From The Poker Room

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I am at Aria, a beautiful hotel in Las Vegas.  I’m at a poker table playing in the seven o’clock tournament. I brought my tablet. Yes, tablets are OK in the poker room. Welcome to the 21st Century!

The truth is it would be impossible to ban cellphones and their cameras. Petiole are using them everywhere. And the casinos are photogenic. Social media is free advertising.

Aria has a tournament every day at one and seven.  Poker tournaments are played at ten person tables.  We each pay a fixed amount, tonight $125.  Each gets $10,000 In tournament chips. 

So far 52 people have bought in.   The final five all get paid.  The last man standing will get $2119. Number five gets $303.

It’s all guys at my table. Women play, but maybe ten percent are women.

Everyone is intense.

Tourists dominate this tournament tonight. Locals play, but usually cash games.  Everyone here wants something to bring home and brag about.

This room also hosts some of the highest stakes games in Vegas.  I have seen chip stacks as big as a yearly salary–real money chips.

Even at my level of play I’m seldom the best player at my table, but I hold my own.

Most people think of poker as a card game.  It’s actually a betting game!  Having aces doesn’t mean you’ll win a lot.  Position is important, so the order of the deal rotates around the table.

As a rule, poker players are not comped.  A lot of players tonight are staying elsewhere.

This is a great room. Nicely lit. Comfy chairs. Excellent cocktail service, though for me it’s coffee or diet something.

If I play well I’ll be here until two am.  I’d like to have something to brag about.

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