How was your first live tournament?

I went to the wsop Circuit earlier this year for the first time, boy was it exciting.

Make sure that the first few live events you play are with money you can burn. Treat it 100% as an educational experience having no expectation other than having fun and picking up the etiquette of the live game. Once you become comfortable then you can take it to the next level.

Enjoy! I love live events

My first live tourney (no online experience either) - 40 man at Harrah's.

I crammed reading material trying remember a bunch of math to use - HA.
Everything seemed to go incredibly fast (HA again) - I was pretty much racing on adrenaline. Oh yay, flopped a K on my KT hand. Knocked out on the second level.

Came back the next time - said screw the math and decided to play like it was the kitchen table = final table.

I won second place, it was a 40 people tournament... we put 20$ with a20$ re-buy... i rebuy once but after that I played better and i win 200$ at the end

My first live tournament experience was a good one. I think the players at live poker tournaments are a lot worse than online. You can get away with a lot more on average and the field is weaker. I feel that on online poker a lot more people are willing to put their tournament life at stake with very small win margins. If they lose, they can just start another game easily.

Sorry for going on a little tangent. There are some differences in live poker tournaments. Play a couple and then you will be ready to go.

my first live tourny was with electronic tables, does that count? i got sixth out of 100+ players, but the $10 tourneys only pay top 3, so i stopped playing those,

My first live tournament was eureka poker tour in croatia, i whin the package
on PS.i was out on day 1.Steel good experience.

piotrk88 said:

I've never played in a live tournament, but once I'd like to try

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Try at home with friends , it's nice.I tried to compare it with the game on the internet and found the same.epsi:

My first live tournament with 100 players was at 100 euros. I lost with AA and 20 out space

My first tourny was fun but played to tight and was very nervous a little to much, ended up finisning eleventh out of 25. For my second i tried mixing it but played to loose and was first to exit so hopefuly my third one will be better.
I will try playing like i do on PS i usually do ok online.I like playing live but i need help its a lot harder then online keeping track of pot size and the amounts bet sizes

Although I had been playing online for years before, my first live tourney was about 10 years ago at a sports bar in BayCity Texas. It was a $100 freeroll... 1st place took 75$, 2nd place took 25$, and 3rd place got a bucket of beer!! That night I was the one with the beer at the end, but it was a great tourney and I went back every weekend I could until they shut the place down!!

Unfortunately I did not participate in big MTTs, but we usually play poker with friends. These plays can be called tournaments, as we play for 7-8 hours with buy-ins, and the winner takes it all. My biggest win was 420 dollars one evening, when 9 friends participated.

First tournament was with friends and I was VE-E-E-E-RY young. 8 people were playing, and 6 of them went all-in on the very first hand .
I finished at the 2nd place
We were playing on chips, not money.
Never played live tourneys on money

I got raped. Was a $2000 buy in tournament.

My first was at Casino cosmopol in Stockholm. I drank a lot if beer to cool down. Ended up 2nd. Got some nice cash.

Whew!

Can't lie I am kind of glad to hear that others first tourney went about as bad as mine. I was very nervous as well in my tourney. Very early I was dealt KK and I for some reason let every limper see all the cards they wanted. I ended up min raising and betting 2 blinds very time and was eventually beat by J8 who caught their straight on the river. Lesson learned, step up and play with confidence or you will get eaten alive in those tourneys.

mamutmamut said:

Thank you guys for sharing! Today I played 45-mans online and I did very well so I guess I just need to get comfortable with actual chips and cards.

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the best way you can get comfortable with chips and cards is set up a few home games thats what i did before i went and played a live game.

but that said i was still very nervous when i first played live and actually played way to tight, but went back to the same room a month later for the same monthly 125 man game and took 3rd for $275

You gotta pay attention to all the details as well as the players and tendancies. I was really nervous playing my first tournament and busted like 30th out of 100. I got short stacked and couldnt find good spots to shove. I felt realky shitty and told myself i wouldnt play again but then i realized that you cant win everytime and have had better experiences since. Gaining experience is really helpful and youll improve overtime. Its hard not to get nervous if its your first time or even if its your 10th time.

I played my 1st tourney few years ago. It was a SnG 18 players. I was so nervous but I remember I played very well respect my oppos.
Anyway coming from the online is an advantage ainec. It is quite hard to realize how chips u have and the betting size and the calling range are a bit different from the online poker, that's true, but oppos are so weak anyway. (at least at that time).
I ended up 2nd on a SnG with the collapsed structure. Happy...and drunk

Phoenix14 said:

I got raped. Was a $2000 buy in tournament.

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Your first tournament was a $2,000 buy in??? Wow that's jumping into the deep end isnt it.

It was very funny in my first tournament.
i was shaking at the final table

My first live tournament was at a local poker club. 20 players and I cashed and took 3rd. My First live casino tournament was about 60 players and split the proze pool (final 4 players).. Was very nervous becuase I was being pressure big time to split at the final table and I kept saying no. But I gave in at 4 players left but always regretted not battling for 1st place. We was all about even on chip stacks.

I played so tight... finish in the top 20...not bad thinking in 100 players

Sorry for the long one here, but it's therapeutic:

My first live MTT was at The Stratosphere in Vegas a couple of years ago. I think it was a $45 buyin plus a $20 addon at the first break. I got some rest that afternoon and did some prep to get my head on straight about selective aggression.

I ran well and played aggressively, and began to feel good about myself as I chipped up. My best friend had just landed and called me twice to get updates, and I told him that it was going very well.

We were down to 16 or so of about 76 when people began calling for a chop, which seemed early but I was ok with the idea. The problem was some guy had left the tournament with a reasonable stack and the tourney boss said we had to wait until he was blinded away, since he couldn't vote on the chop.

Then an older gentleman was reseated two to my left in the BB, and the next hand was dealt. I watched him look at his cards and thought that he looked weak, and that I could probably steal with ATC. I tried to look at his stack but couldn't tell if he had me covered or not, and I didn't ask.

I looked down at Qc3c on the button and shoved with feigned confidence. However, that all faded when he turned to stare at me in an apparent soul read. I looked away, scared. It was suddenly clear that he was no tourist on his first trip to Vegas, like me. After five seconds or so he called and flipped up TT.

I missed the flop but turned a flush draw...and did not improve. He had me covered and I was out and extremely disappointed for having blown it on such a terrible hand, when I could've coasted into the money. Shortly after, a few more players busted, the absentee was blinded away, and the rest of them agreed on a chop where the leaders got a bonus.

So my first tourney experience was a lesson about...ahem...selective aggression, and having some reasonable equity before getting your stack all-in near the bubble. I also learned that Vegas tournament grinders do not suffer fools lightly. :icon_joke :hmpf:

The same guy busted me again in a later tournament (another failed read), and we had a friendly exchange before I left Vegas. :shakehand

First of very few Live ones

My very first tournament was also the first time I ever played Texas Hold 'em period. Needless to say, I was a maniac that knew the absolute bare minimum about Poker AKA "5 of the same suit is a flush!" A real wiz kid. I busted out with some random rags. I was an idiot but I loved to gamble and still do. I got bit by the poker bug and I liked it. Also, I tend to stay FAR away from tournaments at a casino. I am a MUCH better Cash table player in person and I have LOADS more fun. Plus...I can order my drink and actually get it.