Party Poker FAQ - General Poker

Table of Contents

I. Party Poker
II. Frequently Asked Questions
III. Online Poker Information
IV. Poker Strategy
V. General Poker

V. General Poker

1. I'm looking to start a home game, can you recommend what type of chips to get?

Not the kind you buy in stores unless it's a cheapie game. My personal favorite chip manufacturer is Nevada Jacks. Nevada Jacks offers everything from entry-level composite chips to the best premium clay poker chips.

It really depends on how serious you are about poker, how much you care about quality and what sort of budget you have laid out to run your home game. Running a home game on clay poker chips can get very expensive -- but you will get the ultimate respect from your poker friends. On the other hand, poker is poker and chips are just a good way to keep track of money. Buying poker chips is a personal decision that everyone has to make when they start a home game!

2. What kind of Texas Hold'em poker should we play for a home game?

This is really up to you, but I recommend structured or spread-limit games for the home poker types. Having had a lot of experience running poker nights, I can tell you no-limit is not a good idea fo play in most cases. Chances are, most of your buddies are about as clueless as the actors on Celebrity Poker Showdown when it comes to poker, even though they might think they're Doyle Brunson after watching a few episodes of the World Poker Tour. When this happens, you'll get half the table knocked out within a few rounds of play and then the good or lucky players get to grind it out for the next hour or so while everyone else waits and gets bored.

If you want to be the cold-blooded gambler about it, you'll also realize there's far more to gain by having your friends (opponents if you will) lose money slowly rather than fast, since the cash will flow to those with the most skill if the money exchange is gradual. Because of that, a nice low-limit game gives everyone a good chance to have fun, make some ridiculous draws, have fun and gamble for many hours.

3. There are way too many terms in poker - are they all listed somewhere?

I ripped the Party Poker glossary and posted it on my poker terms page.

4. I found a casino or poker room near me and want to play there - any tips?

Most casinos will spread games of $4-8 to $10-20, with a few casinos dipping into the lower limits of $2-4 and $3-6 while others give high rollers the $15-30 and over games. If you're going to be playing for the first time or aren't experienced, your best bet is to not get into anything greater than $5-10 if you can help it. You also need to bring at least 40x the big blind. This means if you're going to be jumping into a $4-8 game, plan on taking $320 on your trip.

When you buy in, buy-in for around 20x the big blind - it's not necessary to buy in all of your money. The most important thing, if you have an option, is to watch the tables carefully and see which one has the most action - this is the table you want. You usually do NOT want to join the 'main game', which is the table that usually never breaks up. This is the one that is more often than not crowded with old rocks trying to grind out a living. Playing against these guys is just depressing and boring to boot, not to mention a bad decision for your bankroll. These rocks usually aren't great players, but they are tight and won't give up much unless you both hit incredible hands.

Once you find a good table, you can go ahead and tell the dealer that you'd like to observe for an orbit if you're nervous, just to see how everything works. It's really not that much unlike internet poker however and will be quite slow in comparison. Just take your time, see how your opponents play and settle in.

The most important thing is to learn to count bets on the table, since you no longer have a software counting the pot value as you do on Party Poker.