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Poker Tips Please!?

I am a Texas Hold'em Enthusiast, with a little experience with online play and little small stakes winner take all games. Im going to a small town poker tournament and this will be my first tournament experience. Any Tips? Is there any important etiquette I should know? Oh and also , Ive some times seen the blinds go up and then a "Ante" is introduced. Im not familiar with this can someone please explain this concept to me? I am not a total newb but I do lack "in-person" poker playing experience, and fear I won't be able to keep up. Math in my head is hard :P

9 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Regarding etiquette, the most important is not to act out of turn. I know it sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how many people will fold early or push all in with three people to act in front of them. Some players go berserk when it happens, so be sure it's your turn before doing anything. Another big one is slow rolling. Unless you want your opponent to hate your guts and the rest of the table to think you're a jerk, turn up your hand when you know you've won. Don't make the other guy think he's taken down the pot and then pull the rug out from under him, it's just mean. Announce what you mean to do in a firm voice, whether it's call, raise, or all in. I played in a tournament a few weeks ago where the guy on my right said everything very, very softly. I was in the BB, it folded around to him in the SB, and he whispered, "I'm in." I thought he said, "All in", and mucked. I could have seen the flop for free, but this jerk couldn't speak loudly enough to be heard. A couple people at my table agreed with me that it was a problem, so avoid doing that. Other than that just be polite and have fun. Remember, you're not there to make friends, and you're not there to make enemies. You're there to make money.

  • 5 years ago

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    A lot of tips depend on the number of players in the tournament and the buy-in amount. Without that info here are some general tips:

    A tournament is never won in the first hour. Don't rush.

    Play premium hands. If you're newer to poker it's going to be hard for you to judge hands like suited or unsuited connectors, flush draws, etc. It's better at first to mostly play solid hands like high pairs, A10-AK, or two face cards in general.

    Avoid small pairs! It takes some skill to play them, especially after the flop. While some players will say they love small pairs, think of the words of Phil Hellmuth: "A sure sign of a bad player is overplaying small pairs." Avoid them until you have more experience.

    Fold more. Don't get in without the aforementioned premium hands. You want to mix up the play a bit but generally you want to avoid playing weak hands. The tendency when starting out is to play too much.

    It's almost always better to raise than to call or "limp." Limping means to just call the big blind. Aggression is always your best friend in poker, try raising much more often than calling other's bets. If your hand is strong it's usually worth raising with it.

    Don't expect much your first time out. Don't be discouraged if you get knocked out early or don't play as well as you think you should. Nerves, bad beats and mistakes are all a part of learning the game.

    Oh, and "antes" are introduced later in the tournament blind structure in order to encourage more players in pots and build larger pots when, as the tournament progresses, players generally fold more and get tighter in their play. The venue should post the structure of the betting rounds and you'll see where the antes are introduced. It's a small amount added by each player in addition to the blinds.

  • 1 decade ago

    Mainly what i do when i play this game is go with my gutt, if you think you should stay, stay, otherwise get out. There is the little and big blind, in the big blind they have the option

    to raise if they want or no. In the meantime, if you ante and want to raise you have to say the raise first and not even say ante or the call. They will help you and you will learn by watching other people. If your luck is going for you stick with it, cause this game is a luck game and sometimes luck is what it takes. You will get use to how everyone plays and some will play tight and some will play loose and you will figure this out but don't be intimidated, that will get you every time. I'm a lady and i can hang in there with the best of them. Good luck.

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  • 1 decade ago

    First of all i wish you good luck. Just be sure to wait for your turn to act, and don't go showing your cards when there is action on the hand between other players, also don't fold out of turn. Other then that have fun, understanding and following pot odds is a little different then on-line, because you have to keep track of whats in the pot, but as long as you have an general knowledge of whats in the pot you should be ok. Make sure you are clear in what you are doing, if you are going to raise just don't put a bunch of chips out there, say i raise to 800 total, the dealer will make sure you put out the right amount, this keep the game running smooth and helps to keep you out of any unclear situation with other players. A single chip without any verbal declaration is only a call. For example lets say the button calls the big blind for 200, and you want to raise, so you throw in a 1000 dollar chip, this is only a call since you did not say raise. You must say raise to 600 first, then throw your 1000 chip out there. A verbal bet is binnding, so if you say i raise to 3000, and you only wanted to really raise to 1500, you must stick 3000 out there. Also don't splash the pot, this is when a player throws his chips into the pot, before the dealer can make sure the amount of the bet. Just put your bet in front of you and let the dealer count it, then the dealer will pull the bet into the pot. Don't make change for yourself, ask the dealer or other players to change you up, never make your own change out of the pot, the dealer will do that for you. Also never give your hand up until the pot has been pushed to you by the dealer, i have had real issues inthe past with this. I thought i had won the hand so i folded my hand into the muck, but another player who i did not see was in the pot, so by folding my hand he took the pot down. As far as what an ante is, that is a forced bet like a blind, but it is most times 10% of the big blind that everyone has to put into the pot every hand. So if the blinds are 100-200 with a 25 dollar ante, each player at the table puts up the 25 ante, before the cards are dealt out, this is just to force action even more. good luck.

  • 1 decade ago

    Starting out in holdem

    http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/poker-basic...

    Try this link, the holdem section has basics and some advanced tips. I studied it and I'm at fulltiltpoker.org Kicking butt in the 50/100 tables. Now that I have some play money I'm looking at the pot limit tables. See the question I am about to ask about moving up.

  • Billy
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    you can learn alot by just watching other players

    try your best in not feeling the "pressure", but be smart: look around and observe, but try not to come off as a newbie, since that invites attacks

    i'm not 100% sure, but the ante you are referring to is the increase in blinds for tourney play, whethers its elimination-based or time-based

    my general tips:

    its nice you're getting your feet wet, but i highly suggest you master the basics first and get lots of practice (but enjoy it too) at small tourneys and with friends

    i'm sure you feel confident, but unless you have alot of money to spare, dont play so big, unless you like to learn your lessons the "hard way"... remember, there can only be one winner, and you're facing alot of card sharks out there who want that money just as much as you, if not more... some of them are high-rollers, and some just are loose players

    read up on various poker resources, such as books and websites like pkr.com/poker-school or google poker tells

    i enjoy watching poker on espn, but theres no substitute for real experience, and making decisions under pressure

    get comfortable, get confident, and play smart

    good luck!

  • 5 years ago

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  • Dave T
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    know when to hold 'em

    know when to fold 'em

    know when to walk away

    know when to run

    never count your money when you're sitting at the table

    there'll be time enough for counting, when the dealin's done.

    Sound familiar?

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