Hi JA
I have only played 5 live games so far, mainly at the new G Casino in Manchester.
I had EXACTLY the same issues as you had before I played.. and I decided the following:
1) the chips are more or less the same everywhere, I sat down as early as I was allowed to to get used to them
2) the table was a blur to me too, however the night that I went was a £3 pot limit rebuy, and having not played pot limit very often I had to focus quite hard. The first night I played I paid absolutely no notice to my table and ensured I played my hands ( sometimes overplaying them on purpose). I only settled down AFTER the rebuys had finished.
3) The banter I found was fantastic. I listened to it, and joined in after the first hour or so.. and on each subsequent visit thoroughly joined in!!
4) rebuys.. the bug that I have with the one I play in, though it is the ONLY bug, is that the rebuy period lasts for 2 hours, and that at the mo they have no freezeouts at all
However, saying that I LOVED it
I had about 8k chips after the rebuy, only started with 500.
My table broke after the rebuy period ended, straight into BB, and with noone raising... hit a full house on the turn holding 2 3 , beating the sb 2 4 on a 22j flop
Made some in my eyes anyway, FANTASTIC folds with just 2 tables left, ie AK suited, AQ and best of all QQ... 2 others all in before me with AA and KK...
got down to 11...playing hand for hand... and on my big blind... had a medium stack..thinking to myself.. ( give me aces)..
before I've had time to look at my hand... I hear.. raise ALL IN
thoughts are oh well fold..
look at my cards.... AA hehe.. beat his QQ
anyways take it easy on the final table... managed to finish 3rd after a TITANIC hour of 3 way play!! with eventually my AK losing to AQ
enjoyed it all thoroughly though..
only been 4 other times... placed 3