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UKPC hints - Live etiquette
Many people attending the UKPC may be drawn by the promise of a £100,000+ first prize and the oppurtunity to qualify for as little as £2.60 through online qualifiers. However, there is a good chance that many of these players have never attended the more 'formal' environment of casino, and I'm looking to offer some pointers to those folks to help them out and make them feel more comfortable when they arrive.
Please feel free to post additions that I may have missed!
Prior to tournament
The Sky team will be available to offer any guidance or answer any questions you may have on the day. Everyone is very friendly and will do their best to help you.
You will be already registered for the tournament, and approximately ten minutes before the start time, TV screens around the building will begin to show names and seating positions. These are arranged as follows;
Name Table Number Seat Number
Christopher Cox 54 6
In Dusk til Dawn, the table number is not actually the number of tables, but the position of the table. Table 54 for example, is the 5th row of tables from the entrance, and 4th table in from the left. Table 37 would be the 3rd row, 7th table, and so on and so forth. Seat numbers work left from the dealer, with seat 5 directly opposite the dealer.
When you arrive at your table, your chipstack will either already be in front of your seat, or the dealer will ask your name and pass you your chips. Take your time to familiarise yourself with the chip colours and their values, as it is useful to have an idea of what you are looking for when you want to call or raise during play.
During the tournament
The tournament will start at the allocated time, and will not wait for players to sit down, and the dealer will begin posting blinds from stacks who are not yet sat down. They are dealt hands, but are dead if the player is not seated before the last card is dealt.
The dealer will direct all betting action, any raises, the blinds, the amounts etc. Try and make their life easier, its not an easy gig and keeping up with the position of the button, and whether you need to post blinds or antes, will be appreciated.
ANTES - These will appear in approximately the 5th level of the tournament. They are small, mandatory bet that every player at the table must contribute every hand. They are also the bane of a dealers life. At the start of the hand, once the dealer has pushed the previous pot to the winner and begins to shuffle the cards, have your ante ready to post and make sure its clearly in front of you so the dealer knows whose ante it is.
When you are dealt cards, collect them in front of you and ensure they are visible to the dealer, but remain close enough to you that is obvious you are still involved in the hand. DTD have a betting line around their tables, which you should keep your cards behind if you intend to carry on in the hand.
When looking at your holecards, try do it in a reasonably timely manner. There is an element of fun in seeing one ace, and eagerly hoping for a second, but taking 15-20 seconds to look at your second card is unreasonable for everyone else at the table. Keep your cards quite low, so noone else can see them, and once finished, if you intend to play the hand, place them in front of you again with a small denomination chip on top of them. This will prevent them being collected by the dealer by accident, PARTICULARY if you are in Seat 1 or 9. Otherwise, pass the cards towards the dealer (preferably by pushing them across the table rather than throwing them, to stop cards from flicking over).
If you intend to bet, call, raise or fold, then announce CLEARLY which of those options you intend to do. This will make sure there is no confusion on what you planning to do, regardless of the amount of chips you put into the pot. If you say CALL, and place an oversized chip(s) into the pot (a 5000 chip when the call is 200, for example), you will either receive change or be asked to place the correct chips into the pot. If you say nothing, and place an oversized chip into the pot, it will be assumed to be a call, no matter what you intended to do. If you place multiple large chips into the pot, it will be assumed as a RAISE, no matter the size of the bet. These are the most common problems in a casino poker game and can cause upset at a table.
If you intend to raise, then announce 'Raise', and decide the TOTAL AMOUNT you want to raise to. Then, announce that number, and place the chips into the pot. This removes any ambiguity and if you accidently place the wrong chip values into the pot, you will not be penalised.
At showdown, announce your hand, and turn your cards face up in front of you. This is to ensure your hand is seen by the dealer, who can see the winning hand and award the pot correctly. Do not waste time by oo-ing and aa-ing with your opponent about who must show first - the pot needs to be awarded, all bets are finished, and there is no need to waste time.
If someone notices the dealer is awarding the pot incorrectly, it is WELL within their rights to protect the integrity of the game and question the dealer, making sure the pot is awarded to the correct player. I've been threatened several times after pointing out a dealer error, but it is in everyones interest that the game is both clean and fair.
If you fold pre-flop, try not to indicate in any manner (verbally, by telling someone near you) or physically (flailing arms, moaning out loud etc) that your folded hand would have connected with the board. It changes the actions of the players who remain in the pot, which now have new information that should not be available to them. You are potenitally changing the outcome of the hand.
That is all I can think of for now! Hope it helps, and like I said, please feel free to post any additions you think will be useful to new live players.
Please feel free to post additions that I may have missed!
Prior to tournament
The Sky team will be available to offer any guidance or answer any questions you may have on the day. Everyone is very friendly and will do their best to help you.
You will be already registered for the tournament, and approximately ten minutes before the start time, TV screens around the building will begin to show names and seating positions. These are arranged as follows;
Name Table Number Seat Number
Christopher Cox 54 6
In Dusk til Dawn, the table number is not actually the number of tables, but the position of the table. Table 54 for example, is the 5th row of tables from the entrance, and 4th table in from the left. Table 37 would be the 3rd row, 7th table, and so on and so forth. Seat numbers work left from the dealer, with seat 5 directly opposite the dealer.
When you arrive at your table, your chipstack will either already be in front of your seat, or the dealer will ask your name and pass you your chips. Take your time to familiarise yourself with the chip colours and their values, as it is useful to have an idea of what you are looking for when you want to call or raise during play.
During the tournament
The tournament will start at the allocated time, and will not wait for players to sit down, and the dealer will begin posting blinds from stacks who are not yet sat down. They are dealt hands, but are dead if the player is not seated before the last card is dealt.
The dealer will direct all betting action, any raises, the blinds, the amounts etc. Try and make their life easier, its not an easy gig and keeping up with the position of the button, and whether you need to post blinds or antes, will be appreciated.
ANTES - These will appear in approximately the 5th level of the tournament. They are small, mandatory bet that every player at the table must contribute every hand. They are also the bane of a dealers life. At the start of the hand, once the dealer has pushed the previous pot to the winner and begins to shuffle the cards, have your ante ready to post and make sure its clearly in front of you so the dealer knows whose ante it is.
When you are dealt cards, collect them in front of you and ensure they are visible to the dealer, but remain close enough to you that is obvious you are still involved in the hand. DTD have a betting line around their tables, which you should keep your cards behind if you intend to carry on in the hand.
When looking at your holecards, try do it in a reasonably timely manner. There is an element of fun in seeing one ace, and eagerly hoping for a second, but taking 15-20 seconds to look at your second card is unreasonable for everyone else at the table. Keep your cards quite low, so noone else can see them, and once finished, if you intend to play the hand, place them in front of you again with a small denomination chip on top of them. This will prevent them being collected by the dealer by accident, PARTICULARY if you are in Seat 1 or 9. Otherwise, pass the cards towards the dealer (preferably by pushing them across the table rather than throwing them, to stop cards from flicking over).
If you intend to bet, call, raise or fold, then announce CLEARLY which of those options you intend to do. This will make sure there is no confusion on what you planning to do, regardless of the amount of chips you put into the pot. If you say CALL, and place an oversized chip(s) into the pot (a 5000 chip when the call is 200, for example), you will either receive change or be asked to place the correct chips into the pot. If you say nothing, and place an oversized chip into the pot, it will be assumed to be a call, no matter what you intended to do. If you place multiple large chips into the pot, it will be assumed as a RAISE, no matter the size of the bet. These are the most common problems in a casino poker game and can cause upset at a table.
If you intend to raise, then announce 'Raise', and decide the TOTAL AMOUNT you want to raise to. Then, announce that number, and place the chips into the pot. This removes any ambiguity and if you accidently place the wrong chip values into the pot, you will not be penalised.
At showdown, announce your hand, and turn your cards face up in front of you. This is to ensure your hand is seen by the dealer, who can see the winning hand and award the pot correctly. Do not waste time by oo-ing and aa-ing with your opponent about who must show first - the pot needs to be awarded, all bets are finished, and there is no need to waste time.
If someone notices the dealer is awarding the pot incorrectly, it is WELL within their rights to protect the integrity of the game and question the dealer, making sure the pot is awarded to the correct player. I've been threatened several times after pointing out a dealer error, but it is in everyones interest that the game is both clean and fair.
If you fold pre-flop, try not to indicate in any manner (verbally, by telling someone near you) or physically (flailing arms, moaning out loud etc) that your folded hand would have connected with the board. It changes the actions of the players who remain in the pot, which now have new information that should not be available to them. You are potenitally changing the outcome of the hand.
That is all I can think of for now! Hope it helps, and like I said, please feel free to post any additions you think will be useful to new live players.
Comments
Casinos are fabulous places, but as you say, there are things to note with regards to the differences. The most important thing to remember is not to walk in there - if it's your first time - and think you know everything. Live poker is (almost) a different game from how we play it online and should be approached as such. Most dealers are patient and will explain certain things to you if you step out of line in a hand, so don't be too worried about not being fully conversant with the rules. At the same time, don't take liberties. Dealers are usually relaxed initially, but they are there to perform a function and do a job, and they can make life difficult for you if you choose to ignore the advice they give you.
Great stuff Chris, thank you.
I'll add bits as & when they occur to me, if I may.
If you are not already a Member at DTD, you MUST take ID with you, or you will NOT gain admittance.
If you have not played "Live" poker in a proper venue before.....
Do NOT place drinks on the Poker Tables. Ever.
And if you are going to be away for a few hands and we are in the ante stage, be kind to the dealer and move a small stack of ante chips towards but not over the betting line.
And it was on the bubble......
awesome!
I wasn't too sure about these rules so all the advice helps. Thanks a Coxy
I make it 900 total