Poker Articles

Your First Time in a Cardroom
By Michael Wiesenberg

This article is for readers who have played poker at home but never in a public cardroom. You may be the best player in your home game but if you don't know what to expect in a cardroom all your skill will be unusable.

The rest of you may find it enlightening to see again the games with which you are completely familiar through the eyes of a complete beginner.

Many people feel that when they enter a public cardroom for the first time they are going to encounter a hostile environment. Even people whose feelings are usually neutral fear the unknown; when they walk into a club, they are uncertain about what to expect. Perhaps a guard will shake them down, or the club is private and they need to have special status; or perhaps the managers and players won't welcome them; or they'll be forced to play when they don't have enough money or ... Who knows all the fears first-time visitors feel?

In truth, however, when you walk into a public cardroom, you encounter friendly, smiling faces.

In the cardroom "factories" of California and the big cardrooms of Nevada, Connecticut, and New Jersey, nobody knows whether you are a "regular." These are big clubs, some with upwards of 200 tables. With so many people coming and going, no one knows whether this is your hundredth visit or your first.

Yes, some of the very high-limit games can be intimidating, but you won't be seeking them out on your first visit. In general, the small and midlevel games contain friendly players.

Even in the medium-sized clubs, no one can keep track of all the players. Even among the so-called "regulars" there are people who play only once a week, and then only for a few hours; who knows whether you are one of these players?

And in the smaller clubs, they're not just selling card games; they're selling friendliness. The little clubs are mostly found in small towns, and they're just like small-town America everywhere. I include among these the riverboats, many of which are docked in relatively small towns, even though near to large urban areas.

Nowhere are you forced to play a game. You can simply watch the games. Do so as long as you wish. And don't think that you'll be conspicuous as an onlooker, that being a spectator will somehow identify you as a beginner or stranger. Plenty of people do nothing but watch for hours. Some spectators are spouses or friends of players, some are players who ran out of money, and some people just like to hang around for hours to watch the action. (More comments on this subject will appear in the forthcoming "Railbirds, Hangers On, and Other Brokers.")

A cardroom is really more than you imagine. For those who live in areas without public poker clubs, the image of a comfortable, well-managed cardroom may be difficult to understand. But you will probably feel comfortable and welcome in a club. Clubs are completely open to the public. The management is delighted when you walk through the door, and they'll make it as easy possible for you to play. And there will probably be a restaurant for you to enjoy, oftentimes affording the opportunity to dine while you play, and frequently at reduced prices.

Let's examine what your first visit to a public cardroom will be like.

Most likely such a visit will be to a large cardroom, so let's take a look at them first.

The biggest cardrooms in California are in Southern California, with two clubs having as many as 200 tables, and others approaching that size. Elsewhere in the state, the larger cardrooms range 40 tables and up. The casinos of Nevada have poker rooms that range in size from one or two tables up to several scores. On the East Coast, the clubs of Connecticut and Atlantic City are in the size range of those of Nevada; those of Mississippi are similar. Scattered about the rest of the country are river boats and Indian casinos, many of which again have many tables devoted to poker.

Let's visit a large Nevada cardroom for the first time. Your experience here will be similar to that of one of the many others around the country -- or even around the world, for that matter. We can look at a small cardroom later, because they differ somewhat.

When you first encounter the poker area of a casino, you see maybe 40 tables with people all playing poker. They play several forms of poker, and at many limits, and it may all seem a bit bewildering at first. Usually the area is separated from the rest of the casino. The barrier may be a velvet rope or a waist-high wooden railing. Curiously, no matter what that separator is made of, it is called "the rail."

When you approach this area, perhaps attracted by the sight of scores or even hundreds of people playing your favorite game, the first casino employee you may encounter is someone known as a "brush." It is this person's job to encourage onlookers to play. He or she may come up to you and say something like, "Have you played here before?" If you say no, the person may continue with, "Have you ever played in a cardroom?" This person is likely to be very friendly and helpful, and may give you a rundown of the particular rules of the club and a listing of the games. At this point, you can ask if you would be permitted to observe for awhile before actually playing. The brush will ask what game you're interested in. Ask if you can stand near one of the smaller games, hold'em or seven stud, likely, whichever you are familiar with. Often the smallest games are near the rail, and the brush will direct you to where you can stand unobtrusively and observe the action. You will not stand out, because you will notice that others are standing about also. Some of these others are "railbirds," who do nothing but stand on the rail for hours watching the games. Some observers are spouses or significant others of seated players; others are those who have gone broke in a game and are waiting to find more money to get back in the game, whether that be in the form of a judicious loan from a winner getting up or waiting for the next day's eligibility on the ATM. Still others wait until a seat comes open. These last are doing something smart: watching the game they will play in to try to get a line on how their potential opponents play.

Somewhere in the playing area may be a large blackboard perhaps also separated from the tables by a rail, or on a raised platform. The board may have about 20 labeled columns, each headed with the name of a different game at a different limit, and each containing a list of names or initials. Other casinos maintain such a list at a lectern or manager's station. The games are all poker variants, which means that if you've come to play, the first thing you want to do is get your name or initials on the board or on that list. If this is your first time, and the brush asks if you want to be on a list, ask how long the lists are. If there are lots of names waiting for the game that might interest you, you can have your name put on a list and still expect to have half an hour or more of observation time.

For your first time, you might ask to be put on the list for the smallest game, something like $2-$4 or $3-$6 hold'em or seven card stud of a similar size. If your name is called before you feel ready to play, you can always just turn it down, but there's nothing like jumping right in to get a feel for the game.

In front of the board stands an employee known as the boardman. It is his job to put the initials or first name--or first name and initial--of those who want to play on the board and to announce over a public address system when games are being formed and when seats become available. Tell the boardman what game you want to play. Or tell the floorman at the manager's station. Or the brush will do either for you. For example, you might say, I want a seat in the $2-$4 hold'em. Provide your name or initials. Some card players don't want their names broadcast over a PA, so all clubs are quite happy to put down your initials, nickname, or however you choose to be listed. For example, I usually ask to be listed on the board as Q or QM. If your name is Lamont Cranston, you could ask to be listed as LC, Lamont, Lamont C, or the Shadow. Your choice.

If this is your first choice, use the waiting period to good advantage by asking the brush--or the floorman if you don't encounter a brush--some questions about the game. Ask to see the rules, and in particular the rules of the game you plan on playing. In some clubs, all the rules are in one book; in others, separate books or brochures are available for each game. Seven card stud games usually have antes, and you want to know how much the ante is each hand, what the "bring-in" is, and how the betting precedes thereafter. (The bring-in is a forced opening bet, usually made by the player with the lowest first upcard. If two players have the same rank, generally reverse bridge order--clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades--breaks the tie.) You want to know by how much that bet can be raised, or even if raising it is permitted, and by what increments further raises proceed. You want to know what the higher limit is, and when it comes into effect. Usually in seven card stud games, the lower limit is in effect for the first two betting rounds; many offer the option of betting or raising at either the lower or the higher limit if any board contains an open pair. You want to know this before sitting down.

For a hold'em game, you want to know the local conventions on when to get your first hand. Some games require you to "post" (put in an extra blind) to get a hand; others allow you to be dealt in the first time whenever you sit down. In the latter case, the best time to start play is to sit in the empty seat immediately to the right of the current deal position. Find out what the custom is where you will be playing.

You want to know ahead of time what a string bet is, what the rule is for all-in bets, what constitutes a raise, and so on. For those that are not in the rule book, ask the brush, or maybe a friendly railbird standing next to you while you observe the game.

If there is already a seat available in the game you requested, sometimes a different employee ushers you immediately to that game. If no seats are available, your name or initials will be added to the list for the game of your choice, and then you will be called in order.

The rules are frequently the same among various clubs; nonetheless, being familiar with them helps avoid arguments and confusion. In particular, knowing the local variations--where an individual club differs in its interpretation of certain situations--is an important part of becoming a winning player.

When you finally get a seat in a game, ask for chips immediately. In some rooms, you get those chips from the employee who seats you. In some, you buy chips from the house dealer. Often the person who seats you sends a chip person (an employee whose job is just to sell players chips) over to sell you chips. If not, signal that you want to buy chips. Raise your hand. (Just like in grade school.) Or holler, "Chips." If you have done your preliminary work (observation while waiting for a seat), you have seen how players get their chips, and you can do the same. At this point, a chip person comes over, takes your money, gives you chips, and you're in the game.

You'll be nervous the first time you play. But the other players do not have to know, if you don't want them to, that you're a beginner. If you've watched the game for a bit, you'll know what to do. If you don't know something, don't be ashamed or afraid to ask. One of the players or the dealer will be sure to supply an answer. You don't have to embarrass yourself by something so obvious as asking "How much can I raise?" if you were watching ahead of time. In a limit game, if you raise, you can and must raise by exactly the amount of the previous bet or raise. If you don't want to get stung by the "no string raises" rule, just say the magic word "raise" when it's your turn. The rule states that if you don't say that magic word, you must have in your hand an amount of chips sufficient to constitute a raise, but no matter how many chips you have, you can always raise if you say the magic word before releasing your bet.

You will get used to the flow of the game very quickly, and soon be playing with all the comfort of those who have been playing for years. And since you have the advantage of wanting to know all about the games by reading these pages and keeping up with all the poker literature, you may well become something those seasoned old-timers are not, a winner!