Short answer: start at the lowest no-limit hold'em cash game, play fewer hands than you do at home, and learn the casino's procedures before worrying about advanced strategy. Most new players lose money to etiquette and impatience, not to fancy plays.
Before you sit down
Before you sit down
- Bring a set bankroll and decide your stop-loss before you arrive. Many players use at least 20 buy-ins for their stake.
- Get on the list at the poker desk or on the room's app, and ask the floor for the house rules (rake, minimum buy-in, straddles).
- You'll need ID, and most rooms are 21+ (some states allow 18+).
- Act in turn and announce your action out loud ("raise to 15").
- One-chip rule: a single oversized chip without saying "raise" is a call.
- Keep your cards on the table and protect them with a chip.
- Tip the dealer when you win a pot, as is customary.
- Tighten up. Fold weak off-suit hands, especially out of position.
- Position is huge. Play more hands on the button and fewer in early position.
- Value bet more, bluff less at low stakes. Players call too much.
- Rake matters. Small pots cost you more, proportionally, than in a home game.
- Watch first. Use the first orbit to spot who's loose, tight, or tilting.