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Free Poker Lessons
I always recommend that anyone who wants to learn a new casino game take advantage of the free lessons offered by the casinos. During the lesson, you are given a brief description of the game and the procedures involved in playing. Sitting in on a lesson gives you a chance to play the game using non-value chips. The instructor will point out if you make a mistake and advise you how to play correctly. Players can gain confidence before ever sitting down in a real game. When I saw that Foxwoods offered lessons for Texas Hold’em, I thought sitting down for a lesson would be a perfect opportunity for me to become acquainted with playing in a casino poker room. This way I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable when the time came to join a live game.
It was a Saturday afternoon and I sat down at the training table joining five other people who were interested in learning to play Texas Hold’em. Our instructor was a fellow named Jerry who is a regular dealer in the poker room. We all introduced ourselves and the lesson got underway. Like myself, all of the other students had played some kitchen-table poker but none of us had every played Hold’em. Having been studying the game and playing on my computer, I felt light years ahead of the others, but I refrained from any comments as I sat there listening to the lesson.
Jerry handed out a stack of non-denomination chips to everyone and proceeded to explain how the game is played. He explained the reasons why Texas Hold’em was different from seven-card stud, which most of the others had played before.
He then went on to tell us a little about the betting procedures of the game, explaining about the blind bets to begin each hand. He told us that all casino poker is played for table stakes. This means the money you buy in with and have on the table is the money you play with. You are not allowed to reach into your pocket in the middle of a hand for more money. If the bet
is more money than what you have on the table you can go “all in” which means that you will be playing for the pot your money is in. The rest of the players can continue betting. This money is put in a side pot and will be given to the player with the winning hand of those involved in the side pot. Players may purchase additional chips between hands.
After his explanation of the game, he discussed a little strategy, advising us to play only strong starting hands especially from the early positions. He told us that he sees too many players who sit down at the table and expect to bet every hand they are given. He said these are the players that go broke very quickly.
Now it was time to play a few hands to get the feel of the game. One person was selected as the dealer and the players to the left of the dealer button posted the small and big blinds. Jerry explained that a new player sitting down to a game that is in progress has to either post a bet equal to the big blind or wait until the big blind gets around to his position before entering the game. He also explained that the big blind is a live bet. If other players call without raising, the big blind has the option to check or raise. Too often a new player will inadvertently throw his hand in without realizing that he has already bet that round. We played a few rounds until everyone felt comfortable with the procedures involved in playing the game.
Not all casinos offer poker lessons. If you are planning on visiting a casino, you can call ahead to the poker room and see if they have lessons available. The Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas is another casino that has offered lessons to players over the years. If the casino you visit doesn’t offer lessons, you can get a feel for the game by watching from the rail and observing the players.
After the lesson was over, Jerry suggested that we might want to practice by playing in the low-limit tournament that is held weekly on Saturday mornings. I joked that it was probably filled with sharks waiting to devour unsuspecting players that dare venture into
their territory. He laughed and said it was a low-limit tournament that attracted players of all skill levels. He said because of the low entry fee many of the players were beginners or average players just out to have a good time without risking a lot of money in a live game. After investigating this, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to gain some practical playing experience and get the feel of a live game.
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Tags: blind bets, casino game, casinos, poker, table poker
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Poker Railbirding
In some casinos, the area for the poker tables is separated from the main casino floor by a railing or some other physical barrier. This keeps the spectators out of the way of the players but allows them to watch the action. Because spectators line up along the rail to watch, they are sometimes referred to as "railbirds."
I wanted to watch a few games to get an idea of the table procedures and protocols so I decided to take a ride to the casino and become a railbird for a few hours. I visited Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. Foxwoods is the world's largest casino and has a first-class poker room. Many casinos now have the poker tables in a separate room. There is enough space to allow spectators to walk around the tables instead of being limited to watching from a rail.
I looked at the sign-in board at the registration desk and found out which tables were hosting the low-limit Texas Hold'em games. I walked over to a spot where I could observe the action at one of the tables while being out of the way. I stood about mid table so I could get a clear view of the board.
In the beginning, I worked on reading the board as the dealer turned over the cards. After a few hands, I started concentrating on the players. I wanted to observe the types of hands they were playing. I noticed that many of them seemed to be playing any two cards without any regard to position. I saw players turning over hands that I would not have played from any position.
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Tags: casino floor, poker, poker tables, texas hold em games

