Poker for everyone!

A little intimidated to play poker in a live casino?

Let us try to give you a few hints that will help you getting started in Las Vegas.

Introduction: What everyone should know about playing cards in Vegas is that Casinos will be rewarding you greatly for sitting down and playing. Most people don't know but at almost all poker rooms in Vegas they offer a so called "poker rate". All you have to do is tell the floor man to sign you up for the "poker rate" and they will put down your name and room number on a list. Once you have signed up, they will let you know what specific requirements there are. Usually it's something like each day you play 4-5 hours your room rate gets lowered by an X amount. This can sometimes amount to a 50% or more for you. Besides the fact that you get a cheaper rate, you also have the advantage of checking out much faster the next day... As a guest on the "poker rate" program you will be checking out as a VIP in a special check out area.

Furthermore, most poker rooms offer Jackpots and other perks. A jackpot is usually won when a very unlikely hand is dealt. Typically, if a "four of a kind" or better is beat. Jackpots vary in size depending on when they were hit last. Each game has it's own jackpot as well.

Also, if you catch a "four of a kind" there are casinos (i.e. Excalibur or MGM Grand) that allow you to spin the wheel, which is simply a wheel with numbers between 5 and 100, whatever you hit you get paid in dollars.

Recommended Resorts: Most casinos offer poker as the game has become extremely popular again in recent years. The place to play poker usually depends on your level of game and naturally on the amount you want to play for. If you haven't played much, you might want to check out the Excalibur, they have some really good rates available, and the resort offers some great other programs. For higher limit games there is usually more action at the Mirage or the Bellagio. And if you are looking for a classic, that offers most games including "no-limit" games, go to Binion's Horseshoe in downtown.

How much money is needed: Depends on you. There is no limit upwards. The bare minimum to play with is probably a 1/3 or 1/5 limit Texas Hold'em game (i.e. Excalibur).

Poker played in Las Vegas: From your home games you might already know many different games with some crazy names. In Vegas people usually play Texas Hold'em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha, and Hi-Lo Omaha. You might not find all games in all casinos, basically if there is a poker room, there is always a Texas Hold'em game as well as a 7 Card Stud game as well, limits will vary of course.

More: Another great thing about poker in a casino is that it's player vs player which means the casino doesn't play! The only odds that count are the odds of the cards, so you are never at a disadvantage. There might be a rake (amount the casino keeps per each hand), but usually if there is one, it won't be much in Vegas compared to California casinos for example. We look at poker as being one of the few games out there that are somewhat fair in terms of odds.

Now check out the different rules and other info that apply for the different games. <<written by Peter Suhayda>>