Removing the heist scene from the heist plot was an ingenious twist, but the true nature of the story stems out from that device. It's almost an anti-heist movie. We get the typical scenes of rounding the up the gang and going over the plan, but none of those moments really follow the formula.

In Ocean's 11, the planning scenes are primarily used to engage the viewer based on the complex and dangerous logistics of the robbery. Character dynamics are thrown in for comic relief since all the actors are in the scene together, but in Reservoir Dogs, the character work is all there really is. The specifics of the jewelry store plan are good to know so you can make sense of the plot later, but the real thing you take from those scenes is the way the guys react and relate to each other, which sets up all the loyalty/distrust and conflicting father/son dynamics once they finally meet up in the warehouse. Actual heist movies are strong on character but centered around plot. Reservoir Dogs is all about character.