My Vegas/Poker Experience

I got back early yesterday from my Vegas vacation. I was excited to get out there and play some $2/$4 limit poker, but after my trip and looking back on it, I hate low limit poker. It was a donkfest but also was full of players that really had no idea what they were doing....

I played everyday at the Riveria because I was staying here. The poker room, or poker area (wasn't so much a room but a roped off area) had about 10 tables. There always was a $2/$4 game or a $1/$2 no limit game going. The waitresses were great because they continually were bringing out drinks (I will explain later). Here are some hands that I remember:

I think I don't like $2/$4 limit because I'm a tight player, so I don't play that many hands unless I get dealt something good. bluffing in this game is stupid because you get called after raising with anything anyway. My second night there, I dealt ace/king suited, so I raise. No surprise, 7 players call. The flop comes out Ace, 9, 6 rainbow. Everyone checks to me, I bet $2, and 2 people call. Next card comes out--4. Everyone checks to me and I bet $4. One person calls. Next card comes out--3. Still no flush draws out there and unless someone called with nothing until they hit their miracle river card, I can't put anyone on a straight. They check to me, I bet $4, and get reraised. I'm confused, so I call. The other player has 6 3. I muck my cards, and half the table is looking at me because I'm sure I look like I'm going to explode.

My first night there it wasn't so much what I was losing on, but it was what was beating me. I was dealt pocket aces 7 times in about 5 hours (yes, that's 7 times in 5 hours). I won once with them. The table I was on was a fun table. I mentioned that the waitresses were great here. There were a few guys on the table that were my age and some that were much older, but everyone was getting along. It was probably the most fun I've had playing live poker before. I had been drinking bud light for most of the night, but after a few hours, someone suggested everyone take a jagbomb (jagermeister and red bull shot). Remember, these drinks are FREE, and after 2 more hours and 7 shots of these, I can't see straight. At this time everyone knows about my aces and how much I've lost on them throughout the night, so I tell them that the next time I get dealt pocket aces, I'm folding them before the flop. My friend tells me that I he will give me $5 if I fold them pre-flop. Next hand, I get dealt pocket aces.

I'm sitting there thinking about folding them, but I can't do it. I raise, and of course more than half the table calls. Flop comes out A,A,7. Everyone checks to me, and I check too. I should tell you something before I move on....the Riviera has a progressive pot, where if a player has 4 of a kind or a straight flush draw, you're going to win some extra money, up to $500. The only stipulation is, you must play both cards in your hand and there must be $20 in the pot. My 4 of a kind aces is worth about $400, but I need $20 in the pot before I'm paid off. So anyway, back to the hand. After I check, the next card comes off, and I don't even remember what it was. My excitement and the alcohol is doing most of the thinking for me at this point. Everyone checks around to me again, and I bet, just b/c I need $20 in the pot to win this $400. Everyone folds. Dammit! I turn my cards over to show everyone, they all laugh, and I go to bed.

Frist, nice to see another player from the Dakotas on here.

There are several things not working in your favor by playing 2/4. If you have 5-7 people in each hand AA will not win even 50% of the time. You have the best odds preflop to win the hand but it is still under 50%. You should just get up and walk away from tables like that. You cannot win on tables like that.

You are in Vegas. There are 20-30 poker rooms on the strip alone. Go find another table somewhere else. I don't know what your budget was but 3/6 and 4/8 are progressively better in callers but it is still VEGAS and everyone there is out to play and have fun, not to play serious poker. I played everything form 2/4, 3/6 & 4/8 limit and some 1/2 NL. You can find good games, you just have to look around.

I went there in Oct. and played in 16 different poker rooms. My suggestions would be go to Ceasar's, Ballagio, or the Venetian. They have larger poker rooms that if you don't like one table you can ask to be transfered to another and won't have to go to another place.

OH GOD I LOVE JAGERBOMBS

In Las Vegas, $2/4 is just like playing the lottery. Everyone stays in until the river, someone hits a lucky card, and the good poker player loses again ... and again ... and again.

I have never played at the Riviera, which is just a dumpy roped off area. I did want to play $1/2 NL there before, but with only two tables running, you would have to wait forever for an opening. The games there, however, did look like they were fun.

You were not too far from one of the best rooms in on the strip -- Wynn Las Vegas. Go south a little past Wynn and you run into The Venetian -- another one of the best room in Vegas.

A great resource for Las Vegas poker is All Vegas Poker ( http://www.allvegaspoker.com/). It has room reviews, trip reviews, and other great information to help you plan your next trip.

Riviera was the 1st poker room I played in..

My first introduction to poker rooms was at the Riviera, because I was staying there.

So it is kind of a nostalgic memory for me. I thought it had a good mix of players there. About 80% at the time I was playing were tourists, I think there was one local there. I played at about 12pm to 2am a few nights in a row.

If you are patient and wait for the good pockets, eventually the mistakes of calling your bets from the other players would catch up to them and you'd make some good pots on the $1/2NL table.

The last time I visited I really enjoyed Mandalay Bay, it was much roomier, the tables and chairs were in much better condition than at the Riviera and was in an area alot nicer than at the Riviera. However, I did find it was quite far into the casino and not easily accessed from the entrance doors. The players at Mandaly Bay also seemed to have alot more personality when you got to talking to them, if you were so inclined to strike up conversations around the table.

For your next trip out, you may want to read some reviews here:
http://pokerreviewsvegas.com

Regards,
Vegas Cat

1. So you raised to four dollars w your ace/ace and half the table called; isn't that $20 right there (5 x $4, minus the blinds for the rake)?

2. Also, why would you check the flop in a game like this-- you already know you will be called with anything (as you have seen numerous times). These players are much more likely to "take one off" for $2 than for $4 on the turn.
Hands that might call a flop bet here: any seven, any two face cards, any pair, or even any hand that any of these players thought was good enough to see the flop.

3. So you CAN bluff in this game-- you could have won this hand with any two cards, as you did not need to show down the hand to win. Your quads just gave you the courage to bet out, but you could have done the same thing w 32o. Granted the opportunities are fewer, but situations do arise.

4. Get Ed Millers's book(s) if you are going to play low limit LH again. You need to understand the strategic adjustments necessary to play in these games. For example, you need to understand the concept pot equity: you are raising w AA for VALUE, not to fold anybody.

5. I you are interested in playing any vegas tournaments checkout Snyder's excellent site ~mod edit: removed commercial link

6. Another good site for room reviews is http://www.allvegaspoker.com/

getting pocket AA 5 times in vegas should mean your staying an extra week!

move to NLHE and keep playing the way you are. 1/2 NLHE sint as scary as people think. wouldnt you have pushed 50 or 60$ into the middle on the first AA? everyone folds you win. on the second AA you bet 25 everyone folds you win, on the third AA noone believes you, you bet 30 and get 2 callers, you push on the flop and double up. on the 4th and 5th AA everyone calls noone believes you!

Unfortunate you cannot have the night back

I wouldn't really call Arnold Snyder's site a commercial one--- he provides the best analysis of las vegas poker tournaments available, based on blind structure and starting chips-- better in my opinion that the other two sites suggested in the thread. Anyone interested should google "arnold snyder poker".

2-4 limit holdem

Playing 2-4 limit holdem is a crap shoot anywhere. In Minneosta theres no NLHE, only limit and 2-4 is probuly the most played behind 3-6. But its not really poker. I mean really here you just throw your money in and hope for the best. I stopped playing that, 3-6 sometimes is the same way, but sometimes its good. There are spread limit games here, and those are ok.

titans4ever said:

There are several things not working in your favor by playing 2/4. If you have 5-7 people in each hand AA will not win even 50% of the time. You have the best odds preflop to win the hand but it is still under 50%. You should just get up and walk away from tables like that. You cannot win on tables like that.

Click to expand...

I don't play live in Vegas but this sounds like dodgy advice. You're on a table of calling stations and you think it's impossible to win? So there is no strategy that will win against a calling station... hmm, strangely Phil Ivey hasn't adopted this style yet.

In reality such situations are a bonanza (hey, I like that word! ). OK if you get five callers pre-flop when you raise with pocket Aces, it's true that you're not a favourite if all go to showdown (which they won't), but you're still winning say 45% of the time. So you win 45% of the large pots and contribute 20% to them... that's a positive expectation still, and I would play these hands all day given the chance, despite losing most of them.

And give me a table of loose calling stations - the easiest opponents in the world to beat!

I'm still trying the learn the nuances of Limit compared to no-limit.

A buddy and mine were playing and he is use to limit. I'd get a hand like middle pair and I'd bet out and he'd just call, call, call. Then he'd hit the river and I'd lose. Then there were times where I'd bluff at a good pot when I knew he was weak, but again - he'd call and catch something by the time we'd hit showdown.

I hear that everyone plays looser, but it seems to me (a novice) that the only way to make money at limit (at least low limit) is to play much tighter.

In no-limit I do okay because with middle pair where you are not sure if you are the best hand, you can bet out with 2-4 times the blind and see if you can push drawing hands off. Seems like in limit - that's almost impossible. The pot odds are just always to going to favor the call.

Tight is right for limit poker, especially at the lower levels. I've been making about $30-40 per hour at my local casino for the past 3 nights at the 3-6 level. Everyone calls with anything so you get your bad beats but you just have to know when to fold em when you can tell you got donked out on.

LOL at the 2-year old thread bump!!!