Poker Room Newbie

The Trooper is a funny guy. Never really watched him until recently. Andrew Neeme has an episode in his Vlog (having never met or run into Trooper in Vegas) runs into him in all places, but New York, La Guardia I think. Totally different styles of vlogs though.

 

I am a big poker fan but not a veteran player by any means.

I entered my first ever casino tournament at the Flamingo recently. It was $60 buy-in so low stress. Everyone got the same amount of chips. You could buy back in for about the first hour then it was cut off.

It was super inviting.

Host took my name and cash and sat me at a table. There were about 35 players (some joined in after it officially started as ppl were eliminated).

I played on two different tables as the field shrunk. I was nervous as hell but having fun. The fellow players could not have been more easy going. Some kept to themselves, others sat and waited for big hands while others were talkative. One or two took it too serious but I just ignored them.

A waitress came by regularly for drink orders.

The dealers were friendly and helped push slower players along. They reminded people to post blinds when they needed to and answered any questions.

It took about three hours to finish.

I made it to the final table but finished fifth. Only top three got paid. Worth every penny. Had a lot of fun and would do it again in a second. Top prize was around a grand, second $700 and third $500 from what I can remember.

If you are looking for a non-stressful environment and don't have the bankroll (or skills) to battle tables with big bucks, I would highly recommend hitting the Flamingo. The tourneys ran regularly every day.

 

That's a good feeling to make the final table. How many were in the tourney?

 

35

 

I had the same experience with my first tourny about 7 years ago. It was a great time, but I was concentrating too much. Ended up with a bad headache. I haven't played in Vegas since. I plan to break that streak and play next week. Since I'm staying at the Flamingo I plan to see what they offer. Good to know they have a nice low entry tourny to dive back in to. Thanks for the info!

 

There's another recent thread in this board about this happening in live poker - suggestions to stay hydrated, stay fed (keep blood sugar normal), take breaks (or make sure you get up and walk around during tournament breaks), and trying to minimize exposure to smoke are some of the more common ways people mitigate the headaches. Happens to the best of us.

 

I have not read the whole thread.
Yes, stick with smaller rooms in lower end casinos to start. Any will be fine to start as a cash player. If you are concerned about budget, start with Limit if you know the game. But be warned--if you are NL player, Limit is a whole different animal.
I am mostly a tourney player. I like tourneys for beginners because it limits your losses but still plays more like NL than Limit cash. But PLEASE ask how long blinds are & how many chips you start with--DO NOT play tourneys w/ less than 20 min. blinds (longer is great but really lengthens a tourney) nor less than $5K starting stack. With blinds under 20 min. or starting stacks under $5K, LUCK is a much much bigger factor in these games. You need luck as a beginner, but you need some time to observe & get comfortable.
Mirage is the best structure for the price & a fairly comfortable field, imo. Harrahs & TI come close. But Mirage tends to be a slightly friendlier game, especially for newbies.

 

I've always wanted to play poke in Vegas also. Have played on-line, home games, on cruise ships and at out local casino...but never in Vegas. Why? I travel to Vegas with my brother and he is not a poker player.

 

Yeah if you are there with others, it can be weird to ditch them for a few hours, or 8 hours, or more, to get the poker time in, whether it's a tournament or cash game play. This is why I like to mix up my trips - some with my wife, some with my friends, some solo - so I can do different things each time I visit.