tell us about your first time

[Bongo]

after speaking to Bongo at the BB, I keep meaning to go to the Gala for the £30 FO, but I keep putting it off. Ok, maybe this weekend...

The weds £20 with 1 rebuy is also a good comp (I, like most, treat it as a £40 double chance FO).

It's no smoking aswell, which will either be very good or very bad depending on your opinion. Usually a contingent of blondes there too (well me and Adam), although I can't make it this week.


My first time was a £20 PL rebuy at the gala on a friday many moons ago (4 years maybe?).

I remember I was quite nervous - mainly because I had no idea what Pot Limit was 

It's quite odd to see how much poker has grown since then - when I started there were only about 30 players, it gradually increased to 40 and then sort of exploded to the huge amounts playing now.

I can't remember how I did, I know I didn't make the money - it was like a completely different world to what I was used to. I had fun though.

I don't remember any arguments or bad feeling or anything - my overiding memory is one of being made to feel really welcome.

[Karabiner]

My first time, we did it three times........

[b4matt]

My 1st time was a £20rb at Bradford.... how many times could i string bet... sigh... Now i'm the monster who pulls up newbies for string betting. lol

[AndrewT]

My 1st time was a £20rb at Bradford.... how many times could i string bet... sigh... Now i'm the monster who pulls up newbies for string betting. lol

I wouldn't worry about string betting - no less a poker luminary than Scotty Nguyen got pulled up for it in my Will Hill Grand Prix heat.

[Heid]

My first time was in Las Vegas.

I'd ummed and ahhed about playing for 8 days, and never been brave enough.

So on my last full day in vegas I bit the bullet, signed up to the 11 oclock $60 buck tourney (one rebuy or add on).

Was scared as crap, had aces cracked, but carried on.

4and a bit hours later I cashed in 5th!

Ayyyaaarrrr me!

[Newmanseye]

My first time well it was not that long ago, I went in to the Riverboat for the £5 rebuy fest, I turned up smartly dressesd a I had read about table image, and I made the cardinal sin of wearing sunglasses.

Well the sunglasses lasted about 2 minutes, the abuse was overwhelming and they quickly went in to the pocket. I then proceeded to call all in with pocket  , and saw some incredible straight made with junk.

I was'nt nervous, I just had no real concept of what good poker was at the time. I managed to fold a nut flush when it was the nuts after some bloke goes all in with junk.

After I was out I was asked to join the cash game, because they knew I was a big fish with no idea what i was doing, Thankfully common sense prevailed and I declined the invitations.

The second time out, I managed to give a better showing, after reading a couple of poker books.

Anyways that was my first time.

[MrMoves]

My first time. 

A 20 Litas re-buy in Lithuania.  I finalled and finished 3rd after taking the add-on, winning about 400 Litas I think (80 quid).  Nobody spoke English apart from an Aussie who was taking care of me.  I remember that tournament very fondly, probably more than the bigger cashes I've had.

[TightEnd]

I was at Grosvenor Luton on the casino games, just on the off chance the guy next to me mentioned that tonight was rookie night. Had played a little online and took the plunge.

Remember every person on my table, some of whom are now good friends and the look of puzzlement on the faces of a couple when I played in an unorethodox manner

Hit the final and monstrously overplayed  ...it was an Ace you see...any Ace would have done that night!

Loved it so much that I went back on the Friday night and played a £250 freezeout! Finalled there too!

Proceeded to not win a bean for four months but that was it.....began studying and learning and improved soon enough

I hated shuffling and was so bad that one regular who shall remain nameless insisted on shuffling for me...i was so embarrassed!

[AdamM]

she played a blinder as predicted. she got AA in the rebuy period and got paid off by an AQ, got blinded down far enough to take a top up and a rebuy after an hour then had to dance for all her chips, having to make continuation bets with missed AQs and the like. 100 runners, 11th-20th got £30 consolation. we both made the money but both narrowly missed out on final table. she out lasted and out played 85 runners. dead proud

[peeveen]

Glasgow Riverboat, £10 rebuy night, some night between xmas and hogmanay, 2004. Me and a workmate went along. Got drawn to deal, and just about managed, despite dropping a few cards on the floor once. Thankfully didn't have to count down any 5-way all-in affairs. Finished 11th out of 70-odd!

Like reddog, I still get "jittery" before live games start, but it's mainly excitement ... a couple of hands later, I'm fine.

[Canuck]

First time I ever played poker in a casino was in a cash game (5 10 limit - blinds at 2 and 5) in Halifax Nova Scotia back home in Canada when I just turned 19 (legal age in Canada)

I bought in for the minimum of 100 dollars which was a fortune to me, but I had played online for years (only freerolls lol) and knew I could play decent poker. The first hand I played I had intended on folding but I got the  on the button and limped in for 5 dollars. The flop was  . In my fearless freeroll mentality I bet 5 dollars. It was folded around to a guy who says "First hand and he hits 3 of a kind...I call" I knew he had the king yet when the turn brought the  I bet 10 again. He raises. I pray to god for a heart on the river and call. Then the most beautiful  I have ever seen came on the river. I checked in case he hit a full house, and called his 10 dollar bet. He flipped over  for 3 of a kind. I turned over my cards and he laughed and said something like 'silly kid...real silly' and then the dealer pushed the chips to him. I was so confused and nervous so I looked at the cards making sure I had the flush. Then as I was about to speak some old guy bless his heart flew off 'Thats the kid's pot he has the flush yer 3 kings are nothing' I could have kissed him. The dealer looked again and apologized to me and gave me the chips. The guy looked upset but thats poker. I left an hour later up 200 dollars and thought I was ready for the WSOP.

[Bongo]

Well done MrsM!

Does this mean we'll be seeing her down the gala with you more often?

[Solver]

I remember my first proper live game.  I'd played a few home games round my mates before but this was my first MTT game.

It was a £5 PL rebuy beginners night on a Tuesday evening down the Gutshot back in July 04.  This was also my first ever experience of Pot Limit.

I was extremely nervous.  This did however work out to my benefit though when the table bully mistook my nerves for putting all my chips in with a bluff only to lose to my floped nut straight.  There was 140 entrants (my memory isn't that good - Gutshot publish all there results online so I could look it up).

I finished 6th!  It was about 3am at the time and I remember thinking how dead I'm going to be at work tomorrow.  I still had well over an hours journey home and I didn't know how get out of London at the time.

I remember sitting on the right of Barry 'The Bully' Martin and him giving me a talking to as I folded away my blind for most of my small stack in the blinds.  "Any two cards" I remember him saying.  I understand what he was saying now, there is now way I was going to take the tourney down without being extremely lucky or getting a few double ups. 

From his point of view it's the correct thing to do.  But for me it was about the experience and winning as much as possible.  I knew if I folded there was a strong chance a few of the other small stacks might drop before me.  I did play a hand or two in the end with one double up I think but I was right about the other small stacks and 3 players dropped over the  next round or two and I made 6th rather than 9th and made £132.  I was over the moon!

I still get nervous in big pots, especially if it's on the bubble of a bigger buyin when I now realise I need to play my short stack to avoid being blinded out.  I'm still and advocote of survival over gambling near the bubble though.  I've turned round several final tables (live and online) from arriving as the small stack.  Generally speaking with blinds at that stage a couple of double ups will put you back up with  the average stack.

I will say that everybody was very friendly and understanding towards new players.  I don't think you can help the nerves.  Just enjoy the experience and catch the bug that is live poker.

Stu

[AdamM]

Well done MrsM!

Does this mean we'll be seeing her down the gala with you more often?

sadly not. kids and school nights make it tricky. school holibobs and some sunday aftenoon games I should think.