Making the transition from online play to live poker isn't as difficult as it may seem, but it may take some getting used to. If you're a long time online player who wants to make his way in the live poker world, here are a few live texas holdem tips to follow.
Do
Behave Yourself
Despite what you may see on television, you are in a public place and you are expected to behave accordingly. Loud, unruly and/or abusive behavior will probably result in a warning at minimum and ejection from the casino at worst.
You can scream and throw things all you want when you take a bad beat
online. In a card room, try to suffer quietly.
Be Friendly
This doesn't mean give your chips away or tell opponents what you are holding -- it just means have a pleasant demeanor. Players enjoy friendly opponents and will probably stick around even if you are beating them badly. They may also not play the best game against you if they think you are a "nice" guy.
Be Observant
Now that you are in a live card room, a completely new world of physical tells is opening up to you. It's unlikely that anyone will do anything obvious like tap the table nervously when he is bluffing. However, if you are observant, you can use different behaviors in different situations to create a picture of what a player looks like when he is strong versus when he is weak.
Don't
Give Lessons
If someone makes a bad play, you shouldn't tell him what he did wrong, even if he put a bad beat on you. It embarrasses the bad player and makes everyone else angry that you are either chasing away a bad player or making him play
better.
Shoot Angles
Doing shady things like pretending to bet and then pulling your bet back after you see a reaction is not technically illegal (although in some cases players may correctly argue that your forward motion is binding), but it is unethical. If you are a good player, you do not need to resort to this kind of trickery to be a winner.
Leave the Game for Too Long
If you think you are going to be away from the table for more than a half an hour, pick up your chips and let someone else get a turn. Common courtesy is to give up your seat if you know you are going to be gone for a long time. This way, other players can benefit from a full game.
