Eight Signs You Are Playing in a Live Poker Tournament
So you have won a satellite tournament at Betfair Poker and are looking forward to heading to a distant and exotic location to battle it out in a live poker tournament. The only problem is, you have never played in a live environment before and do not know what to expect.
This article should help you prepare for what you will see and experience when you play live poker.
You Will Never Seen As Many Headphones
The only time you will see more headphones is if you step into a DJ convention by mistake. Headphones are poker's must-have accessory, not only because they look good but they also help drown out the table captain and help pass the time, too.
Ditto sunglasses and iPads!
There Are Actual People Playing Poker
You may have spent the past 12 months sat in your mother's basement grinding 12 tables at Betfair Poker with only alias' and avatars to identify your opponents by. Now, in this big casino, there are fellow human beings to contend with. Try saying hello to some of them, if they can hear you over their music.
Cramped Conditions
You may be used to being able to spread out all over your sofa when you play online poker, but when you play live poker be prepared to be cramped like a sardine. Some live events are played 10-handed, which means you will almost be sat on your opponents' knees.
Your Bum Will Go Numb
Plenty of live events these days are played in hotels and conference halls rather than casinos and that means the seats are usually completely rubbish. While the seats may be OK for an hour or two, if you progress through Day 1 or Day 2 you could be sat on them for over 20 hours in total and will almost certainly lose all sensation in your buttocks.
There Are Chips in Play!
This sounds obvious but you will be surprised at how many poker players have never handled chips because their only experience of poker is online. When you sit down at your table, pick up some of your chips and get used to how they feel so that you do not look like a complete fish who drops their chips everywhere when you try to put some into the pot!
The Play is Soooooo Slowwwwwww
Online you can play 10-12 tables at once and see 60-120 hands per hour on each table. In the live arena you can only play one (maybe two but that would be showing off) and will be lucky to see 25 hands dealt per hour. The change in pace can send you to sleep, hence everyone bringing an iPad and headphones with them.
B.O Baracus
Remember we said you would be cramped and there are actual people to contend with? Well some of these players seem to have spent all of their money on buying into the tournament and have not any spare funds to buy some soap or deodorant. They smell like an old shire horse and this is usually combined with dragon breath. Every tournament has at least one of these B.O. (body odour) Baracus' in it, don't be that guy.
Table Captains and Coaches
Whether you are playing in a £10 freezeout or a €5,300 EPT Main Event, you will always have someone on your table who thinks he is Phil Ivey. He will critique your play to the nth degree despite having one Hendon Mob cash for $3.50 six years ago.
These experts are more prevalent in lower buy-in events, which incidentally is where you see the most headphones!
Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.
