My First Casino Poker Tournament
Well, my parents took me to a casino yesterday to play in a poker tournament. I kind of wanted to just play at regular limit tables instead of a tournament, but all they do on the weekends is the tournaments. It was really intimidating. It took me a while to get comfortable in the casino environment, but once I did I started playing pretty well. Everyone was treating me like a total newb, but I expected it, so it didn't bother me. The dealer explained some very fundamental things to me. People were playing very aggressively, so I had to play a little off from my style. I lost fairly early because everytime I raised, somebody would raise me all in, so I had to make a stand, and I was actually a 90% favorite to win the hand. But he caught a miracle card on the river and sent me home. I would have been the chip leader if I had won that hand. I was disappointed, but not as much as I expected I would be. I played really well, and adjusted to the environment well too. That's all I can do. I was even playing up my newb status and I was putting out false tells. When people are strong, they act weak or uninterested. On one hand, I had nothing, and there were three people behind me. I bet the pot and then watched the TV like I didn't care what was going on. I was acting like I was strong and acting weak. They all reluctantly folded. So I thought that was pretty sophisticated play. Not that it really mattered. I had fun and learned a lot, and even though I was eliminated early, I really did play well, so I'm pleased with the experience.