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Can you expand on why you prefer underground casinos to home games? (Feel free to hijack this thread I think I now know the correct line for TT (bet more than 4bb preflop correct?)

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Having spent a lot of time in both, I also prefer underground games with paid dealers. The main reason is that you are much less likely to be cheated (although it's still possible and you have to keep your eyes open). Players dealing their own cards invite card mechanics to take shots (bottom dealing, hold outs, etc). Also, you are more likely to run into collusion cheating when entering established home games.

In general, most of the people willing to go to the trouble (and take the risk) of running an underground game are trying to run their game like a business. They make good money from the rake, and they don't want the game killed off by cheaters and so they actively help try to prevent it.

Home games are easier to setup quickly, sometimes by scumbags with their friends if they think they can cheat a good player out of some money.

My personal policy now is that I won't play in any home games for anything but trivial stakes, unless I personally know the person setting up the game, and trust them fairly well. OTOH, I play in several underground games for pretty large stakes (larger than I play online anyway) fairly often. The biggest drawback to underground games, is that they are much more likely to be robbed (I've been in two robbery's now), but home games can be robbed too, so I'll stick with the underground games.

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Wow excellent post too!

How much cheating have you seen?

Tell us about the robberies please!

What should you do when there is a robbery?
How can you protect yourself?

Sorry if these are naive questions but this is all new to me.


derick

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Stop drop and roll!