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anyone else get the shakes when playing live?

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  1. greezy greezy is offline

    Asheville, NC
    United States

    Posts: 138
    Joined: Jan 09

    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:37am)

    i played my first live casino poker earlier at harrahs cherokee ,,,wasent a win, negative $125 for the night at the $1/$2 table.. i am not upset with result cause each time i lost, i had my money in good when it counted...im not even close to thinking that i am a good live player...i know i have a whole lot more to learn... but one thing really upset me, each of the two times i got a good hand, my heart started racing and i felt like everyone was going to see my heart pounding through my shirt..i could even see my own hand shaking...i took a break an went and smoked a j on the boardwalk thing...that helped a little but not so much.. just curious if anyone else has overcome same kind of thing with live..also, i guess the same kind of thing happens to me here when i have a really big hand that alot depends on going on online, but i do not notice it as much because no one can see me
  2. Chazmental Chazmental is offline Thief

    Henderson, NV
    United States

    Posts: 15,201
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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:41am) in reply to greezy

    play some live hands with some friends that would be honest and tell you what they see from you (live tells).

    One thing I do is everytime b4 I even look at my cards is in my mind see my cards as 27. I also take a certain amount of time to look then make my decision no matter what hand I have.

    Also you can take a decent breath then as you are exhaling slowly look at your cards.
  3. downbylaw11 downbylaw11 is offline

    Surrey
    Canada

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:44am) in reply to greezy

    im pretty nervous when i play live. but im also nervous when im deep in tourneys or playing in a big buy in tourney that could change my life if i won it
  4. Jax0910 Jax0910 is offline

    Burnham-on-Sea
    United Kingdom

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:46am) in reply to greezy

    I used too wen i first started playin live about 2 yrs ago. I think it just comes down to getting used to it tbh, so just play regulary and the shakes should stop!
  5. thearthurdog thearthurdog is offline

    Posts: 1,839
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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:48am) in reply to greezy

    home games no
    i used to play cash games drunk at the casino all the time with no problem
    first time i played at the casino not drunk i shook like a leaf
    i'm fine now though
  6. ntanygd760 ntanygd760 is offline

    Fort Drum, NY
    United States

    Posts: 5,495
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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 3:52am) in reply to thearthurdog

    Just play more and learn chip tricks, keeps your hands doing something. Any half way decent player should beat lower limit live in long run. plus its fun to do sometimes.
     
  7. greezy greezy is offline

    Asheville, NC
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 4:01am) in reply to ntanygd760

     
    Originally Posted by ntanygd760 View Post

    Just play more and learn chip tricks, keeps your hands doing something. Any half way decent player should beat lower limit live in long run. plus its fun to do sometimes.

    yeah chip tricks is something I would like to learn...too bad Harrahs Cherokees(my closet casino) poker tables are "poker pro" electronic dealerless chipless tables
    Thread Starter
  8. WiCane WiCane is offline

    San Diego, CA
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 4:05am) in reply to greezy

    as long as you shake when you have a big hand or are bluffing then you are fine.
     
  9. mangal mangal is offline

    Las Vegas, NV
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 4:28am) in reply to WiCane

    BarryG on HSP shake too on one episode.
  10. ucantbeatthemeat ucantbeatthemeat is offline

    Santa Monica, CA
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 4:40am) in reply to greezy

    I drink like a fish when I play live. You will eventually get over it either way especially after a few + sessions, but a few shots def helps the nerves otherwise.
  11. calebku33 calebku33 is offline

    Athens, GA
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 4:42am) in reply to mangal

    I rarely play live but I hit the Venetian for about 50 hours this past week...got the shakes like mad every session, but it didn't seem to stop players from shipping the $$$. I wouldn't want to go into a 10/20 game and shake every time I had the nuts, but at lower stakes, the fish aren't paying attention to that. They just see JTs oop and feel that it's good enough to cold call your shaky hands 3-bet.
  12. MarkFSU1 MarkFSU1 is offline

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 5:02am) in reply to calebku33

    nope, but i think the dealers are rigged
     
  13. allinstevie allinstevie is offline

    Omagh
    United Kingdom

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 5:06am) in reply to MarkFSU1

    pm moorman to find out he overcame this
     
  14. Sdanby Sdanby is offline

    Worcester
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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 6:09am) in reply to greezy

    have the same probelms sometimes even though ive only played live a couple of times and for small buyins. i just make sure i have a couple of drinks before and during, normally calms me down. Also i try to be quite outgoing at the table, have a chat with a few people and a few laughs, normally boosts confidence for me.
  15. CJDeman CJDeman is offline

    Sydney
    Australia

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 7:35am) in reply to Sdanby

    Every time I look down at my cards I tell myself I am going to see AA. That way I dont look or act surprised / excited when I actually get a decent hand.
     
  16. mutt6363 mutt6363 is offline

    Northern Mariana Islands

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 7:38am) in reply to greezy

    I wear a hoodie everytime I play to control that because I'm bad at shaking too.
  17. benwa1 benwa1 is offline

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 8:06am) in reply to mutt6363

    funny as fuck this thread is...
    man u shud rele start playing live and online simulatenously, even if u play more online or jus turn out to be a proper internet geek in real life. jus my take
    I myself used to have the problem of not smiling/laughin lol, dunno why , so what i did to keep myself from doin this was imagine my opponents were all serial rapists and that i hate them all...
    see u in vegas fookers
    504 1
  18. Jack_Ace75 Jack_Ace75 is offline

    Washington, DC
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 11:37am) in reply to benwa1

    pretty standard for beginners and as someone said earlier, once you get your feet wet, get comfortable and have the confidence, that will go away. of course make sure you have enough to play with and that you don't think about losing.
  19. satchmo satchmo is online now

    NV
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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 12:29pm) in reply to greezy

    as said, this goes away with time/experience. . .what really speeds it up though is taking bad beats. . .once you really get a feel for how bad other unknowns can play(assuming you're betting somewhat correctly)and how often it seems that they can suck out, you realize having the nuts on the flop/turn is not a huge deal. . .
    for instance, alot of players get the shakes when they are dealt AA. . .with a number of callers (preflop), this is very well a marginal hand (if unimproved) postflop. . . get your aces cracked a few times and lose a few chips in the process and getting AA isn't really a shaking matter anymore. . .
  20. lind0 lind0 is offline

    Vancouver
    Canada

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 12:52pm) in reply to greezy

    That's pretty normal. Almost everyone has shaky hands when they're excited.

    Shaking hands is a very reliable tell because it's involuntary. It's always the result of a release of adrenaline, which at the poker table is inevitably the result of a good hand. If you see someone move their chips in and their hands are shaking, you can be pretty damn sure that they have a very big hand. It's probably one of the most reliable tells there is, especially in inexperienced players or players that seem uncomfortable at the table.

    What can you do to minimize it? Practice. The more comfortable you get, the less adrenaline will take over, the less excited you'll get, and the less your hands will shake. Another option is to intentionally make your hands shake sometimes. Do it when you're bluffing too, or just do it every time you move chips.
  21. Brain Damage Brain Damage is offline

    San Diego, CA
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 1:08pm) in reply to greezy

    Dont worry about it, its natural. If you really want to calm down Xanax is the shit.
     
  22. iatetheredcrayon iatetheredcrayon is offline

    Austin, TX
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 1:58pm) in reply to greezy

    Anytime I play live no matter what stakes or type of game. If it's been a while I will shake for the first few hands regardless of what's going on. Just takes time to get acclamated.
  23. Crazyhorse76 Crazyhorse76 is offline

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:01pm) in reply to greezy

    First few times i played in a casino in a 1-4 stud game, I couldn't stop my legs from shaking. Yes, I said stud.
     2
  24. bxb00 bxb00 is offline

    Charlotte, NC
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:20pm) in reply to greezy

     
    Originally Posted by greezy View Post

    harrahs cherokee?

    In NC? i though they didnt have table games
  25. Dirty donkey Dirty donkey is offline

    Jacksonville, FL
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:29pm) in reply to greezy

    It just takes time.......when first started i used to shake after every pot I won. Now the reason i shake is when I take a bad beat.....look over at the dealer and give the bobble head! GL and give it time....enjoy being there dont stress/just have fun the nervs go away.

    *** and shakey hands are not a tell any live player will rely on. use the Im a recovering alcoholic line if anyone asks.
  26. bdubz9180 bdubz9180 is offline

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 2:34pm) in reply to Dirty donkey

    take a slow deep breath... although that might be another tell
  27. CARSONDAVE CARSONDAVE is offline

    Carson, CA
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 3:30pm) in reply to greezy

    I ususally smoke a bowl or have a beer. It usually calms my nerves down. Seems like you have anxiety.
  28. srooney3 srooney3 is offline

    Naperville, IL
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 3:38pm) in reply to mangal

     
    Originally Posted by mangal View Post

    BarryG on HSP shake too on one episode.

    he was also playing for a little bit of money
  29. sm00thrider sm00thrider is offline

    Atlanta, GA
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 3:51pm) in reply to srooney3

    I think your an idiot if u listen to most of these ppl and proceed to get drunk b/f u go play live. sure it will help ur shakes but not necissarily ur game. I play live alot and i get the shakes everytime. My ears get red, hands sweating profusely. One time i was shaking so bad that i knocked over my entire chip stack trying to peel off a bet after flopping a set of K's, but it only got worse as everyone stared at me as i'm fumbling to restack my chips. The guy paid off my bets on every street and actually commented that he saw my hands shaking and thought i was bluffing. That allowed me to bluff more and i was free to let my hands shake away as ppl thought i was holding a monster.

    Best thing u can do it play live more often. it usually takes me a good hr and 1/2 b/f my hands stop shaking. Its the same as if u were an actor in a play. ur gonna be sweaty and shakey at first but after ur 30th performance it just feels natural. Also you can try holding somthing in ur hands like ur drink, a chip, or even a napkin as that will stop the shaking. Or just keep them under the table till ur ready to act. Chip tricks are prolly your best bet as not only will it hide ur shakey hands and give u something to pass the time, but will also lead ppl to belive u've docked several hours at the live tables and aren't a rookie.
  30. greezy greezy is offline

    Asheville, NC
    United States

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    May 21st, 2009 (5/21/2009 4:04pm) in reply to bxb00

     
    Originally Posted by bxb00 View Post

     
    Originally Posted by greezy View Post

    harrahs cherokee?

    In NC? i though they didnt have table games

    The poker room at harrahs is still only a couple months old...they have electronic tables because i think dealers are illegal or some shit in NC...but the tables have electronic chips and electronic deal
    Thread Starter
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