Don’t ask a friend for advice at the table and don’t give advice to a friend, even if one of you is not involved with the pot, or even if your friend isn’t playing at the table. Consulting with another person about how to play a hand isn’t allowed. Also don’t show your hand to another player, even if he is not involved in the pot and even if you are folding.
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Your hand consists of the two cards you’re initially dealt. You don’t have to use both those cards to make up your poker hand, but you must have both of them to win. Show both your cards at the showdown by simply turning them face up. Do this even if only one of them is being used to form your poker hand.
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Don’t pick your cards up and hold them close to your chest to look at them. Leave your cards on the table, cup your hands over them, and bend up the edges of the cards to look at them. Watch the other players to see how it’s done.
The reason for this is a rule that says that no card can cross an imaginary barrier at the edge of the table. If you do move your cards behind the edge of the table, your hand can be ruled dead. Most card rooms do not strictly enforce this rule at the low-limit tables. But you will be corrected if you do it, and if you persist in doing it, you will eventually have your hand declared dead. Just don’t do it.
On a related note, should the dealer accidentally deal your card to you in such a way that it flips off the table onto the floor, do not reach down and pick it up. You are not supposed to touch any card that’s off the table. The floorman will come over and pick up the card. The reason for these rules is to protect the integrity of the deck.
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Sometimes, particularly if you’re in a seat adjacent to the dealer, the dealer will accidentally grab your cards and put them into the muck. If that happens, then your hand is dead. It’s as if you have folded. It’s your responsibility to keep control of your cards. You can’t move your cards over the edge of the table, so the best thing to do is to place a chip on top of your cards whenever you leave them lying on the table. That will prevent the dealer from accidentally scooping them up.
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When you first sit down, you won’t get a hand right away. Because the two blinds take the place of an ante, you won’t be eligible to be dealt a hand until you have posted a blind. Blinds are put up in turn, so you’ll have to wait until the blind position moves around to your seat. Because Hold ‘Em is typically played without an ante, in most games you won’t be dealt a hand until you’ve posted a blind. You will have the option of posting an amount equal to the big blind (as an extra blind for that hand) or simply waiting until it’s your turn in the normal rotation of the button to post the big blind. Most players just wait. At some card rooms this rule is not enforced at the lower-limit tables.
The reason for the rule is to prevent players from taking shots by sitting in at a table, getting free cards until it’s their blind, then getting up and cashing out.
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One of the worst things that can happen to a poker player is to be in a good game, have a short run of bad luck, and run out of money It’s a good idea to make certain that you have enough cash to cover any normal runs of bad luck. Generally I like to have between three to five buy-ins in my pocket for a poker session. For a game where the normal buy-in is $100, Don’t play if you don’t have $300 in your pocket, and you like to have $500.
That might seem like more money than a winning player would need, and it usually is, but the nature of poker is such that you will lose more pots than you will win. The amount of money in the pot when you do win will more than make up for the amount of money that you might lose in three or four losing pots. The fact remains that it’s not unexpected to lose quite a few pots in a row. Often, in the better games where the players are a little loose and wild, you might lose a lot of pots in a row.
Sometimes the pots get big enough in these games that you can break even by just winning one out of ten pots that you contest, but if you don’t have enough money in your pocket to keep playing, you won’t have that opportunity Bring enough money.
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You won’t be able to go into your pocket to buy more chips during the play of the hand. So, you always want to make sure you have enough chips before a hand is dealt, and it’s always a good idea to have a few more chips than you’ll probably need. You can buy chips between hands. If you haven’t run out of chips, there is usually no minimum amount to buy for an add-on.
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In some cardrooms players buy chips from the dealer, and in some the brush will take your money and get chips for you from the cage. Some rooms have chip-runners who carry chips around in a pouch to sell to players. If you’re not sure of the procedure in your cardroom, just get out your money, and someone will get you some chips. Again, you just might need to ask.
The minimum buy-in in the smallest games in most cardrooms is $40. Typically a minimum buy is either $40 or ten times the smallest bet allowed. I recommend you buy either $100 or about twice the amount of the minimum buy-in, whichever is larger.
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Once a seat is available, your name will be called out or you’ll be paged. When you respond, you’ll be told at which table to take a seat. Usually the tables are numbered on signs hanging over the table which also gives the game and limits and the buy-in. Sometimes they are numbered on a small plaque, face-up on the table next to the dealer.
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Somewhere in the room will be a floor manager or host, usually called the “brush” in a poker room. Before you can take a seat at a table, you’ll have to find him. He maintains a sign-up sheet for the waiting list in each game. You’ll need to be prepared to tell the floor man or brush what game (Hold ‘Em) and what limit you want to play. Ask him what limits are available. Put yourself on the list for any limits you will be comfortable playing. A beginner should probably start in a 2/4, 3/6, or 1-4-8-8 game.
You can’t just sit at an empty seat, just because a seat is empty doesn’t mean it’s available. It may be that a new player is on his way to take the seat, or there may be some other reason the brush will want you to take a seat at a different table. Generally you will not be allowed to take a seat without referral by the brush, so don’t try.
The form of the sign-up sheet varies from card room to card¬ room. Some use a large blackboard or acrylic writing surface, and players can add themselves to the list. More commonly someone is standing near the board, and they will add your initials or name. Sometimes the floor manager keeps a clipboard that contains the waiting lists. If you see a large board that looks as if it might be a sign-up board, go to it. You should find a floor manager nearby. If you don’t see such a board, look for a podium either near the front or middle of the room. If all else fails, just ask someone where to sign up for a game.
Whenever you’re in doubt about something, don’t be hesitant to just ask whoever is available. Because every card room has a slightly different sign-up procedure, you won’t be identifying yourself as a novice by asking. Even the most experienced player may have to ask if it’s his first visit to that particular card room. You’ll usually get a receptive reaction to questions from players and employees alike.
Once you’ve signed up for a game, don’t leave the card room area without first telling the brush. Some cardrooms will give you a beeper to carry if you intend to wander to other areas of the casino. Sometimes they’ll page you over the casino loudspeaker. Some of them are even starting to keep computerized lists shown on moni¬tors scattered around the room. If you don’t tell them you will be out of the area, many cardrooms will simply cross your name off the list if you don’t quickly respond when your name is called. It all depends on the procedures in use at the particular card room.
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