what to know before playing poker in a casino

If once you sit down, a table turns out to be outside of your comfort zone, move! And do so sooner rather than later.

And remember, in cash play you can always move. Pick a seat where you will be most comfortable. Most, of course will be somewhere in between. Others will be full of tight players (commonly referred to as “nits”), with a lot of tight play. Some tables will be wild, with players raising and re-raising each other every hand. It is a good idea to wander around a bit and watch several tables for a few minutes to see where you might feel most comfortable. If there are open seats, you are generally free to sit down at any open seat at any table you would like. Once you have your chips, you need a seat. A minimum buy-in makes it both difficult to leverage your chip stack to put pressure on larger stacks and mitigates your winnings should you hit a monster hand and someone calls your all-in bet.

However, if you want to be competitive, attempt to keep pace with other players, and enhance your odds of winning some reasonable money, then buying in for the maximum is generally the better strategy. If you are looking to get some experience and guard against a big loss, then buying in for the minimum may make sense. Each will have a minimum and maximum buy in (for example a $1-$2 No Limit Hold'em game might have a minimum buy-in of $60 and a maximum buy-in of $300 where a $2-$5 NLHE will have a higher range, something like $200 to $1,000).Įvery player’s goals will be different. If you are not sure, check the requirements for the level of blinds you would like to play. You will want to have an idea of how many chips you want to sit down with.

The cage is a series of windows with either bars or plexiglass separating you from the cashier. Your First Trip to a Poker Room, Part 2: Cash GamesĪfter getting your player’s card (if you choose to do so) you will go to the cage.

What to know before playing poker in a casino