your opponents turned their cards face up. You think you are beaten so you muck your cards without showing. Do not do that. Instead flip your cards for dealer to see. I am aware that many well known, highly credible poker writers recommend to never show your cards when you do not have to. They argue that showing cards is giving free information to your opponents. And they are right. However, their advice is directed at the following situation: You are playing an important high stakes poker session or a tournament. You are focused, alert and overall are playing your A game. Your tough, observant opponents are watching your every move. Under those conditions it is certainly unwise to give a gift of free information. However a typical live poker session in a casino is far cry from shining heights of professional poker. Usually it is early hours of the morning and you are tired and/or sleepy. You are propping yourself up with coffee. Your opponents, in addition to playing poorly, are drinking beer or cocktails. In other words, this is the prime territory for human error. It is just too likely that you could misread a situation and muck a winning hand. Do not let that happen to you. Unless you are certain, just flip your cards open and let dealer pronounce winning hand. An occasional pot saved by showing a winning hand where you thought you were beaten is well worth giving away information. My point here is there is likely nobody paying attention on the receiving end anyways.

Some poker players who try to play well would say those mistakes in reading your own cards happen only to bad players. Thus to flip cards for them is to admit their lack of poker skills. Truth is all players make mistakes, including world class poker pros. They happen not due to lack of skill but because it is tiring and unnatural to stay completely focused for hours at a time. Even the best pros suffer from waning focus. Do not believe me? Well, many live poker events are televised these days. Check out  Phil Ivey misreading his hand. Phil Ivey is widely regarded as one of the best poker players in the world. Here is an excerpt from Every Hand Revealed by Gus Hansen where he freely admits to completely misreading his hand. By the way, that did not stop him from proceeding on to win Aussie Millions 2007 poker tournament.

“Hand in hindsight: This was probably my poorest performance so far in this tournament. Trying a hopeless bluff where all the ammunition I had was a turn-check from my opponent was obviously a mistake. Not knowing what cards I had in my hand was absolutely unforgivable! I still won the hand but for a split-second it was aimed at the muck.”
-- Gus Hansen, “Every hand Revealed”, Hand 94

 

Do Not Engage In Discussing A Play

This tip might seem counterintuitive. In fact, what is better way to use inevitable downtime in between hands, than to discuss merits of the play? Casino may just not be the best place for that. You will often hear someone making remarks about the play you or others just made. Depending on whether the commenter came out on top or lost, the remark would be either positive or negative. The best course of action is not to engage in the conversation at all. Even if the remark appears completely unfounded, silly or absurd. Abstain! There is simply no gain in such a conversation.

First off, casino goers are not there to get educated. They come to gamble. If they wanted to improve their game, they would have picked up a book instead. Therefore resist the urge to explain yourself. It is not going to be accepted graciously.

Secondly, if you lay down your thought process, the better players at your table will make a mental note that you seem to know how to play poker. That knowledge will help them and consequently hurt your bankroll. If you must say something, smile and say something vaguely encouraging and polite. Especially if the subject is someone’s bad play. You are hoping that they make more plays like that. Note, it does not matter whether that particular bad play won the pot. Even if it claimed the pot, it is still a bad play.

Conclusion

We covered two important points of live poker etiquette. First, while poker theory suggests to never show your hand, you should adjust to the situation. Dealers are there to ensure a fair and pleasant experience for all players. So use them. Let them do their job - read your cards and announce a winning hand.
Second - avoid discussing plays made at your table. This will ensure you do not find yourself in an awkward situation.
Stay tuned for second installment of tips for playing casino cash games.