Taking your first trip to the cardroom

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Perhaps you just turned of legal age and you are finally able to set forth into your first brick and mortar (B&M) cardroom. Perhaps you have been watching poker on TV long enough now that your curiosity has been getting the better you that you want to play some cards at the casino. Or perhaps you and your friends have just been playing long enough in your home game that you want to test your skills out in a live cardroom setting. Whatever the reason may be, stepping foot into a B&M cardroom for the first time can be a lot of fun, but it can also be somewhat of an intimidating experience if you are go in unprepared.

I love to play live poker games. I’ve spent most of my poker playing days inside many a cardroom and have a great deal of fun in the process. I’m hoping that with the help of this article, your first experience inside a cardroom will also be a great one. So let’s begin.

Here’s a checklist of things you should do prior to actually going into the cardroom.

The first thing you should do before you even set foot in the cardroom itself is call the casino and ask them what their hours of operation are. Some cardrooms are open 24/7, but your local casino may not be open all day. Some cardrooms may only be open for a portion of the time the casino is open. You’ll definitely want to make sure you that you are heading down when they are open so call up ahead of time.

Casinos will spread a variety of different poker games. Limit hold’em is by far the most widely available game in most cardrooms, but many casinos nowadays also offer other games and variations such as stud, Omaha and no limit hold’em. Make sure the game you want to play is available.

Most games can also range anywhere in size from $2/$4 and higher. However, not every casino will spread the particular game and game size that you may be interested in playing. Ask what limits are spread and how many tables of that particular game are spread to get a better idea how popular the game is at your casino. If the cardroom you are going to has a large number of poker tables, then low limit games such as 2-4, 4-8 limit hold’em usually occupy up more tables, while higher limit tables such as 20-40 and 30-60 limit hold’em may only be running 1 or 2 tables at a time. It’s important to know how many tables of the game you are looking for is being spread so that you know approximately how long you might have to wait. This brings me to my next point.

Some casinos also allow for players to call in ahead of time and reserve a spot on the waiting list for the particular game the player is interested in joining. If the casino does not, then it will be on a first come first serve basis. Some casinos will also allow you to place your name on more than one particular game waitlist. So if you are interested in playing both the limit hold’em games and the no limit hold’em games then you might want to place your names on both lists. If you are able to place your name on the waitlist, it is also a good idea that you ask what number you are on the list. There is usually a significant difference in wait time between being 2nd on the list and being 15th. Use your position on the waitlist to estimate approximately how long it should take you to arrive at the cardroom. Also be sure to also ask how much time you have to arrive at the casino before your hold on the waitlist expires. Most casinos will allow a one-hour hold, but this may vary between cardroom to cardroom.

If you are intending to play strictly limit games, then bringing 25 to 50 Big Bets is a good amount. For example, if you intend on playing a 4-8 limit hold’em game then you might want to bring 200 to 400 dollars. If you are playing No limit then it might be a good idea to bring 3 or 4 buy-ins. Of course this all depends on a number of factors including how much you are comfortable losing, how much time you intend to play, and what type of strategy/game you will be involved in.

Getting into the cardroom and playing on the table.

Now you are ready. You’ve done your homework and you ready to take your first steps into a live cardroom. You’ve taken down all the necessary information and eagerly await your journey.

When you arrive at the cardroom, you should first approach the poker room supervisor or wait list attendant to let them know you have arrived, so they can take you off the phone call wait list (if you called ahead of the time) and place you on the official wait list. If you didn’t call in ahead of time, or if the cardrooms does not allow for phone-in’s, then tell the wait list attendant to place you on the game of your choice. It is probably best for you be near the poker room so that when they call your name you will hear it. However, if you are adventurous enough to wander off elsewhere then you should ask to see if the cardroom can give you a pager so when your seat comes up they will page to return to the cardroom. If the cardroom does not have a pager to give you, then it is best just to be inside the casino or nearby the cardroom because if you miss their call for your name, then they will assign your seat to the player next on the wait list.

So after waiting a short while the wait list attendant finally calls for your name as your seat comes up in the 4-8 limit hold’em game. Depending on how the casino operates, the wait list attendant will either ask you to purchase your chips at a chip counter, or just go to your seat and a chip runner or floor manager will come up and ask you how much in chips you would like to buy.

Taking your first trip to the cardroom

Call the casino
Ask what games are spread
Ask what limits are spread
Ask if you can be put on a waitlist
Know how much money you should bring