Quick, Easy Question Regarding Poker Tourneys
So I'm planning on taking my father up to the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. Certain Hold'Em games have a buy in of $50, but others I've seen go up to $300.
To get into the tournament, or any tournament for that matter, do you just pay for the buy-in, and use table stakes and chips, or do you chip (no pun intended) in your own money to actually play in the Hold'Em games?
Thanks!
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You're combining both when trying to ask the question.
If you're going to play in a cash game ($1-$2 no-limit for example), you can buy in for as little as $50-$60 and as much as $200-$300 at most places. If you run out of money, you can always buy back in.
Tournaments are an entirely different animal. You go to the tournament registration area (or the front desk), pay the designated entry fee, and receive a table and seat assignment card. Just report to your seat before the start time, check to see you have the requisite amount of starting chips and that's it. No more money needed - unless you're getting drinks from a waitress, then make sure to tip them :)
Like Scooter said, sounds like you're confusing two different types of games - cash games and tournaments.
In a cash game, the amount you buy is the amount of bring to the table. $1 chip is worth $1, $5 is worth $5. You buy in for $50, you are playing $50 cash. The casino makes money from taking a small commission ('rake') from each pot.
In a tournament, you pay the entry fee, and then are given tournament chips that have no intrinsic cash value, just used to 'keep score'. The house takes a small (hopefully) cut of the entry fee, then the rest is pooled into a prize pool that is divided by a predetermined formula awarded based on finishing order.
Hope that helps.
@thamster And oh yeah like Scooter said, if you're playing in a casino for the first time, make sure to tip the waitress $1/drink, and also the dealer $1+ when you win a pot. It's customary. If it's a tournament, find out if there's a part of the house takes that goes to the dealer, and tip a small percentage out of the prize won.