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Poker Table Stakes
We have all seen the Western movies where the tough desperados in black and the good guy in white sit around the poker table in the local saloon. At one point the hero will shove his stack of chips in the pot and say, "I don't think you have enough to cover this cowboy!"
At that point the bad guy, who just swindled the beautiful heroine out of her ranch, will whip out the deed to the property and say, "I think this will cover it." The hero proceeds to draw to an inside straight to beat the desperado. The girl gets the ranch the hero gets the girl, and the credits roll. It makes for great entertainment but has no bearing on reality in regards to casino poker.
In some kitchen-table games, a player can force out another player by betting more than his opponent has on the table. In other home games, you may allow someone to reach into their wallets or play "shy" to cover the bet. This does not happen in a cardroom.
Limit-Texas Hold'em has structured betting limits. You can not bet more than the limit designated for the game you are playing in. In $3/$6 Hold 'em, the first two betting rounds are $3 and the last two rounds are $6. You are not allowed to bet or raise a different amount than these set limits. In most casinos there is a limit to the number of raises that can be made during each betting round. This is usually limited to three or four raises, unless the play becomes heads up between two players. In that case the number of raises becomes unlimited. If you are new to a particular cardroom, you should check to see what the rules are regarding the number of raises before you sit down
In casino poker you play for table stakes. This means that you bet only with the money that you have on the table. You're not allowed to go into your pocket for more money in the middle of a hand. If you run out of chips, you announce that you are "all in" and you will only be eligible for the money in the pot up to that point. Any additional bets made by other players will be put in a side pot. You will not be eligible for this side pot even if you have the best hand. This means that once a player is all in it is possible for a player with the second best hand to win some money from the remaining players in the hand.
You are allowed to buy more chips at any time between hands. You may also have money other than chips on the table that will be counted as part of your table stakes. Say you were to keep a $20 bill under your stack of chips. This would be counted as $20 on the table. In the middle of a hand, if you ran out of chips you would be able to place the money in for a bet and you would be given your change in chips. It counts because it was on the table before the hand was started. Some cardrooms permit chips only, so in such cases you will have to convert your cash when placing it on the table.
One of the most common questions asked about casino poker is how much you need to play. Most casinos have a minimum buy-in for each game. This is the minimum needed to sit at the table but it is usually a lot less than what you may actually need. In the $3/$6 Texas Hold'em game where I play, the buy-in is $30. This is only ten times the minimum bet of the first two betting rounds. This does not give you much of a cushion if you were to lose a hand or two. If you were to play a hand of Hold'em from start to finish, calling a bet on each round with no raises involved, it would cost you $18 if you lost the hand. I recommend that you start with about 15 to 20 times the big bet. In a $3/$6 Hold'em game I buy in for $100. This gives me enough money should I get involved in a big hand. There is nothing worse that running out of money and having to go "all in" when you have the winning hand. I learned this from experience one night while playing in a $4/$8 Texas Hold'em game at Foxwoods Casino.
I had bought in for $100, which is 12 times the large bet. I was not planning on playing too long as I was meeting some friends for dinner. I had a few second-best hands and my stack of chips was fading away. I had about $32 left when it was my turn to post the big blind. I posted my $4 big blind and was dealt a 7 and 9 of diamonds. Four players entered the pot and when it came to me, I "checked" my option to raise the pot. The flop was 7 of clubs and 8 and 10 of diamonds. I had a small pair as well as a four-card open-ended straight flush draw. The small blind had folded and I was the first to act. I bet $4 leaving me with $24. Two players called the bet and the flop brought a 2 of clubs, which was no help. I bet again and all but one player folded their hands. The last community card (the river) was the Jack of diamonds, giving me a straight flush. I bet $8 leaving me with only $8 left. The other player raised my bet immediately. I went all in with the last of my money. I had the "nuts" which is the best hand possible. Unfortunately I had no money left to re-raise the player. I was "all in." The other player turned over his Ace high flush. He was shocked when I showed my straight flush. He thought he had the best hand with his Ace high flush. He had not noticed the possibility that a straight flush could be made. As the dealer was pushing me the pot, the other player looked at me and said, "I am sure glad you were all in. I would have re-raised you until the cows came home!"
That lesson taught me to always back up my table stakes by putting more money on the table between hands when I get low on chips. Those types of hands don't come along too often, but when they do, you want to be able to capitalize on them. You can't do that if you are short on chips.
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Poker And Posting
In many casinos a new player sitting down at the table has to post a bet equal to the big blind if he wishes to be dealt into the next hand. This is not mandatory and you may elect to wait until it is your turn to be the big blind before you enter the game. Waiting has a few advantages. It will give you time to observe your competition and determine the type of players at your table; notice the quality of starting hands being played and who is playing them. Is the table tight or lose?
Observing the table while you wait will give you an insight about your competition. Waiting will also give you a few minutes to settle in and get your mind emotionally prepared for the game. If you can't get immediate seating when you sign in and find yourself on the waiting list for a game, it is advisable to watch the game in progress. Then when you do get a seat at the table you can post right away as you will already have a feel for the table. (See Railbirding.)
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