How to Play Texas Holdem in a Casino without Letting on that you are a Newbie
Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010
In texas holdem poker the term Fish is used to describe the weakest and least experienced player at the table. You never ever want to be the fish. It is commonly said that if you look around the table and you can not see the fish you are in his seat.
To avoid being instantly marked as the fish make sure not only appear as if this is not your first time in a texas holdem poker room in a casino but that you are there often. Make sure no matter how impressed by the place you are, you appear as if this is just another day playing texas holdem in the casino. If your skills at texas holdem will not allow you to go unnoticed then pick another game like roulette or blackjack.
Make sure you know how to play. Do not come into a casino poker room to thinking you will learn Texas Holdem as you play. This is not Uno it is Texas Holdem Poker and played for real money. I promise you that before you learn the game this way you will be broke and homeless. You should learn to play at home with friends or online in free money poker games against others or against the computer. Then as you improve start to play in online poker rooms for money.
If you were a spy trying to infiltrate into Russia during the cold war the CIA would have you trained on how to speak Russian and the proper idioms and accent as well so that you blend is as a local, well texas holdem has its own language as well and if you want to blend in as an experienced player you have to know the language as a native speaker. This means understanding what others are saying and being able to use the common expressions correctly in normal conversation. Not laughing at a joke because you did not understand it will make you stand out and some people are bound to notice and figure out you are not all you seem to be.
I am sure most of us have seen texas holdem on ESPN television and have sent he way to professional poker players dress. Many of them are wearing clothes will advertisements for poker related items. These players are being paid to advertise these items because of their high likelihood of being put on the TV. Some players wear disguises to try and hide their faces from the other players by wearing hats and glasses to hide their eyes. These players know that a small slip up can cost them the chance at winning the million dollar prize, so to make sure they do nt give up any information to another player they try to hide their faces. You are not playing in the big leagues so to try these things will just make you look stupid since everyone will know you are not a professional player by the fact they do not recognize you. This will then make you stand out and risk you being marked as an inexperienced player or "The Fish".
Every player at a texas holdem poker table that spots you as the fish will then begin to focus on you till they find your tells, and believe me we all have them. It is just experience that allows some of us to hide them better then others.
