When you enter the poker room, the first thing you need to do is purchase poker chips. To do this you need to locate the "cage" where chips are bought and sold. Once you find the cage, wait in line and when it is your turn place all the money on the counter that you wish to exchange. The employee will count it, and then give you your chips.
Your next task is finding a poker table. Many first timers will stroll up to a table and sit down, only to discover that you need to go to the front desk first to book the seat. To do this, go up to the front of the room where there is a desk and a board with initials on it. Tell the employee your initials, and what game you are trying to play. For example, if your name was Jim Brown and you wanted to play $ 1 / $ 2 $ 100 max, you would tell the employee "I need $ 100 max – my initials are JB". Then you will go up on the board and will be called up when your table is ready.
Once you take your seat at the table, there are a few differences between live and online poker. The first you need to know about is that players do not have to post the blind to come into the game. The only rule is that you can not come in as the dealer, but inside that, you can sit anywhere and receive cards without posting the blinds (unless you come in as the big or small blind, of course).
The next rule to remember is that there's no pre-select buttons! Make sure you act in turn, because many players will become furious if you fold out of turn or make bets out of turn, especially the old timers. Also remember to never discuss a hand or offer advice while a hand is still going, because that is another rule that is sure to get you in trouble. When you win that first pot, it's going to feel great to rake the chips in, but make sure you remember to tip the dealer. A standard tip for a $ 50 pot would be $ 1 or $ 2, and as the pots get bigger, you will want to tip more. If you forget to tip once it's not a huge deal, but you do not want to be known to the dealers as "the guy who never tips".
If you decide to take a break from playing, but plan on coming back, just walk away from the table and leave your chips there. As long as you're back within a reasonable amount of time the dealer will save your seat and leave your chips there. If you are ready to leave the casino, put your chips into a rack then take them to the cage and cash them out. That's it!