First live game in Vegas

[Paul Williams]

Hey all, I’m going to Vegas in two weeks time…and I need your help. I have only played a couple of live games in UK casinos and I’ve never played poker in Vegas before. My bankroll isn’t huge so I will be buying into 1/2 or 1/3 games.

Any advice you could offer me would be great, particularly:

1) Which would be the better rooms for a newbie?
2) What are the biggest ‘tells’ that a potential fish will show? (So I can avoid them of course).
3) What are the biggest faux-pas made by newbies at the poker table? (So I can avoid them too).

Thanks in advance!!

[Brad Owen]

Hi Paul. I wouldn’t worry too much about tells or faux-pas. Your opponents in a 1/2 or 1/3 game will mostly be beginner-rec players as well. There might be one pro at the most but probably not. If you have any questions you can always ask a dealer. They’re usually very friendly and happy to help. The best advice I can give you is just to relax and have fun. Also, you should probably avoid trying to bluff anyone. As far as casinos go you should definitely check out the Wynn because the room there is only a year old and is amazing. The poker room at Bellagio is very cool to see as well. Some of the best players in the world are there playing in the bigger games and it’s a fun environment to be around as a fan of poker. Some find those two places to be a little intimidating though, particularly Bellagio. Places like Bally’s, Harrah’s, Caesars, MGM, and Venetian may provide a little friendlier environment for a new player. You’ll probably get around same caliber of player no matter where you go at those stakes so it’s just a matter of finding a room that you feel comfortable in. I hope you have a successful trip. Keep us posted on how you do.

[Thomas Bensley]

To add to Pauls question I will also be in Vegas coming up. Are there any good tournaments you can recommend in the $100 buy in range that are worth playing or would you stick to the cash games?

[Brad Owen]

The rake is usually extremely high for the tournaments on the strip that are in the $100 range. I’d stick to cash. I know the Orleans has some pretty good tournaments though and Red Rock usually offers some guarantees that frequently get overlays.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 4 months ago by Brad Owen.

[Patrick]

I’ll second Brad on the Orleans tournys. Best (cheap) ones near the strip easily.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Patrick.

[Paul Williams]

Thanks for the advice Brad. I went with Caesers in the end and had a couple of really fun sessions, though the first game had quite a few regs who looked at me like I was the freshest of meat!

Both losing sessions but I’m not being too hard on myself when I lost out going all in with a King high flush and and getting called by the nut flush.

I’ll be back in Vegas over the new year so will give a few other places you recommended a go – would love to play with you and Neeme one day but will need to build the bankroll a little before then!

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