Casino Time

[3 minute hero]

My friend and i are planning to go to a casino for 1 night, we have never been to a casino before and would appreciate any advice. We live in Northern Ireland and plan to travel to Dublin as there are no casinos here. So, any info on Dublin casinos would be appreciated as well. We need info in relation to the difference between net poker and casino poker.
Thanks, in anticipation,
Richard

[uDevil]

You may want to look for advice in the B&M cardroom or Internet Gambling (many international players there) forums.

Here in the states, casino games tend to be much looser than online. The players at a given level are not as good as they are at the same online stakes. If you multitable online, you'll have much more time to watch your opponents. Characterize their play and don't worry too much about physical tells (if you play low limits, these aren't worth much anyway).

Don't drink or ogle the cocktail waitresses too much and you should be fine. Good luck.

[3 minute hero]

Thanks but - no drink????????
I have posted in B+M, but the post there is specific to Dublin.
Another question, is there a time to leave a table? Should we set a time limit/cash limit on how long we play?

[uDevil]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks but - no drink????????
I have posted in B+M, but the post there is specific to Dublin.
Another question, is there a time to leave a table? Should we set a time limit/cash limit on how long we play?

[/ QUOTE ]
You should leave if you don't think you have an edge. Or if you think you'd have a bigger edge at another table/game/casino. Otherwise, I'd just leave when you get tired, aren't enjoying yourself, or have something better to do.

"Cash limits" don't make much sense to me unless you are uncomfortable gambling at the stakes you will be playing. If you are well bankrolled and have an edge, you should have nothing to fear. Knock'em dead.

[nerdking]

I usually set my alarm on my cell phone for 1 hour. If I'm not up at least two BB by that time, I'm leaving. The only times I've ever had problems have been when I have not done this. Other than that, I take about 25BB with me to any given table. If you can't afford that, don't play.

As for the no drink policy: sober as a judge or not playing at all. Got to be at the top of your game.

[3 minute hero]

Thanks, i have heard of the alarm before, we may use it.

[AKQJ10]

I just consider the drink thing an EV calculation. One drink every three hours or so has a negligible impact on my play (I've even heard some argue it has a positive impact!) so the enjoyment I derive from the drink is far greater than what I'm paying for it. Anything beyond that and I'm risking paying a much greater price for my drink than I would at a bar or liquor store.

"Sober as a judge" sounds too strict for me -- I'm at a casino to enjoy myself, otherwise I could stay home and save expenses -- but when in doubt it's best to err on that side rather than pissing away stacks of chips. Don't even take that first drink without considering the cost.

"If I'm not up at least two BB by that time, I'm leaving," on the other hand, sounds like it doesn't reflect much experience with poker. If you really think you might be an overall net loser in the game, then set safety triggers, but not that strictly! You need to play in a game much longer than 30 hands to let variance even begin to prepare to run a modicum of a sliver of its course. Howard Lederer's 30-bet rule seems more appropriate. (I'm assuming we're talking limit poker, but the one-hour limit is every bit as dubious if we're talking NL and two big blinds.)

In short: unless you're going to Dublin as primarily a profit-making venture, and only secondarily for fun, you probably want to play enough to say you had the experience. So look for the easiest games, but don't stop playing just because the game toughens up. If Irish casinos are anything like US casinos, all the low-limit or low-buyin games should be juicy.

Game selection is very important in the long run to make money. It's less important if your looking for a new experience or to have a good time.

[3 minute hero]

Just to clarify, we will be playing Pot Limit or No Limit - how does this affect the above????