I'll reply, chapter & verse, first thing in the morning if that's OK. Been a long day, & I need to get to bed.
Chuffed to bits you have qualified.
PS - at the moment, ALL Sky Poker qualifiers are being, by default, entered into the Saturday Day 1c. However, if you wish to play 1a (Thursday) or 1b (Friday) instead, we can sort that. Saturday, I would imagine, works best though, as you'll be with all the other Sky Poker qualifiers.
Claire, I'll reply, chapter & verse, first thing in the morning if that's OK. Been a long day, & I need to get to bed. Chuffed to bits you have qualified. PS - at the moment, ALL Sky Poker qualifiers are being, by default, entered into the Saturday Day 1c. However, if you wish to play 1a (Thursday) or 1b (Friday) instead, we can sort that. Saturday, I would imagine, works best though, as you'll be with all the other Sky Poker qualifiers. Posted by Tikay10
Hey Tikay, Just looking for abit advice if you dont mind. I managed to get through to the final in feb but have never played live before and not from nottingham, do you have any suggestions/ recommendations as to where to stay if hotel is needed and how the structure of the day goes? and if you can bring anyone down with you on the day? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Claire Posted by claire008
Morning Claire,
I'll address these questions one by one, to add clarity.
Jurys Inn is fine, also there are B & B's galore in Nottingham.
The most popular hotels for DTD players are both on Castle Marina, almost next to each other - Holiday Inn & Premier Inn. It's about 5 minutes in a Taxi to & from DTD.
The beauty of those two hotels is that so many players from Sky Poker will be staying in one or the other, so you can almost guarantee to taxi-share (& so cost share) both ways. The Staff & Management from Sky Poker generally stay at Holiday Inn.
Personally, I would ONLY book one night - the Saturday night. If you DO make the Final on Monday, it's easy enough to get a room on the Sunday night, the hotels are near empty on Sunday night.
Day 1c - Saturday - stats at noon sharp - not as second later. However, it's "Live Poker", so you can poll up late (until 4.40pm) if you so wish. Personally, I'd suggest arriving early, soak up the atmo, meet a few people, chat & chill, so you are nice & relaxed & in your seat from the very start.
Your Table & Seat allocation goes up on a plasma screen, 5 minute before the start.
The tables are in rows, or tiers, numbered from left to right, but if in doubt, ask anyone, in particular just ask any Dealer. The Dealers are all sat in place 15 minutes before play commences.
SPT Rich, aka Tighty, aka Rich Prew, or myself, will both be there, so come see us if you need any help at all. That's what we are there for, what Tighty scornfully calls "Front of House Duties".
Play will continue until quite late - possibly after midnight - as it is important that we can get down to a Final on the Sunday, so as to avoid a late finish on Monday.
They MUST register as a Member though, or they will not be permitted to enter the premises. (Gaming Commission rules). This applies to you as well.
It's best to register in advance, as the queues at the Reception do get a bit lengthy & tiresome. Takes about 30 seconds to register online, you do that at the DTD Website. I'd suggest you do that now.
You will need to bring Photo ID with you on the day - Passport, Drivers Licence, or whatever, even a Utility Bill. You will NOT be admitted without ID on your first visit.
Your +1 can pop up to your table from time to time, to see how you are doing, ask how you are getting on, or bring you a cuppa. However, some etiquette is required - you should NOT talk to them whilst on a hand, or delay play because of them. They should not "hover" too close for long either, as it's unsettling for the other players, who may think your +1 is able to see their hole cards. Just sensible, common sense.
There is a bar, also tea & coffee (sadly the tea & coffee is charged at about £1.80 a pop), & there is TV on various plasmas around the room. Plenty of armchairs, sofas, & occasional tables at which to sit, too. (Isn't "occasional table" an odd expression? Is it occasionally something else?)
Generally, life being what it is, young ladies tend to congregate together, & you'll be fine, as a few female players of my acquaintance - MacacGirl (talks for England) & Mother (maybe even The Dreaded Daughter) are hoping to be present. My Gill may be there, too, so you'll be fine.
Clothes? Just smart casual. No ripped jeans or string vests, sorta thing.
Bit of work needed here if you are to enjoy the day to the max.
Arrive in plenty of time, there are usually a few who have never played before, & Tighty or I will arrange a Table, dealer, chips & a deck of cards for a quick practice run.
A few quick tips.
Always catch the Dealers eye before you act if you intend to call, bet or raise, then announce what you intend to do - "Call", "I make it 600" or whatever. Then, if you get your chips muddled up & put the wrong chip(s) in you are ok, as verbal is binding. When folding, no need to say anything, just muck your 2 cards. It is VERY DANGEROUS not to announce your intended action. If you accidentally stick a large denom - 5,000 say - chip in the middle it MIGHT get construed as a Raise, or you may not have noticed someone else raise, & it'll go as a call. ANNOUNCE YOUR ACTION TO THE DEALER BEFORE YOU PUT THE CHIP(S) in until you get the hang of it all.
Separate your chips into denoms, to avoid getting muddled up. Keep them neat & tidy, in stacks of 5 or 10, easier to count then. Your biggest denom chips MUST be visible to all players, they MUST NOT be hidden at the back of your stack.
Try not to count chips when betting in ones & twos - "cut" your stacks where possible.
Do not EVER act out of turn, even if you intend to fold - WAIT until it is your turn to act. Online we can fold out of turn, but other players don't know we have folded. Live, we MUST act in turn. Failure to do so may incur a warning, then a time penalty.
If you need change - say you want 5 x 100 for 1 x 500 - do not ask other players or the dealer. Just stick the 500 chip across the line for your 100 call, Blinds or bet, & the dealer will sort the change after al players have acted.
When you win a pot, do NOT pull your chips in - that's the Dealers job, they will push them to you. It's extremely bad form to touch chips which are in the middle, like venting in church.
NEVER touch anyone else's chips, or the chips in the pot.
Pay attention at all times, or you will miss the action, or act out of turn.
Do not lift your two cards off the table to see them better. They must remain in contact with the table at all times.
Do NOT show your hand to other players not in the hand, or after action has completed. If you show ONE person, you are obliged to show everyone. It's very bad form, too.
If you pass, say, 8-8, & an 8 comes on the Board, don't blurt out "ooh, I folded a pair of eights". That gives vital information to players still in the hand & can affect the play.
Try not to "tank" or dwell un-necessarily, or every hand. Bad form. When you do have a tough decision, that's fine, take all the time you want, within reason.
Nervous? Sit nice & quiet for the first few orbits, watch, listen & learn. There's no rush, you have plenty of chips, so just fold for a few orbits unless you find a monster.
Not all poker players are good at social interaction I'm afraid, simple things like saying hello,. or introducing yourself, small talk etc are lost on many. To get the best out of the day, try & interact early, get chatting, it really helps everyone relax. Some don't want to talk or say hello of course, & that's up to them. You are there to enjoy yourself though, so try to make the most if it. Getting a nice chatty table is the best fun ever imo, though not all agree. I've shared tables with folks for 12 hours & they have been unable to mumble a single word. Tough to think of any walk of life where you plan to sit with 8 or 9 others & cba to even say hello.
And finally, most important of all - ENJOY yourself. It's not an ordeal, its a great day, & it's not often you'll play an £1,100 jobbie. You may even end up on a table with someone like Jake Cody, Mr Ambo, Sam Trickett or whoever. I must say, Mr Ambo is the nut table companion, he's huge fun to share a table with, as care many others.
So, back to business, & congrats to this baker's dozen who have got themselves at £1,100 UKPC Seat.
If my memory serves correctly, Lulufold was a previous Viva Las Vergas qualifier, & I8PALACE was a Punta Cana qualifier this year. Ian Simpson is a regular on the Sky Poker TV Show these days & Ben Sherman makes lovely shirts favoured by us chavs.
keep track of the pot. you must keep a running total of the pot size in your head. then you can calculate the bet sizing in relation to the pot. you need to know what others are doing. afterall, you do not have screen friendly info when playing live.
as another tip, count the pot and calculate bet sizing even when you have mucked your cards.
you can learn so so much on others' play but also it will guide you on your own bet sizing.
may i add something? keep track of the pot. you must keep a running total of the pot size in your head. then you can calculate the bet sizing in relation to the pot. you need to know what others are doing. afterall, you do not have screen friendly info when playing live. as another tip, count the pot and calculate bet sizing even when you have mucked your cards. you can learn so so much on others' play but also it will guide you on your own bet sizing. Posted by aussie09
Yes, of course, I'd encourage as many as possible to contribute to the tips.
It's VERY important that the more experienced poker players help the newbies in their early days, imo. They are the future of poker.
Be good to see some tips from the Serious Crew, too.Not that's Rob's not serious, obv.
Claire some very good advice there. Isnt teeks just great what other site takes the time to offer such geat help. Just relax and enjoy it u got great game (you got there for nowt nothin to lose not like some others).Yeh try and put in some practice live be4 surprised how much slower it is .As teeks says always anounce bets before u put chips in easy mistake Remember its only a game take it easy.
Remember you the hero for us little guys we all rootin for ya
Congratulations again I think it should be the pros that should be afraid they know each other but they don't know you or how you play hopefully more of us micro players will make it too there is power in numbers enjoy every minute
Claire some very good advice there. Isnt teeks just great what other site takes the time to offer such geat help. Just relax and enjoy it u got great game (you got there for nowt nothin to lose not like some others).Yeh try and put in some practice live be4 surprised how much slower it is .As teeks says always anounce bets before u put chips in easy mistake Remember its only a game take it easy. Remember you the hero for us little guys we all rootin for ya Posted by CATCH-22
Offer to buy the table a drink when you get your first.
Suitable table topics for opening conversations.
Fave sandwich, band, film, tv show, restauaurant, holiday, piece of fruit, takeaway, curlywurly vs snickers, why kickball is not a sport, cats vs dogs, hobbies, why planes are good and trains awful, what we did at christmas/new years, tyson the worlds largest turkey, comedians, favourite joke, interesting facts, breakfast.
#1 try to get some chatter going on your table - it'll make you feel more comfortable.
#2 when you're in a hand, do the opposite of #1. Don't talk to anyone. some players are expert at getting tells during hands, and since you're a new live player, you're likely to give off quite a bit of valuable information, meaning you should try to be quiet.
Comments
Claire,
I'll reply, chapter & verse, first thing in the morning if that's OK. Been a long day, & I need to get to bed.
Chuffed to bits you have qualified.
PS - at the moment, ALL Sky Poker qualifiers are being, by default, entered into the Saturday Day 1c. However, if you wish to play 1a (Thursday) or 1b (Friday) instead, we can sort that. Saturday, I would imagine, works best though, as you'll be with all the other Sky Poker qualifiers.
I'll address these questions one by one, to add clarity.
More follows.....
Hotel
Jurys Inn is fine, also there are B & B's galore in Nottingham.
The most popular hotels for DTD players are both on Castle Marina, almost next to each other - Holiday Inn & Premier Inn. It's about 5 minutes in a Taxi to & from DTD.
The beauty of those two hotels is that so many players from Sky Poker will be staying in one or the other, so you can almost guarantee to taxi-share (& so cost share) both ways. The Staff & Management from Sky Poker generally stay at Holiday Inn.
Personally, I would ONLY book one night - the Saturday night. If you DO make the Final on Monday, it's easy enough to get a room on the Sunday night, the hotels are near empty on Sunday night.
Structure of the day
Day 1c - Saturday - stats at noon sharp - not as second later. However, it's "Live Poker", so you can poll up late (until 4.40pm) if you so wish. Personally, I'd suggest arriving early, soak up the atmo, meet a few people, chat & chill, so you are nice & relaxed & in your seat from the very start.
Your Table & Seat allocation goes up on a plasma screen, 5 minute before the start.
The tables are in rows, or tiers, numbered from left to right, but if in doubt, ask anyone, in particular just ask any Dealer. The Dealers are all sat in place 15 minutes before play commences.
SPT Rich, aka Tighty, aka Rich Prew, or myself, will both be there, so come see us if you need any help at all. That's what we are there for, what Tighty scornfully calls "Front of House Duties".
Play will continue until quite late - possibly after midnight - as it is important that we can get down to a Final on the Sunday, so as to avoid a late finish on Monday.
Can you bring anyone with you?
Yes, of course.
They MUST register as a Member though, or they will not be permitted to enter the premises. (Gaming Commission rules). This applies to you as well.
It's best to register in advance, as the queues at the Reception do get a bit lengthy & tiresome. Takes about 30 seconds to register online, you do that at the DTD Website. I'd suggest you do that now.
You will need to bring Photo ID with you on the day - Passport, Drivers Licence, or whatever, even a Utility Bill. You will NOT be admitted without ID on your first visit.
Your +1 can pop up to your table from time to time, to see how you are doing, ask how you are getting on, or bring you a cuppa. However, some etiquette is required - you should NOT talk to them whilst on a hand, or delay play because of them. They should not "hover" too close for long either, as it's unsettling for the other players, who may think your +1 is able to see their hole cards. Just sensible, common sense.
There is a bar, also tea & coffee (sadly the tea & coffee is charged at about £1.80 a pop), & there is TV on various plasmas around the room. Plenty of armchairs, sofas, & occasional tables at which to sit, too. (Isn't "occasional table" an odd expression? Is it occasionally something else?)
Generally, life being what it is, young ladies tend to congregate together, & you'll be fine, as a few female players of my acquaintance - MacacGirl (talks for England) & Mother (maybe even The Dreaded Daughter) are hoping to be present. My Gill may be there, too, so you'll be fine.
Clothes? Just smart casual. No ripped jeans or string vests, sorta thing.
Food - there is usually a buffet for the players.
Never Played "Live" before"?
Bit of work needed here if you are to enjoy the day to the max.
Arrive in plenty of time, there are usually a few who have never played before, & Tighty or I will arrange a Table, dealer, chips & a deck of cards for a quick practice run.
A few quick tips.
Always catch the Dealers eye before you act if you intend to call, bet or raise, then announce what you intend to do - "Call", "I make it 600" or whatever. Then, if you get your chips muddled up & put the wrong chip(s) in you are ok, as verbal is binding. When folding, no need to say anything, just muck your 2 cards. It is VERY DANGEROUS not to announce your intended action. If you accidentally stick a large denom - 5,000 say - chip in the middle it MIGHT get construed as a Raise, or you may not have noticed someone else raise, & it'll go as a call. ANNOUNCE YOUR ACTION TO THE DEALER BEFORE YOU PUT THE CHIP(S) in until you get the hang of it all.
Separate your chips into denoms, to avoid getting muddled up. Keep them neat & tidy, in stacks of 5 or 10, easier to count then. Your biggest denom chips MUST be visible to all players, they MUST NOT be hidden at the back of your stack.
Try not to count chips when betting in ones & twos - "cut" your stacks where possible.
Do not EVER act out of turn, even if you intend to fold - WAIT until it is your turn to act. Online we can fold out of turn, but other players don't know we have folded. Live, we MUST act in turn. Failure to do so may incur a warning, then a time penalty.
If you need change - say you want 5 x 100 for 1 x 500 - do not ask other players or the dealer. Just stick the 500 chip across the line for your 100 call, Blinds or bet, & the dealer will sort the change after al players have acted.
When you win a pot, do NOT pull your chips in - that's the Dealers job, they will push them to you. It's extremely bad form to touch chips which are in the middle, like venting in church.
NEVER touch anyone else's chips, or the chips in the pot.
Pay attention at all times, or you will miss the action, or act out of turn.
Do not lift your two cards off the table to see them better. They must remain in contact with the table at all times.
Do NOT show your hand to other players not in the hand, or after action has completed. If you show ONE person, you are obliged to show everyone. It's very bad form, too.
If you pass, say, 8-8, & an 8 comes on the Board, don't blurt out "ooh, I folded a pair of eights". That gives vital information to players still in the hand & can affect the play.
Try not to "tank" or dwell un-necessarily, or every hand. Bad form. When you do have a tough decision, that's fine, take all the time you want, within reason.
Nervous? Sit nice & quiet for the first few orbits, watch, listen & learn. There's no rush, you have plenty of chips, so just fold for a few orbits unless you find a monster.
Not all poker players are good at social interaction I'm afraid, simple things like saying hello,. or introducing yourself, small talk etc are lost on many. To get the best out of the day, try & interact early, get chatting, it really helps everyone relax. Some don't want to talk or say hello of course, & that's up to them. You are there to enjoy yourself though, so try to make the most if it. Getting a nice chatty table is the best fun ever imo, though not all agree. I've shared tables with folks for 12 hours & they have been unable to mumble a single word. Tough to think of any walk of life where you plan to sit with 8 or 9 others & cba to even say hello.
And finally, most important of all - ENJOY yourself. It's not an ordeal, its a great day, & it's not often you'll play an £1,100 jobbie. You may even end up on a table with someone like Jake Cody, Mr Ambo, Sam Trickett or whoever. I must say, Mr Ambo is the nut table companion, he's huge fun to share a table with, as care many others.
Live Poker is tremendous fun, believe me.
There you go - any other questions, fire away.
If any other regulars would like to add something to assist Claire, please do.
So, back to business, & congrats to this baker's dozen who have got themselves at £1,100 UKPC Seat.
If my memory serves correctly, Lulufold was a previous Viva Las Vergas qualifier, & I8PALACE was a Punta Cana qualifier this year. Ian Simpson is a regular on the Sky Poker TV Show these days & Ben Sherman makes lovely shirts favoured by us chavs.
may i add something?
keep track of the pot. you must keep a running total of the pot size in your head. then you can calculate the bet sizing in relation to the pot. you need to know what others are doing. afterall, you do not have screen friendly info when playing live.
as another tip, count the pot and calculate bet sizing even when you have mucked your cards.
you can learn so so much on others' play but also it will guide you on your own bet sizing.
Oops, updated Lobby, with Mr Ambo added.
YBA, marv, etc.
It's VERY important that the more experienced poker players help the newbies in their early days, imo. They are the future of poker.
Be good to see some tips from the Serious Crew, too. Not that's Rob's not serious, obv.