Playing poker at a casino.

[Karl_Hungus]

I took up poker as a hobby and was pretty good at it, but eventually left it behind for exactly the reason you guys mention. Cardrooms were degenerate shitholes full of tragic life choices. I was choosing to be around people I otherwise would have nothing to do with, for the sake of playing cards. Not worth it.

I think its like any other vice, where people love to point to the 'responsible' side while ignoring all the other baggage.
Its PERFECTLY FINE to drink in moderation.
Its PERFECTLY FINE to smoke weed in moderation.
Its PERFECTLY FINE to gamble in moderation.
MANY PEOPLE handle those things, responsibly and in moderation... but peel back the 'perfectly fine' layer to see what lies beneath and its a raw, pulsating blob of gross with lot of sad and depressing shit that you would pray your kids never got involved with.

Yeah, that's why I didn't really mind taking money from most of them. Degenerate fucks. Fuck them. It is just the old ladies that lose their social security checks at 3 in the morning. That shit is kind of sad, if you have a heart. Luckily, I pawned mine.

They've very beatable, though, for that same reason. You just have to accept your wins will be ground out over time and you'll get sucked out on, a lot, along the way but play tight and right and you'll average out boring profit.

There is an element of truth to this. I would play conservatively at the small limit tables and generally make money over the long run, but it was a grind. Some nights would be really good when the luck runs the right way. I am actually about to start playing local tournaments again, and then some cash games, but I've been waiting for this Covid thing to wind down, first.

 

[Blacksonville]

The lower limit cash games around me are still very beatable, but they've gotten sharkier in the past few years. You just have to identify who's the low stakes grinder and who's the degenerate gambler and who's the shark and calibrate your play accordingly.

Being around those people all the time, though. Christ, sad.
The old men playing "Saturday Morning Coffee Stud" were the best example, sort of like a bowling league, but you'd then see those same dudes downstairs repeatedly hitting the ATM to bet horses, or whatever. The rest were just addicts. Even the staff was pretty clearly made up of lowlifes.

 

[Vil7]

Have any of you played poker at a casino?I’ve always liked watching high stakes poker and recently started playing online but not for real money. Other then that I had only played poker a few times with friends but that was years ago and only for nickels and dimes. I’m going to Vegas in a couple months and the friend I’m going with plays a lot of poker. This Friday I went to a local casino and really played poker for the first time. It’s such a different experience playing with real money. It was an 8/16 table, I wanted to play at a smaller bet table bring my first time but we could both get on this one so I went for it. 2 hours later I’m out 300 bucks but it was fun. I would do it again but at a lower bet table until I get better.
I’ve played a good amount of craps, roulette, and blackjack done well done days, not do well others. But it’s a different experience playing against other people for money as opposed to “together “ with craps and blackjack.
Do any of you play a lot of poker? If so have you done well at casinos? Have any cool stories?
My best story isn’t playing poker but last time I was in Vegas I was playing roulette at NY NY. After an hour of getting ahead, coming back down I was back to $97 from starting with $100. I got a $100 dollar chip and put it on 23. It was the only bet on the table and it hit. So I took my buddy to spearmint rhinos and spent 600 on him and I don’t even know on me. But it was a great night.

Hey what was the payout exactly for $100 on 23? That is pretty fucking lucky & good. Maybe you don't remember because you were "having to good of a time".

 

[ralphc1]

Dont do it. I lived in Vegas 30 years and they run 3-4 man teams on every cash table. Hard to win when everyone calls u'r all in AA because they split if they win back in their van..and they always win 3 against 1,1,1,1,1 I dont care what you got...You're gonna get rivered 9/10 times..whole bunch of other tactics you can do with a team I won't even go into..sufficed to say Prime Mike Tyson could not beat 3 pro boxers at same time and neither will you beat 3-4 great poker players at same time

I'd go friendly like a buddies house or tournaments only..no cash games

I've heard they have some code systems to tip the others in their group as to some cards they have. They will all stay in on many hands to get others to fold. That way, one of the group wins the pot.

Another big difference from the early days of the televised games is that those early players played the odds and decided what cards a player probably had by the way they bet. Then the only variable was if they were bluffing. Before the televised games, nobody ever knew what a player had if they or their opponent folded the hand. Television showed what players had so other players got to see what cards they had or whether they were bluffing. Many of the newer players that came in played on instinct and didn't play the way that the earlier players expected. The newer players called more often and went all in way too often which caught many of the professional players out early in the tournaments. I remember watching Phil Helmuth going ballistic at a final table saying some player should have never played a hand the way he did when he knocked Phil out. Many of the newer players would play the low value cards and the pros hated getting beaten by 3 - 4s or a full house of 2s and 3s.