Can a newbie play Vegas without getting cleaned out?

[Mars357]

Hey all, I've been playing a while but have very little experience playing in a live game. My wife and I are going to Vegas in October and I'd love to log some hours in a live game. Which leads me to my questions...

1. Where is a good place for new players to play in Vegas?

2. Can a person who is long on theory but short on experience play in Vegas without getting wiped out?

Thanks for any advice. And I won't tell any of you long timers when or where I'll be playing so don't ask [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

My wife played a bunch of 3/6 at The Mirage, her only actual experience being one Moose Lodge tourney and listening to me prattle on for the past year. She played weak-tight and won a few bucks over about 8 hours of play. She could have played at that level and won without any problem.

So the answer is, "Yes."

I'd play small stakes at Excalibur (and will in a week or so). Those games seem uber-soft. No pros to clean you out at the 1-3 and many crappy players at the 2-6.

[garyg1]

I just got back from playing 4 full days in vegas at 10 different casinos. Play weak-tight and you will win some money in any casino there. With a little more aggression you can make more money but your bankroll will fluctuate a little more. I played my first live game a year ago at Luxor and just played Excalibur this trip. Both are ok for newbies. But I think the Imperial Palace a better place for beginners now that I have played all three casinos. See another post on this board I left today for trip report on casinos I played at. I was never down more than $70 at one time even playing 4-8 limits and came away profitable for the week. The 4-8 game lets you have a lower rake percentage expense and found just as many new players at that level as the 1-3 limit. Seen plenty of new players this week sit down with a hundred dollar bill and lose it in an hour by playing bad starting hands and then refusing to get out of a hand when the flop does not favor them. Play weak-tight, use only the starting hands shown in Lou Krieger's "Hold 'Em Excellence" book, and you will get all the new, loose players money. I use his exact starting requirments and have never had a losing session in Vegas as long as I stick around at least 2 hours to get a chance to pick up a couple good pots before I leave. You won't play many hands and some of the fun (gamble?) is taken out of it, but you will lose little or no money while playing the game this way. Enjoy your trip.

[SevenStuda]

If you want to conserve cash, stay away from the fast women.

-Dimitri

[Luv2DriveTT]

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use only the starting hands shown in Lou Krieger's "Hold 'Em Excellence" book, and you will get all the new, loose players money.

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Um... you DO know that 2+2 is a publishing company that publishes the best Hold'em books in the business, don't you? And that they let you use this website at no charge as a marketing tool for their books?

Although I have never read Lou's book (and don't intend to)... its not reccomended by too many people here. [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

[Kopefire]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
use only the starting hands shown in Lou Krieger's "Hold 'Em Excellence" book, and you will get all the new, loose players money.

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Um... you DO know that 2+2 is a publishing company that publishes the best Hold'em books in the business, don't you?

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That it's a publishing company I know. That it's the best book out there? Hgihly debatable. It probably would be, if they'd hire a real editor to help clean up the prose so that it was actually readable. But as it is, it's the best collection of really good information presented in close to an unintelligible format . .. which isn't a strong candidate for best book.

In any case, Krieger is a student of Sklansky, his starting hand selection mirrors S&M very closely, but he presents it in a way that makes it easier for SOME people to remember. Krieger also strongly recommends just about everything 2+2 publishes as books one should read as a follow up to his own.

See, a good publisher isn't afraid of other publishers -- indeed, they welcome the competition, and the exchange of ideas. Which is why Krieger's publisher, instead of editing out references to Hold 'em for Advanced Players, they put it in bold under the "what else to read" banner.

[Dynasty]

Yes.

Play at the Monte Carlo or Mandalay Bay.

[burningyen]

FWIW, I started playing poker last December and have read Hold'em Excellence, most of Super/System, and Inside the Poker Mind. After months of playing fake money NL games on UB, I graduated to their $0.25/0.50 NL games 3 months ago, where I've been doing pretty well.

In my 1st B&M experience, last month in Vegas, I made $300+ over about 16 hours of playing poker, including $2/4 NL ring games at Mandalay Bay, a $30 limit/NL hybrid tourney at Mandalay (where I placed 2nd), and a $25+3 limit/NL hybrid tourney at the Luxor (where I didn't place). There were always 2 or 3 players at every table who were clearly better than me, but the trick is to handle them with care and make your money off the weaker players. If you can't spot any weaker players, it's probably not a good table for you. I know this is just a statistically insignificant anecdote, but yes, it's possible for a newbie to make money. I came with a $1000 bankroll but never had to dip into it beyond my 1st buy-in.

[burningyen]

Hold'em Excellence is worth the asking price just for the Start Chart alone. For the rest of my days, that's how I will picture starting hands. But just so I don't get skinned here, I'm reading TOP now. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Kevin]

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Hold'em Excellence is worth the asking price just for the Start Chart alone.

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Krieger says that A10o and KJo are playable from any position. Maybe I am too tight but unless the game is unbelieveable, I am throwing those into the muck UTG and UTG+1. In general, the starting chart seems just a tad loose, but pretty reasonable - although I think he might over value off suited connectors - J10o mp (and 2-3 gappers - like J8o late,). Although, as one brilliant man at the table told me, Off suited is better than suited because you can make a flush 2 different ways! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

I still don't play well enough post flop to be able to throw a dominated top pair hand in the muck enough - so for me the marginal stuff early/mid is -EV. With a hand like KJo, K10o, A10o, I win a small pot and lose a big one when I play it early.

Kevin