Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with gambling

VEGAS, BABY!

jason's_planet — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:11:06 -0800

Next month, I will be travelling to Las Vegas. For the very first time in my life. I have a whole bunch of Vegas-newbie questions. I’d like to ask you for your help. 1. What will the weather be like in mid-March? Would a dip in the pool be comfortable?

2. What’s the best car rental spot in Las Vegas? Does it cost significantly more to rent a car with GPS?

3. What’s a good beginner-friendly poker room, preferably one with lower limits? I love poker but the unfortunate reality is that I haven’t played in years. I am not World Series material. Not at this point, at least. If it helps, the model I have in mind is the poker room at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Something like that.

4. For that matter, where can we find casinos that hit the sweet spot I’m looking for, that is – reasonably cheap gambling without being seedy or nasty?

5. What’s a good place to play Keno?

6. Where can we find sports book rooms with a wide range of events? Of particular interest would be sports rooms that allow you to gamble on UK football.

7. You know that place in Minnesota where you can drive a tank? And for a little bit extra, you can crush a car with said tank? Do they have a branch in Las Vegas? (This is a long shot, I know. But I thought it was worth a try.)

8. What neighborhoods should we avoid for safety/crime reasons? I live in NYC. I don’t own a car. Walking is my default mode of transportation. Where do I NOT want to be walking?

9. Where can I find a guide to the personality/vibe/crowd of various casinos? If it helps, both of us are middle-aged kind-of-sort-of bohemian nerds.

10. What is the etiquette of tipping dealers when you win? What’s the standard percentage?

11. If I find myself awake before noon, and not in the mood to gamble, where can I kick back with some good coffee and a decent pastry?

12. Where can I find good, cheap craps tables?

13. Tell me about the Las Vegas art scene. I understand that UNLV has a very good fine arts program. Where would I be able to see some good art by local artists? While I’m on the topic, which casinos have the best art?

14. Is Chinatown worth a visit? Are there any good restaurants?

15. Which of the local shooting ranges would you recommend? I'm looking for a beginner-friendly place with a good selection of weaponry.

16. What else should I know? Any other recommendations, advice, or Vegas-related opinions of any type would be most helpful.

How do I fight City Hall and stop the building of a casino?

storybored — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:15:43 -0800

How do I fight City Hall and stop the building of a casino? I know this is going to be a tough fight but I can't let this go without doing something. The mayor of our city, Ottawa (Canada) is gung-ho to build a gambling casino in our City. Later this year, the city council will vote on it, and failing a public upswell, it'll go ahead. I love this city and I think a casino will cause a deterioration in the quality of life here. Not only that, there is already a casino in across the bridge in Gatineau, Quebec, so the mayor's hopes for windfall profits are misplaced. I'm a newbie at social activism. I've done a little bit of reading and understand that petitions and the like are not effective. What I need to do is get tons of people to call their councillors and complain. What's the most effective and efficient way of getting this done?! I have a circle of maybe a half a dozen sympathetic ears so far. But now what? Aside from general advice, I'd love to hear from other people who know of successful anti-casino campaigns. What worked, what didn't work. Materials, posters, slogans, tactics that I could use....

Learning How to Play Blackjack at a Casino

DMan — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 11:06:34 -0800

I'm going to a casino in a few days, and I want to play blackjack. However, I've never played any of the card games at a casino, and I'm pretty ignorant about the strategy to use for blackjack, as well as any etiquette I need to be aware of. I've been to casinos many times, but haven't ever played any of the card games. I want to change that this time, and I was thinking about trying blackjack because my understanding is that the rules are simple and I'm playing against the dealer rather than other players (is that true?).

I understand the very basics of the rules, but any game strategy tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm also completely unsure as to how the etiquette works--for example, how do I join a game? Is it always acceptable to leave once a hand ends, or is it more polite to wait for a certain point to leave? And how much should I tip the dealer, and when should that happen?

Thanks for the help all--I don't have any optimism about winning it big when I'm so clueless, but I think if I understand what I'm doing I can at least have some fun with it. Also, if there are any other card games with a low barrier of entry, I'd be happy to hear other suggestions, as well.

Gambling odds question

glenngulia — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:44:43 -0800

How would one (legally) take advantage of the change in odds of a given NFL team to win the Super Bowl? Say you placed a $100 bet before the season started on the Arizona Cardinals to win the Super Bowl. The odds were 150-to-1, so if they won, you'd win $15,000.

Currently, the Cardinals are 30-to-1 to win the Super Bowl. So the same $100 bet would only pay $3,000. If this was the stock market, you could trade out of your postion and pocket $12,000 (net of transaction costs).

However, since you cannot legally accept bets like a casino, what bet(s) could you make now to guarantee yourself something close to $12,000 (excluding transaction costs)?

What are the odds?

cincinnatus c — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:46:18 -0800

Math/probability not sports: I am not a gambler, but I am trying out a method of betting on sports with some initial success. At what point can I use the numbers to confidently assume that this is down to the system rather than luck? As I said, I am not a gambler, but I started betting recently to take advantage of matched betting, which is a form of betting that guarantees profit through taking advantage of free bets offered to new customers. It is free money, essentially. I have made a few hundred pounds on it in the last couple of months, and I expect to make a few hundred more.

However, in the course of doing this, and keeping records of it all, I noticed a particular kind of lay bet that did particularly well. If I had laid these bets only, without matching them, I would've quadrupled my profits. Of course, this would've been actual gambling, rather than risk-free matched betting.

But I wanted to test it out, and I've made a few unmatched bets at low stakes (£3 each bet), all lays, and all at odds between 4.0 and 6.0 (i.e. if the odds represent real probability I should lose only once in every 4 to 6 bets). When I win, I get £3 - minus commission - and when I lose I have to pay out between £9 and £15. I reckoned I'd allow myself to lose £50 on this - so I guess £50 would be my bank, in gambler's terminology.

So now, after a couple of weeks, I've laid 24 bets, and 23 have come good for me. At £3 a shot, it doesn't add up to much - £62 profit (after commission deducted) - and I realise that a 23/1 ratio is only a couple of random flukey games away from fitting into what you'd expect from 4.0 to 6.0 chances. But this is just interesting to me. Now I don't have a bank - I'll just quit if the profit gets to zero.

I don't believe - I'm not kidding myself on - that a 23/1 ratio on 4.0 to 6.0 odds is interesting probability-wise, but my main question is how do I calculate if/when it does get interesting? At the moment, return on investment is 75% or something. How do I work out whether this is down to just dumb luck? How many bets does it take? Is there a forumula?

How to succeed at horse racing without really trying

Krazor — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 13:49:11 -0800

Going out to the race track today at Lonestar Park in Grand Prarie, Texas. Problem: I've never been to a horse race before. I don't even know how they work. I would like to place one or two bets, but I don't know anything about the competitors. Any suggestions for a first timer in general? Futhermore, (if you are familiar with today's race), which horse would be a safe bet?

Poker practice online not for cash

lalochezia — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:17:21 -0800

Where can one play good online poker with real players (or a program w/*really* good AI with weaknesses and styles)? Not for cash - just for practice. Ipad app or website fine. *Not* just Texas Hold'em/7 card stud, but finishing off the HORSE class and beyond (Hi/Lo Omaha, Hi/Lo 7 card stud, Razz). Don't want scummy spyware or to have to give credit card info. I'm getting into playing low-limit poker with a bunch of people with LOTS more experience than me. (Don't worry, won't be losing my shirt).

I want to practice playing a lot of hands so I can start applying what I've learned about reasonable plays, and make my response quicker and more natural at the table.

Before I go to their games, I just want to practice online against real humans..…..or if the practice partners must be bots, not ones that play obv. statistics or are scared of high raises, but may have personalities…….

Ipad app or website OK.

I'm not looking to win or play for money. Would pay 1-off to join somwehere or buy an app if it was good.

Games.com only has the non hi/lo versions. Fulltilt poker, party poker and pokerstars appear to be downloads with probably sketchy provenance, and the CEO of one was just arrested…..

Hope me mefi poker players.

Gambling in Macau on the cheap?

reductiondesign — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:15:29 -0800

I'm going to Macau and I'd like to see a few casinos and gamble a bit, but I'm also a poor student. What are the best games for me to play to get the most time and fun for my money, or to have the best odds of winning (impossible, I know)?

The house always wins

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:08:40 -0800

Odds on the street: I think that my neighbor has a gambling problem. What should I do to protect myself and those around me? I think that my next door neighbor has a serious online gambling habit, and my experience of people with a problem like that has not been good, with having been the victim of identity theft and the like in the past. I'd like to take some steps to protect the people in my household. So far, I have come up with lockable post boxes to protect the mail from being intercepted, but what other steps could I take to protect those near me from any possible problems or fallout from this?

Are there ideal numbers to have in a basketball "Square pool"?

JoeGoblin — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 16:58:47 -0800

Math/sports question! I entered a "Square pool" (purely theoretical money at stake :) ), for the NCAA basketball tournament. I am curious if there are better numbers to have, and why that would be the case. More information inside. This type of pool is very popular for the Super Bowl. You create a 10 x 10 grid, and people purchase squares (let's say five bucks a piece.) Once all the squares have been purchased, you randomly assign digits 0-9 to the rows and columns, as well as a team. Each square corresponds to the last digit of the score. So if the super bowl ended 42-35, Giants beating the Patriots, the person who had the square Giants 2, Patriots 5, would win.

Now in football, there are clearly a few numbers which are better to have. By virtue of the scoring opportunities in football, you're obviously going to do OK with numbers like 7, 4, 1 or 0. Numbers like 5 and 2 don't come up as frequently, just because these require less likely scenarios like kicking four field goals to get to twelve points.

However, I am curious if there are ideal numbers to have for the basketball version of this pool. So far this year, there have been a couple number combinations that have come up more than once. I am guessing this is just random odds, but I was wondering if anyone who knows statistics or probability or just plain math better than I do might be able to offer some advice or theories about which numbers would be better to have in a pool like this for basketball.

Can I Legally Bet on March Madness?

Talez — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:43:55 -0800

Sports betting in the USA, specifically March Madness, is it legal? I was looking over 538's March Madness picks and thought it might be fun to place a dollar on each one according to his recommendations and see how the simulation plays.

Where I come from originally sports betting is unquestionably legal and licensed by the state. However this doesn't appear to be the case in the US? Or is it legal to bet on sports in Nevada? Can a resident of California bet online on sports via a Nevada casino if sports betting is legal in Nevada? Would I have to go for a pilgrimage up to Tahoe for each round?

Advice out there in Google land appears to be murky at best so Californian residents with experience in sports betting I'd appreciate your wisdom.

Why is stock price related to company earnings? No really.

the jam — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:47:51 -0800

So I completely understand that prices of stocks, like anything in a market, arise from supply and demand. But at the end of the day, why does demand for a stock increase when a company's earnings increase? How does holding the stock of a company whose earnings have increased since purchase benefit a stockholder? It can't purely be that I care about earnings because I know everyone else cares about earnings because they know everyone else cares about earnings... can it? What is the ultimate source of this caring about earnings? If dividends were more common, I could understand all this as a jockeying for a good deal on a dividend. But as it is, it sounds no different than betting on a never-ending horse race with earnings arbitrarily picked as the indicator of which horse is in the lead.

Casino Statistics

Partario — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:57:51 -0800

Help me figure out how much the average casino gambler (anywhere) spends/loses per hour. I've been googling for a couple hours, I've gone through statistical reports for Vegas, Singapore, South Africa and Canada but I cannot get a stat for loses per hour. The closest I can get to any amount is budget per trip, or amount lost per month or year. Are there industry terms that might help me in my search? Is this info even out there?

How do I get out of this?

SquidlyDigi — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:14:51 -0800

Escaping a bad life? I am reaching the end of my rope here. My parents have become increasingly psychotic and desperate over the years. Not violent, but always with a fair risk of it. Gambling and drugs are involved, but I don't have these problems myself. I want to get out, but I see no options for escape or at least one with a future.

Some indepth background. I'm male. My family has always had relative poverty. I dropped out of middle school after experiencing severe depression. Technically, that wasn't legal. But I guess after I became 18 the statute of limitations had passed for any chance for child protections. For quite a while, I had no faith in myself at being able to accomplish anything. Most of my time was spent gaming.. eventually competitively. But, I made no real social connections at all. The social aspect kept me going at it, but in the end for all the gamers I grouped up with, Noone knew a thing about me or my life. I haven't even had an online chat of more than a few words long.

I gave up my attempts at competitive gaming at about the age of 20. I made roughly 300$ on a briefly lived service. The service then died after I put that money into a new computer, and I abandoned the idea of making money off competitive gaming. Aside from the poor return, I gave up on the idea because it was not my real dream in life. Among other things, I've wanted to make games, at least independently. Aside from games, I've wanted to learn more about the world and further science. I dabbled a bit in programming here and there since I was a child, but lacked the confidence to make anything. And I've lacked the confidence to work in a team and gain some sort of experience.

After the age of 20, I had a fairly ambitious idea for a game.. Which, well.. Ideas come cheap, especially ambitious ones.. And I've had my share. But in some ways, the nature of this one seemed to have much better core concepts than others I drew up. For me, it was a single spark of hope in life. I set to planning many of the things I thought would be problems. I learned a fair bit of programming. I set to making it and.. Kept losing motivation at points. There are various reasons.. The biggest, I think.. is that my parents at times literally felt like a threat to my own life. I'd freeze up and find some media to escape into. Eventually things calmed down, but these things are cyclical.

Would that I want to make money off my game project.. it would take a few years to complete. I've discounted it as a source of sustainable income in the interm. Finally, at 26.. I've had no job experience. No education.. aside from the internet. And little contact with the outside world.. even virtually.

It's a cold winter month here in Wisconsin. Reading about the economy is no cure for hopelessness. I barely have clothes to walk outside in. One decent pair of pants. Boxers are all ripped. My eyes have started to go bloodshot and I could be developing health problems. On the flipside, I'm at a healthy weight.

Welp. More yelling. More insanity. More silence.

The things I do for airline status

willbaude — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:05:40 -0800

Help me gamble and eat during a six-hour Vegas layover. Thanks to a slightly odd upcoming trip, I will have a six-hour layover in Las Vegas with no luggage (I might carry an iPad or a book for the plane). I will be there on a weekday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Ideally, I'd like to take a cab to a casino, play relatively low-stakes no-limit Hold 'em for a few hours, get lunch someplace good, though not necessarily expensive (preferably nearby), and then return to the airport with an hour or two to spare.

Can you help me execute this plan? Where should I gamble? Where should I eat? Is a taxi the best form of transportation?

[I've seen this post and this post (and everything else under the "vegas" and "lasvegas" tags).]

What are unconventional things to do in Vegas?

JJkiss — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:41:59 -0800

What are some unconventional things to do in Vegas? I've done just about everything obvious. Halloween activities could be especially fun. I'm going there for my birthday and have been about 15 times. I recently discovered some hidden gems (such as the oldest mechanical horse racing game in MGM) and would like to find more. Think I'll try the machine gun range but what are some other things I could do off the beaten path? Abandoned towns? Would have loved to go to Star Trek bar when it was open.

I'd like to make legal bets on top tier little league games. Forget whether it's ethical - is it POSSIBLE?

rileyray3000 — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:15:02 -0800

Is there any legal sportsbook/casino that takes bets on the little league world series? I was watching the little league world series on one of the ESPN's this past week and it was one of the most unpredictable and enjoyable games I've seen in a bit. Quality players who just might commit a score of errors and then drive in three runs. It's anything can happen day.

I was thinking it would be fun to get some friends to go to Vegas to get a few too many drinks, sit at a sports book and bet money on this. Do any of the casinos in Vegas (or the rest of America) give odds on these talented pre-teens? Or if not, do any of the online sportsbooks? Where can I best enjoy our nation's childhood pastime in this new and exciting way?

How do Vegas oddsmakers make their odds?

malhouse — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:51:24 -0800

How do Vegas oddsmakers make their odds? Do the odds in Vegas come out of actual predictions about who will win, or are they more of a prediction of how people will bet? If someone is a 4-1 favorite, is that because Vegas actually thinks they're a 4-1 favorite, or they just think that will result in the most even betting? Is it different for different sports?

Need to amend taxes for a three word change?

jeversol — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:17:05 -0800

TaxFilter: Received a 1099-MISC after filing, but I reported the income on 1040 Line 21. Do I need to amend? Asking the hive mind before asking a professional. YANM tax attorney/accountant, etc. I was very lucky and won $1,000 in a drawing at a casino around Christmas. Yay! When it came time to work on my taxes, I listed the $1,000 as gambling winnings, non-W2G in TurboTax. It listed this on 1040 line 21 (other income) with the text "GAMBLING WINNINGS" next to it.

Literally 4 hours after submitting my tax return to the IRS, I receive a 1099-MISC in the mail from the casino. It lists the $1,000 in Box 7, Nonemployee compensation. I went back through TurboTax and modified it accordingly (Added the 1099-MISC, removed the "gambling income"). The net result is identical. The only thing that changed was that the description it put on the line was now "SEE STATEMENT L21." It did not change my AGI. My refund is identical.

Do I need to file an amended return to reflect this change? My gut says no - I claimed the amount correctly as income. I can't imagine even the most dickish auditor would have anything to say about it. What's your thoughts, hive mind?

Can you reccomened a gambling novel?

Gin and Comics — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 21:19:13 -0800

What novels with a heavy focus on gambling should I read? Once again my (entirely healthy) obession with gambling narratives has griped me in its neon claws. What novels would you reccomend? I'm especially interested in wagering that takes place outside of casnio or cardroom, though that is not a strict requirement. Further, I like best those stories that focus on the gambler and the gambling, rather than sidelining them as part of crime/mystery story. Walter Tevis' The Hustler is a good example of what I'm looking for.

When you get the ideas, you get the itinerary. Then when you get the itinerary, then you get the fun.

hal_c_on — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:34:50 -0800

Women, alcohol, drugs, cash, gambling, and guns. And questions. WAY LONGER inside. First off, I want to say that I have been researching this question on metafilter quite a bit. No need to link to previous answers.

So I'm in charge of a Bachelor Party on the weekend of Dec 17-19 in/or around Chicago.

This is my second bachelor party...ever. I always decline...and the first time I went, I felt REALLY out of place.

I normally don't belong in this element, so I need help.

Besides that, the budget is around $12,500 with 25 people. Yes, you read correctly.

Groom is a teetotaler, doesn't want anything to have to do with girls grinding his junk, and does not use drugs. But he understands the importance of alcohol, weed, and hardbodies at a bachelor party; he basically asked me to make this about all his buddies rather than him. The only thing the groom is all about is sports. All sports, all the time, sportscenter, wrigley, soldier field, united center, kane county cougars. Sports sports sports...but that doesn't mean it necessarily HAS to be involved in any way in the weekend's festivities. Its been made clear.

The attendees are crazy about the groom. Some people are flying in just for the bachelor party, and then flying later again for the wedding. Most have said that although they would much rather prefer not to, they would consider the weekend a success even if they went to jail for 48 hours.

That is nuts.

So everyone is willing to help, but before we had too many cooks in the kitchen, I wanted to ask metafilter if they had some good suggestions.

I named the location and date just in case somebody here has specific information that can take advantage of that.

Half-baked ideas that I need help with are:

1. Thinking about renting a house for this sausage fest to happen at from Friday to Sunday. Any helpful ideas there? Whatever happens on the weekend, there should be a house that everyone can "retreat to" or sleep at (yeah, people will sleep on the couch).

2. Between Friday night and Sunday night, going to play paintball somewhere. What do I need to be versed with to do that? The only thing I know about paintball is that:
-you can't play paintball in your yard. you will be arrested.
-when you play on a site, most sites make it mandatory to buy paint from them.
-i dont even know if chicago has good paintball facilities.

3. Buying enough booze to last everyone from friday to sunday. I'm prolly gonna go to Costco...should I be looking to buy beer, liquor, both, what? Can I get a better deal if bulk means "enough to keep 25 guys drunk for 40 hours"? If so, where?

4. Women as objects. Ok. So what do I do here? None of the communal money is going towards someone getting their dick serviced. They want to do that, they can make arrangements on their own. Communal money will go towards legal activities here. I was thinking of getting quite a few strippers...or even 1 stripper per hour for 40 hours or something. Then I thought "What if I could find a dungeon that would lend out its mistresses to beat the shit out of 20-30 dudes?" I'm sure the groom would enjoy seeing that, and it kinda makes me feel less sleazy. Or should I do something else?

5. Chicago gambling is pretty weak. The casinos are nothing compared to Vegas casinos, and most of the people here frequent vegas fairly regularly. Everyone does like poker though. I looked into the "rent a poker setup", and it looks like $1k would cover 10 people playing 4 hours. That roughly works out to each person paying $25 per hour to play poker. Is there a better option, or private room somewhere in chicago that could cater to this better?

6. Ending the Bachelor Party on Sunday with some sports at some awesome sports restaurants. Did I mention sports? What restaurant would work here?

7. I thought about taking a trip to vegas, but that $400/person budget gets blasted as most of the attendees will be from Chicago. I thought about renting some type of charter bus to go somewhere...but I don't know what that something would be. Should I throw this out the window?

8. It will be december, and it is winter...any fun winter activities that a bunch of drunk dudes would enjoy doing?

9. Music. I made a haha joke about having so much money here, we could get NeYo to serenade the groom. I received serious replies saying "He might be out of our budget...but how about crucial conflict, dj assault, or former members of bonethugs" WHAT THE HELL! How do you hire professional musicians? Where do I find them? Do they follow the party around like a pied piper or do they play a set amount of time.

10.Women as non-objects. Would there be any way to hook up this trove of dudes throwing away money looking to get in trouble with a bachelorette party? Is there a "seeking friendship" for groups of 25 dudes looking for 25 women doing the same thing at a bachelorette party. I feel as if that social experiment has not been done outside of the Greek system, and this would be kinda cool. How can I do this? How can I find a group of 25 women who view the men as the men view them?

11. ANY other debauchery or events that can be applied in this situation? Anybody? Anything else?

Thanks to all mefites who read up to here without posting. I really appreciate your input.

I know I'm going to need a lot of help on this, and I don't think thats gonna be a problem. I'm not getting anyone's help right now because I feel responsible for everything and have the time for it. I've seen what happens when there are too many cooks in the kitchen...and with 25 cooks, it would be a mess. So I kinda want to have a basic idea of how to fill these hours before I get people involved with specific duties. A LOT of the askme questions were of the "how do I throw the best bachelor party ever with $400 and in 24 hours from now", so I am starting early. No need to say "you should ask other people". Its in the future.

Its a lot of money, and a lot of waste. The groom gave in and allowed this to be a weekend of debauchery. This is the ONE TIME this will happen to him, and thats why people are throwing money like crazy. Help me make it right.

Thanks mefites!

Zenyatta!

Shike — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 08:08:48 -0800

Tomorrow, Zenyatta will attempt to win her 20th and final race at Churchill Downs. I am not a gambler, but would like to place some bets to make watching the race more fun. Of course, I wouldn't mind winning some money, too. I'm hoping someone here can give me some strategy tips based on these odds. A friend has suggested placing 12 exacta bets on Zenyatta to win and each of the others to place. The assumption I'm making is that she will indeed win.

Betting on collegiate boxing

Unsomnambulist — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:43:53 -0800

Where or how can someone bet on a collegiate boxing match? From the "I'm not a betting man, but if I were" department...

Downtown LA will hold a USC vs. UCLA collegiate boxing match this week. While these are boxing "clubs" competing, and thus probably not being wagered on officially out of Vegas, I imagine there are online sites, or other places, to place bets.

I'm mainly looking to identify these places, and see if there are favorites and odds listed for this match.

Help me get my game on! Or at least fake it. :)

miss lynnster — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:56:26 -0800

Hooookay. So I've been asked to play in a charity poker tournament. I'm fierce at craps and was a pool shark in my past life so it appeals to me, but I've just never had a weekly poker game or anything... truth is I haven't played poker in years. Last time I played I was in Vegas and I did well on the Hold 'Em table, but that's way different than this. I *want* to play in the tournament and have fun... and I know I *could* be good at poker with practice, but I'm nervous! I really don't want to totally suck.

Soooo... gimme yer tips on how I can at least make a respectable appearance at a charity poker tournament. Oh and please feel free to explain stuff like I'm stupid... I'm kind of an idiot savant about things like this. I do pick it up and usually become a shark eventually though... :)

Online Poker

Anonymous — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:21:10 -0800

10 years late to the party filter. I want to play online poker for money (not that much to start out with). I'm confused, though, by what's legal and by which online sites actually offer the ability to gamble. I am in the United States. What's a good site that will allow me to play very small bets as I get started with online poker? This comment from a previous thread was helpful, but it appears that PokerStars no longer allows users in the United States to play with real money. At least, that's the gist when I check their FAQ, and there is no "cashier" when I open the application. The wikipedia page on online poker was ambiguous regarding the legality of online gambling in the United States. Any help/advice for a novice? I would like to deposit $100-$200 initially and play at tables where the smallest bets are in cents.