GamingTips

So this is a quick note on the issue of poker and comps and players clubs.  Before getting into this too much, let me remind you that casinos really don’t make that much money on their poker rooms.  They have them for several reasons.  First, a lot of the big names in Vegas casinos and their history have been poker players (recreational or otherwise).  Second, they attract attention, especially now that poker is televised and very popular.  Third, they draw traffic into the casino, as many poker players also eat, drink, and play slots and other games.  Fourth, it is kind of standard now.  A major casino without a poker room would be very strange.  But know that poker rooms do not generate the revenue, per square foot, that other gaming areas do.

That’s because when you play blackjack or craps, and you lose $100, that $100 always goes to the casino.  All $100 of it.  Same with slots.  When you play poker, $99 of that goes to another player, and only a small portion goes to the casino.

This is why it is harder to earn comps playing poker than playing other games.  The good news is that generally, they don’t keep track of your betting and lower your rate like they do on the tables and slots.  You get an hourly rate, regardless of how many hands you play or how much you bet each hand.  On the other hand, the hourly rate is generally very low.  I’m sure that as you get into higher limit games, it is higher, but at the level I play at, the rate is usually $1 in comps per hour played.

So there you have a brief explanation on why earning comps may seem harder at the poker tables than on the main casino floor.

So, gaming laws vary from State to State, but there are a few Federal laws which govern gambling, and in particular internet gambling.  Remember in ‘06 when a lot of poker sites stopped accepting funds from U.S. bettors?  Here’s why.

There was a law passed that made it a federal offense for a gaming institution to accept funds from bettors for activities that violated State laws.  So, essentially, what the law said was that if your gambling was illegal, accepting money for it was now illegal too.  How does that change anything?

Well, for starters, it’s a Federal law.  Given that online poker rooms, casinos, and books do business with people in many states, this is significant.  It is also significant because Federal authorities obviously have more pull in enforcing laws on operations which do not physically reside in the U.S.  Keep in mind, however, that with internet gambling, it has been determined that the casino is “operating” on both ends of the internet connection.  Even if the checks are cut in Aruba, if you’re in D.C., the casino is “operating” in D.C. as well.

So, how does this affect the players?  It doesn’t.  This law in particular, all Federal laws, and most State laws regarding gambling only apply to the operators, not the bettors.  Which means that while the casino, sports book, or poker room may be illegal, your patronage is most likely not.

Please note that I am not an attorney, or an expert in gambling law.  Laws vary from state to state, so before you get all betting happy (thinking you’re not breaking the law) look into your individual state laws.

Okay.  So, I thought I’d take a minute to address the issue of online versus brick and mortar gaming.

Most people will probably thinnk of this as a poker issue, because of the abundance of online poker rooms, but this also applies to online casino gaming.  I’ll adress several issues here.

Choice of games.  Online casinos and poker games offer a wider selection of betting limits and, in poker rooms, games, than brick and mortar casinos. The reasoning here is quite simple.  If, at any given time, a brick and mortar casino wants to open another table, be it for a different game or a different limit, it costs them about $6/hr just for the dealer.  The added expenses of the chip runner, the casino porter, the cocktail waitress, the brush, and the attendant adds up quickly.  In addition, they have to know ahead of time that they want the particular table open, so that they can schedule this staff appropriately.  So, even if 10 people show up wanting to play $100/200 Omaha HL on a Wednesday night, the casino has a tough time accomodating them.  Additionally, you’re unlikely to find a lot of low limit games.  The rake on poker hands makes a lot less money than the hold on table games.  So a casino really doensn’t like having a lot of $1/2 tables.  In online casinos, on he other hand, you’re likely to find an abunance of not only $1/2, but even $0.50/$1 tables.

Oponents.  This one really is limited to online poker.  When you play in a real poker room, you can see your oponents, and read their faces.  You can look for tells.  You can tell who is experienced and who isn’t.  Online, you know nothing about your oponent, unless you and them frequently wind up at the same table, which given the volume of players on any given site, and the number of tables, is unlikely.

Practice and learning.  This is, in my opinion, one area where online casinos hands down have the advantage.  First, for practice.  There are an abundance of sites offering free play money games, both in poker and in other games.  This allows a player new to the game to practice for free.  Casinos are not going to pay staff to work at play money tables, which do not generate revenue.  In terms of learning, nothing is more annoying than the person who consistently either asks the dealer or other players to explain things, or keeps pulling out a book or strategy card.  Don’t get me wrong.  You should definitely be comfortable asking for help, advice, or clarification.  Occasionally.  When it doesn’t disturb the flow of the game or the other players.  Online, you can have a table open in window, and a strategy or how to website in another.  You can have your book on your lap between you and your computer keyboard.  Also, if there is a question that you, the other players, or the “house” don’t have an answer to, you have a reliable source of information at your fingertips.

Atmosphere.  The atmosphere, obviously, is totally different, and this can be a pro or a con.  Casinos are exciting, and fun.  A great place to see and be seen, have a few cocktails, hang out with friends, etc.  On the other hand, particularly for new, or shy, players, the comfort of your own home can be great.  And you don’t have to worry about the person at the table next to you being drunk and obnoxious, or somebody spilling their drink on you, or whatever.  It’s also much easier to leave a table and join another one if you don’t like the conversation or the people at your table.  It’s not only easier, it’s more comfortable and less awkward.  Also, many times, you can just click a squelch, silence or ignore button instead!

Tournaments.  As with a variety of tables and limits, this is an area where I think that online casinos have a huge advantage.  Because of the lower cost of doing business, online poker rooms can offer tournaments almost any time.  Brick and mortar houses need to offer them during prime times, and can only offer so many.  Online, you can find a tournament with just about any buy in and format at just about any time.  Free rolls, high limits, sit and goes, single table, heads up, HORSE, whatever you want.

Convenience.  Depending on where you live, getting to a casino can be a real pain in the ass.  Even if it’s not (for example, you, like me, live in Vegas), I can guarantee it’s easier to go online and play.  If you don’t have a lot of willpower, this can obviously be a negative, but for most of us, this is a huge plus.  Also, it makes it possible to play in your downtime.  You can log on and play 20 minutes of blackjack or poker, something few people do at brick and mortar casinos.

Money making ability.  I would argue that in poker, this aspect depends more on your skill level and the place you play than anything.  For instance, in Vegas, you’re likely to find more of an online-like group of players.  You don’t know them, they don’t know you, they’re of varying skill levels, and you’re unlikely to see them at the tables again.  At local casinos and poker rooms, however, the game is entirely different.  If you are a regular, you likely know your opponents, their habits and their tells very well,  This can be an advantage, but keep in mind that they also know you.  Where it gets interesting is when you’re NOT the regular.  Similar to the stereotype about women who play, I always found that as a young man going to Indian casino poker tables full of old townies, I had an advantage.  I looked young and dumb, and nobody there knew me.  Quite frankly, I could follow the townies’ reactions to the other townies.  If one of them folded after a bet by another, I often folded borderline hands too.  On the other hand, none of them had any idea how I played.

This next bit applies to poker and other games.  It revolves around two key facts.  First, online games move quicker.  Second, it’s easier to walk away from online games.

First, the game moves quicker.  This means that you have the potential to win (or lose) more money faster.  For instance, many online blackjack tables pull 120+ hands/hour.  That’s right, two a minute.  If you hit a hot streak, you can (as I have recently done), win $1000 in less than an hour.  At a $1 or $5 table.

Second, it’s easier to walk away.  Or at least it is for me.  If I went to a real casino (even living in Vegas) to play blackjack, I would plan on making a morning, an evening, or a night out of it.  If I was up (or down) significantly in a matter of 15 minutes, and my money management strategy told me to leave, I’d likely chuck it.  I didn’t drive to the casino to stay for 15 minutes.  And I’m probably waiting for a free drink.

At home, if I’m way up, and lose a hand, I close the window and walk away.  If I am way down, I close the window and walk away.  I don’t feel cheated out of a good time.

This goes hand in hand with the key difference between recreational and professional gambling.  When I go to the casino, I go as a leisure gambler.  I am playing more for the fun of the game than to make money.  If I lose more money than I wanted, or win less money than I could have, it’s alright.  We pay money to go to the movies, a show, a tourist attraction, or the bar, right?  It’s entertainment.  Online, the fun of the game is still important to me.  But, if I need to cut my losses or quit while I’m ahead, I don’t feel cheated out of my night of fun.

 Closing words.  I play poker and blackjack online a lot these days, and I’m doing fairly well at it.  Very well, in fact, when you consider my starting bankroll.  I only play on one site, Absolute Poker, so that’s where I would recommend getting started.  User friendly format, a variety of games (including blackjack), and a great selection of limits and tournaments, including some wonderful freerolls.

Okay.  So, this is probably the most popular Poker game out there (at least right now), so we’ll start with it.  This is going to be the very, very basics of how the game is played, not getting into any strategy.  Also, since there are three different betting limit structures, I’m not going to mention the amounts you are able to bet each time, but understand that there are always certain limitations.

 The blinds:  The first thing to know about Hold ‘Em is that it usually there is no ante per se.  That is, not everyone is required to put down a bet before the game begins.  Instead, the player to the left of the “dealer” puts in a small bet, called the small blind and the player to the left of that puts in a bet twice the size (usually), called the big blind.

A note on the “dealer.”  At home, you should actually rotate who deals after each and every hand.  In casinos, where the dealer is not expected to physically move each time, a white button labeled “dealer” moves around the table.  The cards are dealt, and betting conducted, as if the dealer were sitting with the player who currently holds the buttons.

Alright.  Back to our game.  So, the blinds are down, and it’s time to deal the cards.  The dealer starts with the small blind and deals clockwise, dealing each player one card at a time.  Each player receives a total of two cards.  There is now a first round of betting, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind.  They may call the big blind, raise the bet, or fold their hand (meaning they will give the dealer their cards, face down, and will not be eligible to play this hand).  Each player then has the same options, except that to call they must call the largest bet made.  The small blind will need less money to call, since they already have some money out.  The big blind has an “option” if the blinds are not raised at all.  They can check for free, or raise the bet.  Betting continues to rotate around until each player has either called the highest bet or folded.

Next, the dealer will burn a card.  That’s a fancy casino word for discarding without using.  Then, she will deal three face up cards, called the flop.  Players may look again at their cards.  The first player to the dealer’s left who still  has cards gets the first action now, as in all subsequent betting rounds.  They may check, bet, or, if they really want, fold (although that’s foolish since they can check for free).  Again, beting continues clockwise until all players have either called the highest bet or folded (or the table limit has been reached).

The dealer will now burn another card, and deal one more card, the Turn (or Fourth Street).  Another betting round follows.

The dealer then burns another card and deals a fifth community card, The Turn (or Fifth Street), followed by yet another round of betting.  Once this round of betting is complete, the player who bet or raised the last bet shows their cards first, and each player following has the choice to show their cards or to muck them (discard them face down) if they cannot beat the previously eposed hands.

 In Texas Hold ‘Em, players try to create the best 5 card hand out of their two “hole” cards and the 5 community cards in the center of the table.  The two unused cards do not count for anything.  A player may use all 5 community cards and none of their own cards (although this would result in splitting the pot with any remaining players), 4 community cards and one of their own cards, or 3 community cards and both of their hole cards.  Hands are ranked as described in my post on Poker Hands.

Alright everyone.  I know a few (or the few, perhaps) people who read this are poker players, so I’m getting ready for the barage of critiques/corrections to anything I post about poker.  But maybe I can draw in more readers once I have some poker info on the blog.  Let’s start with the real basics of poker here.

Generally speaking, poker is a game where players try, in some way or another, to form the best 5 card poker hand (I can’t think of an exception that’s not a carnival game rather than a true poker game).  Exactly how you go about building that hand, how many and which cards you get to use varies from game to game, but, you’re always looking for the same things.  Here they are.  I’ve put any alternate names in italics, and poker players, feel free to comment with more.

 Royal flush-10-A of the same suit.  This is the “nuts.”  Period.  The boat.

Straight flush-five cards in a row of the same suit.  The higher the straight is, the better, regardless of suit.

Four of a kind-four cards of the same rank.  The higher the rank of the four cards, the better the hand. Quads

Full house-three of a kind and a pair.  The higher the rank of the three of a kind, the better the hand.

Flush-five cards of the same suit.  When there is more than one flush, they are ranked by the highest card, then the second highest, so on.  For example, A K 10 5 4 of diamonds beats K 7 4 3 2 of spades, and A K 10 5 4 of diamonds also beats A 7 4 3 2 of spades.

Straight-five cards in a row, regardless of suit.  Higher straights win.

Three of a kind-three cards of the same rank.  The higher the rank of these cards, the better.  Trips

Two pair-Self explanatory.  The highest pair wins, and if both players have the same high pair, the player with the highest second pair wins.  If both players have the same two pairs, the player with the highest fifth card wins.

One pair-Two cards of the same rank.

High card-If there are no hands on the table, the highest card wins.  If two players have the same high card, the player with the highest second card wins, and so on.

Side notes.  Suit doesn’t matter (other than obviously for flushes) in poker.  That is, the A of hearts is equal in value to the A of spades.  If a player has a straight flush in spades, it ties, but does not beat, a straight flush in clubs (I would love to see that actually happen some day).

A kicker is an extra card.  That is, if two players have the same pair, the “kicker” is the third card, which determines the winner.  If the players also have the same third card, the “kicker” is the fourth card, and so on.