Poker Room

A public poker room is a great source for those who like to play poker. You can always find a game, and the drinks are delivered to your table. While the rules of the tables can change from casino to casino, several customs should not escape the attention of the ardent poker player.

Fewer and fewer casinos offer poker because of the relatively slim profit margin on the game of the poker room. The game is space and employee intensive and casinos can make more money per square inch with slot machines than with poker. Whereas slot machines provide a substantial house percentage, poker tables require dealers, waitresses, cigarette girls, and a manager to keep everything running smoothly. The house supports this with a "rake" (a percentage taken from every pot).

Some casinos require their players to check in and out of their tables. This is to keep a record of how many players they have and to manage limited table space of the poker room. During peak periods (Friday night) there may be a waiting list for poker seats. In this case it is advised to get on multiple lists (be waiting for both 7-stud, and hold'em) and not go too far.

As far as chips go, this differs from place to place and from poker room from poker room. Some will have you buy-in at the table, while others require you to have them already exchanged from the cashier. The best policy is to ask if you are uncertain.

Once at your table you may realize that not everyone antes every hand, thus making it possible to fold early for "free". The betting system used by most casinos is what is commonly called "blind tiger". In hold'em, the player to the left of the imaginary dealer at poker room table (signified by a button) places a small blind bet regardless of his hand the player to the left of the small blind places a big blind or blind raise. In Stud, the low exposed card usually has a forced initial bet. In this way everyone eventually antes a much smaller amount (about 40% of a betting unit) for one hand.

Don't expect to play with all manner of wild cards in that poker room. No Christmas tree, big elbows, zigzags, criss-cross, not even dealer's choice ( although some poker rooms do let you play dealer's choice, they limit the versions of poker you can play to the common casino poker games.) No deuces wild, no one-eyed jacks count as anything but the symbol on the card. Expect nothing fancy at all, just basic poker at different betting limits.

Don't expect to have Aunt Martha to bring you sandwiches (few poker rooms allow you to eat at the table.) Expect a cocktail waitress, usually in a skimpy dress, to offer free drinks (for which you should tip her). If you do get a drink, don't set it on the green felt where it can easily spill (use the plastic holders provided by the casino.)

Don't expect to shuffle, cut or deal the cards. The house provides a professional dealer to handle that (it's customary to tip the dealer when you win a pot.) In fact, the only time you should touch the cards is to look at your hole cards. DON'T take them off the table.

Don't expect to play for free like with online poker rooms. This is Las Vegas, after all, and somebody has to help pay for the chandeliers and the people who dust them. The house will take a "fee" (called the rake) from every pot. There's a house maximum, depending on the limits you're playing.

Don't expect a party atmosphere. Most people who play casino poker are very serious. You might get some joking and laughing from time to time, but generally, you'll get very little conversation at all.

Don't manhandle the cards. Squeeze them if you like, but bending, throwing or scraping them with nail polish are all forbidden. Count on a gentle warning for a first offense, but a possible barring for a subsequent one.

Don't expect to be facing all amateurs and tourists like yourself. Las Vegas is loaded with regular poker players ? from "kids" to "cronies." Some of them are shrewd enough to hide in their solitude and silence, then pounce when they have a killer hand. Others will play only the very best cards (they're called "rocks.")

Then again, you might come up against two of these nasty characters who, recognizing the rube in you, will gang up on you. It's rare, but it does happen. You're sitting between them. One of them bets, you call, and the second one raises. The first one might reraise to hurry you out of the pot immediately, or might just call in hopes that you'll stay in for one more round at least.

Eventually, they might try raising you out completely. Or one of them might say something like, "You guys better have a pretty high flush to beat my powerhouse," implying that he has a full house. Don't believe him.

This is one of the few "cheating" moves you're likely to encounter in a Las Vegas card room. If you suspect it's happening, leave the game, report it to the floorman, but by no means should you contribute another chip to the table.

Casinos with Card Rooms will either have charged house dealt games or charged private games. Some may even allow games to carry on for free. The house dealt games will be formal and should adhere to basic international rules. The private games can agree to their own set of games and rules. In the past people have played standard flop, stud and draw poker games in both the formats. In modern times however the search for high anxiety gambling combined with traditional poker has led to the emergence of many wild poker variants with highly specialised rules. New players should stick to the games they know until they are very experienced.

At casino Poker Rooms, the house run games usually deal Texas Hold'em as their main game. Forward thinking casinos are now spreading Omaha, Irish, 7-Card Stud and even some Hi-Lo games. These are the main stay of world tournament and cash poker.

If you have been playing in a Home Game for some time, try and venture to a casino poker room where a game is being dealt around a full size kidney shaped poker table. It's a completely different feeling and one necessary to learn about if you want to experience all that poker has to offer.

Once you have understood and adjusted to the fact that casino Poker rooms are far from how you find playing poker at home it can be both challenging and fun. Until this hits home, it can prove stressful. If you are content to break even, or to lose no more than you would at another leisure activity, you are well on the way to the enjoyment of casino Poker rooms. You may as well face the fact that unless you are willing to take on the commitment, discipline and tactics of the Poker professional, along with making the game a major part of you life, you are not likely to do much better than break even in the long run.

This will mean winning some of the time, but losing just as frequently. You realistically ought to be satisfied when you reach the point of being able to beat most of the tourists. It is at this level you can enjoy yourself, and lose neither more money than you can afford, nor your self-respect. The following is a list of basic guidelines which, if followed, should result in making casino Poker rooms and casino poker game a pleasurable activity rather than a money draining and frustrating activity.

1. Choose a game you can afford.
2. Understand the game you choose.
3. Budget your playing time i.e., resist the temptation to play around the clock.
4. Take frequent breaks during a Poker session.
5. Remind yourself to play more conservatively at casino poker rooms than you do at home.
6. Use your time away from the table to study other players.
7. Don't drink alcohol (it’s free for a reason).
8. If you feel something is wrong i.e., cheating, walk away immediately.

Even if the games played are familiar and the stakes more or less the same, playing Poker in a casino differs from playing at home in a number of ways.

Casino Poker rooms games differs from home Poker in the following ways.

The House Take

For the privilege of playing at their tables and using their cards and dealers, all casinos poker rooms charge in one form or another. In the typical low stakes casino poker rooms games this house take, known also as the rake or cut is usually a few pounds out of each pot. In larger stake games it usually amounts to about 3% of the pot; though in smaller stake games it can be as much as 8%.

Although this may not sound like much in light of all the services the casino poker rooms provides, it is not as straightforward as it may seem. For this is a percentage taken by the casino on every single pound bet, and not just the players’ initial stake. As the game progresses, players win pots and this has the effect of re-circulating the money, so the player ends up, after a few hours, having bet a fair portion of his original stake

If in an average Poker session at a reputable casino poker room you re-circulate your money five times, and the average take is 4%, the sum of your winnings will be 20% less than the sum of your losses. It is this that keeps casinos in business. It is this that allows them to provide services and free drinks to anyone who plays.

Increased number of players

In a typical casino you are likely to find seven to ten, or sometimes more people at a table. It works out that if you play in a seven person game, you will be dealt the best hand 14.3% of the time. In a ten-person game it will happen 10% of the time.

The difference is also compounded by the fact that the more players there are, the better the winning hand is likely to be. This obviously decreases the value of a given holding – say, a ten high straight, or aces up – since there are more hands that can beat it.

An adjustment in your strategy to take into account these playing conditions is required, but is often neglected, particularly by tourists. It should be remembered that, the greater the number of players, the more conservatively you have to play to achieve the same level of success.

The conditions of play

Following on from the previous point, the physical aspects of playing Poker at a casino table are significantly different from when playing at home. The games are played at large oval tables where often, you can’t even see the face of your opponents.

Often the most hazardous aspect of casino Poker for the newcomer is the rapid pace of the game. Because both the tokes and the take are relative to the number of hands played, both dealer and house want to keep the game running as smoothly as possible.

The result of this is considerably less time in which to evaluate your options – precisely at a time when unfamiliarity makes such evaluations more necessary. Whereas professionals and regulars account for these factors automatically and swiftly, occasional players do not.

Another major difference is that play has already started when one enters a casino game. At home, all players start, warm up and tire and stop together. In a non-stop game, players will be in all sorts of mental and physical shape and this will obviously affect how they play. Often it is the case that the newcomer is so busy managing his own cards that it will take time for him to adjust to the nature of his opponents. A good tip is to sit and watch while playing an absolute minimum of hands for half an hour.