Vegas Player/Columnist Known As "Q"

I am a "home town hero" who regularly beats the games here in Nebraska. I am thinking about heading out west to tackle the vegas/cali games full time but many have warned against it saying the competitiion is much tougher. I only go out west once a year for the WSOP and I have faired very well in the PL/NL games my last two trips. I consider many of the players there weak but I know most arent locals during that time of year. One who i know is a local is the player columnist known as "Q". I consider "q" a weak player for many reasons including the following:


He raises too big for the size of the blinds. (commonly opening for $30 into a $3 pot)


He calls re-raises to often using the faulty logic: "if i catch i'll break him"


He draws against small stacks. (less than 10 times the bet size)


He makes paranoid river calls.


He lost a lot of money each time i played with him. (I dont consider this a good indicator of play but it is noteworthy)


Despite all this i heard many solid players speak highly of him. Do they just do this to keep him in hte game? He also writes a column where he acts smart. Am i the one whos mistaken, is he really playing above my level? Is the general level of the local las vegas pro?

I agree with your assessment of Q. He's one of the reasons the games are good in LV.


If you are planning on playing in LV, you should be aware that PL and NL games are only spread when there is a major tournament in town. But the limit games are usually good on the weekends.

Two comments:


1. I have no idea who Q is.


2. PL and NL games are not normally spread.

Q is a guy who always wears a black cowboy hat,sunglasses,beard. Believe me you've seen him.

There is no one in Las Vegas poker who has never seen Q. He plays 20-40 at the Mirage, plays some of the daily tourneys at the Orleans, can be seen watching the last table in every other major tourney held in Vegas, and plays a pot/no limit game every chance he gets. I've broken him many times in big bet live games along with Popeye, Fort Knox, and George Huber.

about the time I started typing this my mind went blank so I can not tell you the name, but think you can find regular P/L game in L.A. at that cardroom where there is horse race track.


as for the quality of play in Vegas, it may not be good to make judgement based upon one player. Odds are that whichever cardroom you go .... you will find more well qualified players than weak players. Please forgive--nothing personal--most "hometown heros" are welcomed with open arms.

I judged on several players but most were out of towners like me. I chose "q" becasue he is recognizeable. As you can see in my analysis of "q" i am not the casual home game player. i win 8 of 10 sessions over a 3 yr. period big bet only. I can(t) play limit, its a mindless job. it would be like telling ray lewis to play flag football. What is the point?


That said there were several "deep" aggressive players in the games who nobody is making a living off. I liked the vegas games with small blinds and big stacks, the cream rose to the top very fast.

I would think that most of the posters on this site would be able to come to the same conclusions if they observed Q's play. Your analysis isn't anything special.


The games that are spread when the wsop is going on are some of the softest games anywhere. Beating them doesn't require any great skill. When you can consistently beat the PL at Hollywood Park, the NL at Lucky Chances, or the PL at Sandia, you might be ready to play in the PL in Tunica.


If you can't play limit, you are going to have a hard time finding good games in this country. And moving to LV would be a huge mistake. Maybe you need to hone your skills a bit before turning pro.

Yep - If you want to earn a living playing poker in the US then learning limit is the way to go.

BTW I completely disagree, limit is not 'mindless' it is intricate and complex once you get into it.

Only someone who is not familiar with the form would say that it is 'mindless'

That said you are welcome to come and play mindlessly in my limit game anytime you like (j/k)

good luck