Your first time playing Live Part 2
By the PokerStrategyKing

Last time, we discussed your first experience when walking into a card room. Today, we are assuming you’ve sat at a table and are ready to roll up your sleeves and get into the action. I’ll give you things you should always follow:

When action for a hand begins, always act in turn. Although you may see others fold or call out of turn, don't do it yourself. It is considered rude because it gives an unfair advantage to the players before you who have yet to act. This is especially important at the showdown when only three players are left. If players after you are acting out of turn while you decide what to do, say "Time!" to make it clear that you have not yet acted.

A very common thing that online players struggle with is how to handle actual playing cards. You may find it awkward at first to peek at your own cards without exposing them to others. Note that the other players have no formal obligation to alert you to your clumsiness, although some will. Watch how the other players manage it and follow their lead. Leave your cards in sight at all times as holding them in your lap or passing them to another player will result in your hand being ruled dead, you don’t want to do this. Finally, if you intentionally show your cards to another player during the hand, both your hands may be declared dead.

This next one may sound obvious, but always protect your cards. In a game with "pocket cards" like Hold'em or Omaha, it is your responsibility to "protect your own cards". You can do this by putting a chip on your cards. If your cards are just sitting out in the open, you are subject to two possible disasters. First, the dealer may scoop them up in a blink because to leave one's cards unprotected is a signal that you are folding. Second, another player's cards may happen to touch yours as they fold, disqualifying your hand and your interest in the pot. Along the same lines, when you turn your cards face up at the showdown, be careful not to lose control of your cards. If one of them falls off the table or lands face-down among the discards your hand will be dead, even if that card is not used to make your hand. I’ve actually seen this happen when a player who had posted the big blind and was preparing to raise with pocket Kings had his cards scooped up by the dealer. Don’t let this happen to you.

Be conscious of accidentally checking your cards. In some fast-paced games, a moment of inaction when it is your turn to act may be interpreted as a check. Usually, a verbal declaration or rapping one's hand on the table is required, but many players are impatient and will assume your pause is a check. If you need more than a second to decide what to do, call "Time!" to stop the action. While you decide, don't tap your fingers nervously; that is a clear check signal and will be considered binding.

One big no-no that infuriates players is a what is known as a string bet. A "string bet" is a bet that initially looks like a call, but then turns out to be a raise. Once your hand has put some chips out, you may not go back to your stack to get more chips and increase the size of your bet, unless you verbally declared the size of your bet at the beginning. If you always declare "call" or "raise" as you bet, you will be immune to this problem. Note that a verbal declaration in turn is binding, so a verbal string bet is possible and also prohibited. That means you cannot say "I call your $5, and raise you another $5!" Once you have said you call, that's it. The rest of the sentence is irrelevant. You can't raise. That language is reserved for movies, don’t do it at the table.

In keeping with the theme of chip handling, there are some ways you should not act. In some home games, it is customary to throw chips directly into the pot, splashing the pot. In a public cardroom, this is cause for dirty looks, a reprimand from the dealer, and possibly stopping the game to count down the pot. When you bet, place your chips directly in front of you. The dealer will make sure that you have the right number and sweep them into the pot.

In some cardrooms, the chip denominations and game stakes don’t quite match up. For example, a $3-$6 game might use $1 and $5 chips, instead of the more sensible $3 chip. The one-chip rule says that using a large-denomination chip is just a call, even though the chip may be big enough to cover a raise. If you don't have exact change, it is best to verbally state your action when throwing that large chip into the pot. For example, suppose you are playing in a $1-$5 spread-limit game, the bet is $2 to you, and you have only $5 chips. Silently tossing a $5 chip out means you call the $2 bet. If you want to raise to $4 or $5, you must say so *before* your chip hits the felt. Whatever your action, the dealer will make any required change at the end of the betting round. Don't make change for yourself out of the pot. Touching the pot during a hand is something you should NEVER do.

As you win your first pot, the excitement within you will drive you beyond the realm of rational behavior, and you will immediately feel the urge to lunge to scoop up the precious chips with both arms. Despite the fact that no other player had done this while you watched, despite the fact that you read here not to do it, you WILL do it. Since every dealer has a witty admonition prepared for this moment, maybe it's all for the best. But next time, let the dealer push it to you, ok? If you do it consistently, you may be asked to leave.

Don't ever, under any circumstances, touch your opponents cards or chips. Only touch your own cards and chips. Other players' chips and cards, discards, board cards, the pot and everything else are off-limits. Only the dealer touches the cards and pot. Simple concept right? Follow it.

One thing you need to know is that dealers make their living from tips. It is customary for the winner of each pot to tip the dealer 50 cents to a dollar, depending on locale and the stakes. Sometimes you will see players tip several dollars for a big pot or an extremely unlikely suckout. Sometimes you will see players stiff the dealer if the pot was tiny or split between two players. This is a personal issue, but imitating the other players is a good start.

There are a few other odds and ends I will wrap up with in Part 3 of this series.

Until next time, may the chips fall your way.