blonde poker forum

Hey All, :)

Ive been lurking for a while and have decided that now is the time to start posting! First off I would like to say what a great site / message board combination blondepoker is! (Love the torney updates).

All Im after is a bit of advice on the following please;

After playing online for a couple of years Ive decided to play my first live game and since I live in Birmingham there are a few games on offer and I cant decide which would be the best for me?? Here are the options:

1)   50 NLH rebuys and add ons @ the Broadway casino (Sunday night)
2)   20 NLH rebuys and add ons @ the Broadway casino (Monday night)
3)   100 NLH freezout @ The Grovesnor Walsall (Sunday Night)
4)   50 freezout @ The Grovesnor Walsall (Tuesday Night)

The buy in amount isnt really an issue as there all within losing budget but there are a couple of factors / questions:

The Broadway is easier for me to get to but I dont really understand rebuys and add ons (live newb), I think the 100 game might be too large for my first time and Im not really too keen on playing midweek (Monday and Tuesday) as I have to be up for work at 7am!

Ha ha I guess that rules all of those games out any advice or suggestions would be most appreciated!

What about the 10 beginners comp @ Walsall Grovesnor on a saturday afternoon?

It allows one rebuy or addon so it should be a good introduction to playing live and rebuys etc. There's another 10 rebuy comp later in the evening aswell.

Thanks bongo maybe that is the best choice for me right now! Is it self deal?? and arnt these beginner comps a bit of a free for all?

if you decide on the 20 have a look at
http://www.blondepoker.com/PokerStoriesfirsttourny.htm

I think I'd go for the 50 if it were my 1st game. low buy in rebuys are beatable but for a 1st time it'll be a bit hectic.

I wouldn't worry about winning or it being a free-for-all at your first live tournament, I'd just concentrate on getting comfortable with playing live.

The sunday 100 freezeout is now i believe a 25 jobbie with addons.
Broadway is a nice place but with a strict dress code so beware, the players are however mixed (very good and absolutely clueless) both more than capable of making you wanna cry!
Bongo has already told you your best option but believe me there ain't many rookies in that comp :D but it is the cheapest introduction.
There is also a 5 PL rebuy chip slinging contest on Friday nights, a lot of new players in a field of between 120 and 140, though it really is like a wild west brawl. Over 400 rebuys average!!!!! You do get value if you do well though (i once won 1,050 from 5, wassat 200 to 1?)
Don't worry too much about rebuys/addons as we're a friendly bunch at Walsall and anyone will help you out cuz we can smell the newbies ;D
Ian

One more thing Wall, welcome to the forum, nice to have you

When you do play your first live comp, dont be rushed, and if you dont know something, ask the dealer

Ie, who's turn is it, how much is it to me, or anything else you want to know. Dont do anything untill the player to your right has acted, and before you raise or bet, announce your intention verbaly, say "Im raising" and then say the amount

Dont worry if you feel like a rabbit in the headlights, Its the same for everyone

Im sorry if you know this basic stuff already, but I wish someone had told me when I first started

Most of all, enjoy it

Good luck

Tom

Thanks Tom, Ian, Adam & bongo!

Some good advice there, I think I am going to go with the rookie afternoon just to climitise myself to live play and If I do ok or feel confident enough with my game then I will step it up to the bigger buy in events.

Many thanks again and I will let you know how my first experience goes!

First Live expeience? Wow, frightening, I remember mine......

My advice is to befriend the guy sat to your right, explain it's your first time, & he will prompt you as to when to post your small/big blind, & correct you as to "etiquette errors" (betting/passing out of turn), what you can & cannot say in a hand etc.

Try to avoid Self-Deal for your first tourney, unless it's the same dealer throughout - i.e., one person is nominated to do all the dealing, thats no different to a House Dealer as far as you are concerned.

Nothing I can say will prevent it being an ordeal first time - it just WILL be, but remember you are there to have fun - so just try & enjoy it!

I suggest you sit nice & quiet for the first 20 minutes, to just suss out how it all works.

We would love to hear how you got on, too, so please let us know - the blondeites are a great bunch, & will want you to do well.

Read Adam's "My first tourney" article - well worth a look.

And welcome to blonde!

wall did you used to play at PSO?

Hi Ironside PSO? nope never played there, I use to play at truepoker but Im going to start playing at william hill when I get my internet connection sorted out (just moved house, im posting from work :) )

Just read Adams article, thats some fine reading! I expect that I will play super tight first time round which isnt my normal game.....

Im going to try and get someone to come with me tomorrow! that should stop the butterflies....... well maybe only a little bit!

Oh and thanks for the welcome Reddog, from your posts I see that you also play at Wasall quite a bit? 

people seem to think the way to beat a super loose aggressive game is to play loose aggressive and take plenty of money. I placed 6th at Nottingham last night in a 20 rebuy and won 280 for only my original 20 stake. player two to my right would have about broken even with my finish (Tikay, you know who that was, I'm not sure I rate him you know) I'd usually need one or two buy ins but if I hadn't run into Aces on the final table I could have placed higher still winning up to 2040 for 20.

What would you say then Adam are the main differences between live and online play? Online I see people going all in with K-6 just because a K hit the flop (and other such moves) and never-ending chasing of straights and flushs.  Do people play this loose in a real game during a re-buy period?

Oh and thanks tikay for the welcome and good luck wishes  :)

I find that online and rebuy periods play similarly but live freeze out is different. the main difference if the fear of loosing. when you play on line, if you get knocked out you can be in a new game 30 seconds later. when in a rebuy stage if you lose a big hand you can just shout "chips" and you're back in the game. in the freeze out stage you face the possibility that if you make the wrong decision you're in the car and kicking yourself all the way home. Although you don't want to choke when facing the big decisions, a healthy fear of getting knocked out helps me stay focused. I find it hard to play against entire fields where no-one has this fear (although having a couple of fearless gamblers at the table is inevitable).

Cant remember who was sat two to your right Adam. I remember shaking his hand, & telling him you were a maniac, but the rest is a blank.....

I was just recalling my first live game. I was amazed that when I sat down, there was someone who actually wanted to help me. It didn't seem logical that some old bloke would want to try and help the person sitting next to him try and win his money. It was actually my first ever game of poker as well, not just live! I was asking so many questions, someone would raise and I would ask if I could check...so funny thinking back. Good job the old guy was patient. Yup, Tikay is a crazy old cat sometimes! Miraculously, I actually 'finaled' that night as well. I remeber clearly walking away thinking, wow, this game is so easy, I just beat 40 people (remember, it was a while ago, not many there!). Boy was I in for a rude awakening, ha ha.
Anyway, point being, there are always people who will help you out, despite a few 'rogues', in the main, Poker People are a great bunch. I dont suppose you will get lucky enough to sit next to Tikay or Julian as I did but, there are plenty of others.
Good Luck to you, you won't look back.

he was getting really annoyed at how tight I was. I only played two hands in the re-buy period both with him losing money in the pot
once with 10,10 on a J,6,5 flop he couldn't put A6 down and doubled me to 2000
once with AQ on the button when he was one of 4 limpers. only Max came in with me from the BB and when we both checked an A high flop he tried a total steal on the turn and I RR all in a mile ahead. up to 4800
3rd time was first hand of the freeze. a straight pre-flop RR from my BB with AK and our mystery man actually passed and showed me an ace. HE PASSED AN ACE PRE-FLOP. red letter day that was.

jbsc7769 - your memory is faulty. It was NOT "some old bloke", it was in fact me, how wrong can you be.......

I remember it clearly - because you had your sister with you, & it was love at first sight. Sadly it was a one way affair. Sigh........Think she prefers the older man. (XXX to Justine please).

Adsm - I remember who it was now. Super duper loose. But if it's who I think it was, he has never passed an A, EVER.......

My first ever game was at Annabelles in Coventry, Its right in the middle of the red light district

The first thing I saw as I pulled into the car park was a bloke running down the middle of the road, bleeding, and another bloke chasing him with a chair leg

When I enterd the cardroom a chap was standing on one of the poker tables, trousers round ankles, mooning at the onlookers, the most evil looking bunch you ever saw

But they took me in, made me feel welcome and had endless paitence with me, although Im sure my skin got about two inches thicker from the continual ribbing

I still have a little pink slip, (9th, poker competition 30) my first ever prize money

Happy days

Just rang the Grosvenor (Walsall) 10 PLH max of one rebuy (60 min period) with a starting stack of a 1000 (the guy on the phone thinks) kicks off a 4.15pm.  And it looks like its going to be self delt although the bloke on the phone says that there will be someone from the casino to show us how  ::)

Thats it then, thatll we do me for a first bash live! I will let you know how I get on!

Cheers for all the assistance in my desision guys!

Good Luck! "Self-deal" at Walsall is not a problem for you. One nominated player will do all the dealing.

Don't forget, we expect chapter & verse!

No worries tikay! I will give you the "my first time" story although I wont be back online until wednesday now, so when I dont appear on Sunday I havent vanished to have a bad beat sulk!

Intrigued as to who this. Never passing an Ace narrows it down..to about 20 greeks ;D

Nope, not a Greek gentleman.

Guess on!

definitely Greek Tikay, had you been drinking.

I was lucky enough (and i mean REALLY lucky. All in at least 12 times from the final 2 tables, and won EVERY time) to come joint 1st in the 20 rebuy at Grosvenor Cardiff on Monday.
Won 1110 for a 40 stake.