[jorpot]

I guess i am pretty good at Hold 'em, or the best out of my friends... But I was wondering... I want to go to a Casino soon, and i was wondering what "different" things I will have to suspect or prepare for?

Also what table should i go to ? The cheapest one ?

And finally... any good strategies if I get with someone good?

[chris]

This is coming from someone much in the same position. I play weekly (or more) with my friends here. I am by far better than all of them. The biggest difference I noticed was the number of players. At home tournys it is usually 5 or 6 to a table. At the casino you are guaranteed 9 or 10. More players means tighter play. Tighten up and only play quality hole cards. I try to get in on the 3/6 games if you can find them, or even lower. In Kansas that is the cheapest you can find.

I will always watch the table I am thinking about sitting at for at least 40min or so before I sit. Study all the players and catagorize them as to what type of player they are. If you see someone running the table and you feel intimidated I would not sit down. This was my biggest mistake. I sat down with guys that I knew in my mind were better than me and I just handed it to them. Make sure you are comfortable when you sit and play tight, but not conservative. Show them you can raise!!! Best of luck to you.

[johnf]

It depends a bit on where you live I think. But the best of the home game champs tend to get stuck at the casino. This means that at the higher limits competition is often much stiffer then you're used to, although it can vary quite a lot from day to day.

I would play at the cheap table the first couple of times until you feel comfortable about what's going on. Then you also have a better basis for making the decision on moving up. Also you need a bigger roll one way or another when playing the higher tables, so I think patience is a virtue in poker. Don't jump at it - take your time.

As to strategies I think you should watch and learn if you meet someone good. Play tight and acknowledge that you might fear them. There's no shame in avoiding conmfrontations with stronger players. If you stay tight he wont be able to hurt you much.