Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

I was wondering about this, can I outdrink the blinds in a 2/4 limit game in vegas. What I mean are that if i order free drinks can I make more than 6 dollars a round in terms of market value of alchohol I consume. I would like to see some math types work on this interesting and important question. Factors to focus on include speed of drink service, drink of choice, and what hand ranges the player might need to play in order to compensate for other variables if this system is not feasible.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

Heck, in most rooms I play in, if you tip fairly decent (or better), the girls will bring you more then one drink at a time (if you ask in a nice way, YMMV). My record is seven bar drinks (for me) at one time.


I tried it in a no-limit game one time and wound up losing over $2000 in the game. I guess it's best in $2-4 limt :-)


Best Wishes

Howard

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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My record is seven bar drinks (for me) at one time.

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I don't know you...but I think you're my hero.

I would say its pretty easy to get your money's worth just drinking if you're at a place with a decent drink menu. Now if you're trying to pound Coors Light from a 8 oz. plastic cup its a different story.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

Blinds are only $3 in each orbit at 2/4.
30 hands per hour (way too high?) at a full table = 3 orbits per hour.
Let's say you tip $2 for your first drink, $1 for the next two, and then repeat. That means $13 per hour.
You can EASILY drink more than that in booze if you're getting any kind of service at all.

I played 2/4 at the Riviera last week and managed to down about 14 jack and cokes in 4 or 5 hours.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

Some places (Foxwoods) won't give you more than 2 drinks an hour. That makes things tougher.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

Now - if you can go to a nice room and drink decent Scotch (Glenlivet or comparable brand), you can easily pull this much an hour.

However, you will have to play 3/6 or 4/8 at a minimum. Even with this, if you have several scotchs and maybe a beer to wash them down - you are ahead.

But, what fun is it to get drunk folding around with a bunch of nits?

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Some places (Foxwoods) won't give you more than 2 drinks an hour. That makes things tougher.

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Fortunately, this is not a problem in Las Vegas.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Some places (Foxwoods) won't give you more than 2 drinks an hour. That makes things tougher.

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Fortunately, this is not a problem in Las Vegas.

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#1 on my list for drink service is The Orleans. From some of the tables, you could literally yell your drink order in. And when I was there in the summer, there were about 10-15 tables going and what seemed to be like 3 cocktail waitresses. I got hammered so fast, that I had to slow down and start drinking dry Manahattans...which I enjoy but can't drink too fast.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Some places (Foxwoods) won't give you more than 2 drinks an hour. That makes things tougher.

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pretty sure this isn't true. only one at a time though.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

Weird, I came up with just this strategy about a month ago when trying to get a friend to play 1/2 NL.

Strategy: Fold everything unless you get AA, then push. At worst, you 'make' $3 every 22 orbits. Add KK, and you are down to 11 orbits, but obviously have some more risk involved. If the players know what you are up to, you can probably throw in a AKs bluff every now and then.

I can't remember exactly what my final #'s were, but you drink on the cheap.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

If you're just planning to fold all the time, you'd do better in a $1-2 NL game, no? [EDIT: Duh, I'm an idiot -- proof that I've forgotten everything about limit.]

That would have an additional advantage -- if you can stay sober enough to fold everything except AA and KK, which you push, then playing with a smallish stack of $100-200 could even be break-even on the poker and +EV for the drinks. Chances are good that someone will call the drunk guy's push with JTs. By the time they figure out that the drunk guy's only pushing KK, AA the table will have turned over and you can make money from the play again.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Some places (Foxwoods) won't give you more than 2 drinks an hour. That makes things tougher.

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pretty sure this isn't true. only one at a time though.

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It may be on the books, but I've never heard two-per-hour enforced. With the pace of service at the 'woods, enforcing one-per-trip means two-per-hour is never an issue.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Blinds are only $3 in each orbit at 2/4.

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Play somewhere that only uses a single big blind for 2/4 and reduce your overhead to $2 per orbit.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

Even better go play ot one of those half blind games. Like say the Mandalay bay 4-8 game with 1-2 blinds.

Pancho

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

If you want to maximize your drink EV, then slots are the way to go. Just watch a coctail waitress and note her path through the slot rows. Strategically place yourself at a machine just in front of her, and order a drink. You don't even need to actually play the machine. Just make it look like you are doing so.

For an added challenge, try playing musical coctail waitresses and hit up 3-4 different ones each trip (requires fast reflexes and basic memory skills).

If you insist on sticking to poker, then make sure you take frequent breaks and time your return for when the waitress is taking orders.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

If you're going to play a machine, than at least do video poker. You can actually find beatable video poker machines; nobody can beat a slot machine.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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If you're going to play a machine, than at least do video poker. You can actually find beatable video poker machines; nobody can beat a slot machine.

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You can beat any game that a casino offers GIVEN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS. Granted, the right conditions are few and far between for slot machines. You can always beat a slot machine if you don't play and just get free drinks (per my advice above).

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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If you're going to play a machine, than at least do video poker. You can actually find beatable video poker machines; nobody can beat a slot machine.

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You can beat any game that a casino offers GIVEN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS. Granted, the right conditions are few and far between for slot machines. You can always beat a slot machine if you don't play and just get free drinks (per my advice above).

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Penny slot @ one line + free drink = +EV

Simple formula that works every time. Advanced tactics include waitress prediction and having drink orders going to two different places in the casino at the same time, of course.

Or you could just learn to play winning poker and drink for free.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Some places (Foxwoods) won't give you more than 2 drinks an hour. That makes things tougher.

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pretty sure this isn't true. only one at a time though.

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It may be on the books, but I've never heard two-per-hour enforced. With the pace of service at the 'woods, enforcing one-per-trip means two-per-hour is never an issue.

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I've seen it enforced. They stretch it a little if you're tipping well, but if you are visibly drunk, they'll bring it up.

It's true also that one-per-trip is about equal to two-per-hour.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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pretty sure this isn't true. only one at a time though.

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the best way around this rule is to become friendly with the people sitting on your side of the table and have them order drinks for you.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Some places (Foxwoods) won't give you more than 2 drinks an hour. That makes things tougher.

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Fortunately, this is not a problem in Las Vegas.

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#1 on my list for drink service is The Orleans. From some of the tables, you could literally yell your drink order in. And when I was there in the summer, there were about 10-15 tables going and what seemed to be like 3 cocktail waitresses. I got hammered so fast, that I had to slow down and start drinking dry Manahattans...which I enjoy but can't drink too fast.

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The last time I was at the Orleans, service was very mediocre. The waitress for our table had a burr up her butt about something and would only come by every half hour or so. Thankfully her shift ended while I was still thirsty.

This methodology became my standard practice in Vegas when I started playing poker, for the nights I wanted to guzzle booze. Find a cheap table, 2/4 at most places, 4/8 at Bell and Wynn, and just try to win the blinds and tip money. You can't just wait for AA though. Not only have I gone multiple weekends without getting AA once, but with these 6 to the flop games, I almost always lose with AA anyway. I consider it a victory if I cash out the same as I bought in with. The worst I've done is basically pay for the drinks.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

Pai Gow Poker is the ultimate drinking game. It's ridiculously simple, slow with a reasonable house edge, and pit drink service trumps all others. If Security doesn't have to carry you outside, you've failed.

Re: Can u beat low-limit live poker by drinking alone?
 

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Pai Gow Poker is the ultimate drinking game. It's ridiculously simple, slow with a reasonable house edge, and pit drink service trumps all others. If Security doesn't have to carry you outside, you've failed.

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QFT!!!!!!!!!!!

i heart pai gow poker

a couple of vegas trips ago, my buddy and i signed up for the nooner at CP early, so we killed time drinking at barbary coast's $5-min pai gow table. i was drunk before the tourney started.