Locals here vs Locals elsewhere?

[Photoc]

Ok, all this "I don't want to play cuz there's nothing but locals" talk is getting ridiculous so I wanted to ask this:

What do you guys think makes a local so bad to play against? Remember, you're all local wherever you come from, whether it Miss, Nevada, Cali, CT, NJ, ect.. So how come whenever you go somewhere else that isnt' local to you, you start asking or complaining about the locals? I mean, seriously, poker players aren't some mystical creature that differs by location. Yes, some have more money to burn, but that doesn't change much from one area to another.

I constantly see on this board, and another one that I can't mention, that users are so afraid/worried of the locals in Vegas. Who cares? Seriously. Not one word is mentioned about the locals in Cali, or Tunica, or Florida, or AC even, just the Vegas ones. Why does everyone think there is such a difference in 2/4 limit from one town to another or 1/2 NL from one to another (or whatever game you play)?

Another thing...the question about "why are the games better in Cali?" SIMPLE answers: Las Vegas has more minimum wage/tip earning jobs per capita than anywhere in the USA AND there are 1.8 million people living here among 3 cities. So Cal alone has over 15 million and many more with higher paying jobs/cost of living than Vegas. We get at MOST 300k tourists (on new years) and barely 1-3% of them are playing poker at any given time. Trust me, its not as big of a dent in the population (tourists incoming to Vegas) as lots of you would lead youselves to believe.

[Bishop22]

I don't have a problem with locals in Vegas but in AC there is a lower concentration of locals because there are millions of people in daytrip range of AC. In LA, the per capita income is high so the locals are more likely to be donating than in any other area I've played.

[KurtSF]

I think its mostly the concept that people travel to play poker in Vegas, whereas that phenomenon is much less prevalent anywhere else, even LA. This sets up a great opportunity for a "pro" to set up shop in Vegas and have a steady stream of lambs to shear.

In point of fact, everyone is local somehwere, and there are other factors which affect the games (the amount of money floating around LA for example), but the fact that the situation is tailor made for sharks, I think, is what sets people off.

Local /= pro is the main distinction that needs to be made.

[crashjr]

Las Vegas seems to have a higher ratio of local grinders (ie. players with a positive expectation in a normal game) : local degenerates (ie. players that don't know what the word expectation means, Cocktails please) than, say, nor. Cal. or So. Cal. The LV grinders are pretty easy to adjust to though. Different poker rooms and different poker cities do tend to have a different feel - at least in my experience. It bears noting that the poker landscape has changed radically since I started playing in small cardroms in northern California in the early 90s. For example, I used to enjoy going to Reno to play in the games there, but as of today I think the nor. Cal poker scene is better than the Reno poker scene for game variety and game selection.

I don't think I've ever complained about the locals anywhere. I think those that do are not adjusting to the game conditions correctly, or don't know how to do so.

[pig4bill]

I go to Vegas to get AWAY from locals. If I just wanted to play locals, I can save the trip.

[Ghazban]

One main difference between Vegas locals and locals elsewhere is that Vegas locals know they have many different choices when it comes to cardroom selection. This makes them pickier about stuff like rake and comps than somebody who lives 5 minutes from Foxwoods or Canterbury.

Most locals suck but there are obviously exceptions. A local playing 2/4 limit or 1/2 NL is pretty much guaranteed to suck because anybody who plays as much as he does would have moved up if he was any good.

[DrewOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
One main difference between Vegas locals and locals elsewhere is that Vegas locals know they have many different choices when it comes to cardroom selection. This makes them pickier about stuff like rake and comps than somebody who lives 5 minutes from Foxwoods or Canterbury.

Most locals suck but there are obviously exceptions. A local playing 2/4 limit or 1/2 NL is pretty much guaranteed to suck because anybody who plays as much as he does would have moved up if he was any good.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT on both points.

Photoc, I would have to say that most Vegas locals are tight/bad and beatable. What I don't like about them as a whole is the nittiness that often detracts from the game. When there are tourists aplenty, I don't want some pissant bringing down the spirit of the game with complaints about procedure, time collection, nittiness, etc. That happens anywhere, but in my limited experience many of the Vegas locals are more annoying about it.

Vegas locals are certainly beatable, though. There are enough degenerates and loosey-gooseys amongst them to feed the rest of us.

[Photoc]

[ QUOTE ]
I think its mostly the concept that people travel to play poker in Vegas, whereas that phenomenon is much less prevalent anywhere else, even LA. This sets up a great opportunity for a "pro" to set up shop in Vegas and have a steady stream of lambs to shear.

[/ QUOTE ]

This isn't really 100% relavant. Most tourists coming to town, probably 99% of them are not coming specifically to play poker. They're coming for a vacation and poker is a side event like the pool or a show. Another thing, most of the tourists are low limit gramblers and pros aren't "sheering" them as often as you think. Yes, there are a "few" mid limit games where exceptional players are making a living, and some NL games, but most of the games nowadays are 2/4 limit and 1/2 NL and you really aren't going to make a living on these games.

[RR]

I think what does matter is a local in Vegas is more likely to be a rited person trying to make their money last. These types aren't tough, but they are limited to how much money they can donate to the poker game.

[Diana Ross Fan]

Foxwoods is the only place where the locals live in fear of the tourists. One day I asked one of the better players why he had sunglasses on. He told me "I don't need them for the usual guys, but the WPT is in town this week, and the guys from AC can read body language." I spent the rest of the day watching the locals grumble about the tourists who were winning all the money.