Do you have "fun" playing poker? I mean real fun (1 Viewer)

[Arizona Ron]

I grew up in a gambling town, I really believe I could deal any game in most houses including the goofy parlor games (let it ride, 3 & 4 card, Caribbean, etc.) and most Asian table games.

Craps is by far my favorite game. In craps, most of the table is typically going against the house – we win or lose together. It creates random camaraderie. Most of the other games are the same with a few exceptions like Black Jack where someone really could "screw" another player (and even that's debatable).

The poker room is by far the most depressing and 'un-fun' place to be in any casino IMO. Even when I win there are at least one or two people saying I played the hand wrong and the obviously pissed person(s) because I took their money. It's not "fun" to me.

The only time I’ve ever had fun playing poker is at a house game; low stakes just as an excuse to drink. The players in casino pokers rooms are largely too serious – there is no way this is “fun”.

Just me?

Is it the thrill of taking out someone else? Do people dig the thrill of watching their back on the way through the parking lot?

Or is it simply because you have better odds?

 

[Arizona Ron]

I should also say, if you've only played poker online you have no idea...

 

[leftcoastguy7]

Start drinking in the casino.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

The poker room is by far the most depressing and 'un-fun' place to be in any casino IMO.

100% agree. Craps and 21 are much more fun and social. It's the table against the house. You get to root for each other.

 

[fred_1_15301]

Poker is fun because there are so many dimensions to the game. You have to actually use your brain unlike most other casino games. It's a very strategic game. Not sure why it still can't be fun.

 

[Johnnymac]

Poker has turned into a bore for me. I never play anymore.

 

[PatsWillWin]

It used to be "fun" because it provided a high. I don't know, it was just enjoyable. This was maybe 8 years ago for me. I think you had a lot more "dad's" and casual players at the tables then. Now it's a lot of guys who play online or more regularly. Everyone there just looks like a poker player. It's a lot more depressing to me now.

That could be entirely anecdotal, but that's just been my experience.

 

[Spin]

The poker room is by far the most depressing and 'un-fun' place to be in any casino IMO.

100% agree. Craps and 21 are much more fun and social. It's the table against the house. You get to root for each other.

"Let it ride" tends to be this way too.

 

[Arizona Ron]

The poker room is by far the most depressing and 'un-fun' place to be in any casino IMO.

100% agree. Craps and 21 are much more fun and social. It's the table against the house. You get to root for each other.

"Let it ride" tends to be this way too.

I've sat on flop poker, 3-card and let it ride for hours just BSing and having a good time. It's slower than craps but it's a nice way to chill, gamble and shoot the ####.

 

[MC Gas Money]

Not the way I play

 

[fantasycurse42]

If I play poker at this point it is strictly to earn money. Haven't played in a while bc I would need to be playing at least 10-20 NL for it to be worth my time, and at that level usually there are a lot very skilled players at the table.

 

[GregR]

Excalibur was kind of a dump of a casino, but they used to have a group of dealers who worked overnight who had a lot of personality and made the games a lot of fun. Combined with my friends being a very lively group, overnight poker sessions there were some of the most fun I've had gambling in Vegas.

Then they got rid of dealers and have the live poker played using computerized cards. Basically video poker against other people there at the table. Took one look and walked away and haven't gone back since.

 

[Fennis]

I thought strip poker would be fun, until I lost all my clothes to a bunch of old fat dudes.

 

[fantasycurse42]

I thought strip poker would be fun, until I lost all my clothes to a bunch of old fat dudes.

Would it have been better if they were younger and in good shape?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I liked playing poker because it requires real skill, not just memorizing a little table like blackjack.

That said, playing live poker in Vegas, at least for the small stakes game I sought out, introduced me to some really depressing locals who I'd prefer not be around.

 

[Dickies]

The only time I’ve ever had fun playing poker is at a house game; low stakes just as an excuse to drink. The players in casino pokers rooms are largely too serious – there is no way this is “fun”.

This is pretty much how I am. I think a night with the guys drinking and playing cards is about as fun as it gets, even if it is just a $20 buy-in. Casino poker is pretty drab

 

[Arizona Ron]

I liked playing poker because it requires real skill, not just memorizing a little table like blackjack.

That said, playing live poker in Vegas, at least for the small stakes game I sought out, introduced me to some really depressing locals who I'd prefer not be around.

This x1000

 

[TakiToki]

Live casino poker is terrible, IMO. Maybe a tournament with some fast-rising blinds is okay once in a blue moon.

I'm a former multi-tabling online guy, but I'm just decent not great, so when the boom died and legal issues kept the new players out, I was no longer a profitable player.

House games, either tourney or cash, are great as long as everyone is having fun and laughing, and there are no wannabe poker pros with sunglasses taking a minute to act. As I've gotten older and just play with friends, luckily that isn't an issue. We get together and play every couple months or so and it's a lot of fun.

Table games are definitely more my bag at a casino. It's much more fun to have some drinks and be social. I do have to admit that sometimes I enjoy playing the dark side in craps, especially if I have a couple friends with me who like to do the same. Kinda gotta feel out the table. It's no fun if the rest of the table just gets super mad, but most of the time there's just light-hearted needling back and forth, and that can be a lot of fun.

 

[fred_1_15301]

I agree that the locals are depressing. However, if you play in AC or Vegas, you'll get a ton of non-locals who are just there to have fun.

 

[Brony]

Even if I was to lose at a BJ table and my friend was to win, it doesn't feel like he took my money like it does in poker.

I like the thinking aspect of poker, but I enjoy it much more online than live just because of the pace of the game. If I have 4 hours to kill in Vegas solo before a flight, I don't mind jumping in a small tourney.

 

[McGarnicle]

It's fun when you know the odds and play your hand correctly, and/or you get a read on another player, and win. Or maybe a better word is exhilarating because you've won money. It's not socially fun at all in a casino with strangers. I only did it once and hated it. A game with friends in the basement with drinks flowing and a game on TV is a million times better.

 

[wikkidpissah]

I'd been in the psych business for 7-8 years in the mid 1980s, when i decided to move to NV and try being a pro gambler. I wasnt a poker, but a horse, player, though - grew up around the biz, was lucky enough to be in Boston when speed handicapping was invented and in NYC when trip handicapping came around. There were no data bases to compete with, so the dough was sweet. Very time consuming, though - you had to be there at least from 10am-6pm every day to chart races, even though a wise player actually bet very few races.

There was a poker room across from the racebook and the day boss was a horseplayer. We talked both horses and poker and i asked him about the game that was always going on in the back of the room with some serious chippage on the table. It was the only non-limit game in Reno at the time, believe it or not, a 2-4 pot limit. Freddy Deeb, Tuna Lund, Tom McEvoy were regs. After some pointers from my pal i moved from 1-4 stud to the biggest game in town and never looked back.

The MOTOs, the educators, the hot suckers - finding ways to turn them into willing losers were as much a part of the game as straights and flushes. The disassemblage of human personality for fun and profit was the focus of my life for the next 20 years. As anyone who knew me then will tell you, I never didn't play joyfully, no matter how loaded i was. I never will. Pot is better than NL for turning fools against themselves, but I enjoyed and profited from the early days of NL when that took off, too. The greater the level of genius a player appointed himself, no matter how obnoxiously, the more fun i had deconstructing him. Only way to play.

 

[MC Gas Money]

Even if I was to lose at a BJ table and my friend was to win, it doesn't feel like he took my money like it does in poker.

I like the thinking aspect of poker, but I enjoy it much more online than live just because of the pace of the game. If I have 4 hours to kill in Vegas solo before a flight, I don't mind jumping in a small tourney.

Nobody loses at the BJ table

 

[Arizona Ron]

Even if I was to lose at a BJ table and my friend was to win, it doesn't feel like he took my money like it does in poker.

I like the thinking aspect of poker, but I enjoy it much more online than live just because of the pace of the game. If I have 4 hours to kill in Vegas solo before a flight, I don't mind jumping in a small tourney.

Nobody loses at the BJ table

Even the chick working the table says it's loads of fun

 

[Keith R]

It's fun to win. I usually win (though I stick to the low-limit tables). Therefore, I consider it fun.

Compared to the other casino games, I get that it's the one game you win when everyone else loses, unlike BJ and craps. But I don't need everyone cheering me on to perform well or enjoy winning.

 

[MC Gas Money]

Even if I was to lose at a BJ table and my friend was to win, it doesn't feel like he took my money like it does in poker.

I like the thinking aspect of poker, but I enjoy it much more online than live just because of the pace of the game. If I have 4 hours to kill in Vegas solo before a flight, I don't mind jumping in a small tourney.

Nobody loses at the BJ table

Even the chick working the table says it's loads of fun

Chicks work the BJ table?

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I haven't gone out to play live poker in years, it's just hard to drive 15 min to a bad part of town when I can just play online at home and watch TV too.

I enjoy a fun table in small doses, people who play Omaha 8 tend to be miserable old cranks, but at least they're not NL-bros. But I live in the suburbs so there's something to be said for getting out and spending an evening somewhere that's a little bit unseemly.

 

[fred_1_15301]

Actually the reason why I hate table games is because I get angry when I'm losing and everyone is else is winning and having a good time. I don't like that side of me.

 

[IC FBGCav]

I have a lot to add but can't now.

 

[belljr]

Dealers choice home games for me

 

[Da Guru]

I was at MGM and admit a guy took a bad beat against me..he then starts ranting about how I could play the hand I did. I was just there trying to have a good time.

 

[belljr]

Just give him an " easy there Phil"

 

[ILUVBEER99]

Live casino poker has become horrible. The least fun most miserable people on the planet flock to it now.

Live used to be fun back in mid 2000's, now I'd rather be pissed on than sit with those miserable sloths.

Home games are still fun with a good group.

 

[mr roboto]

I have a lot to add but can't now.

 

[Dentist]

I agree that ring games can be a source of profit, but the entertainment derived has fallen over the years as the poker boom left most of the newbies and fish behind.

I still get a kick out of tournament poker... but admittedly I think i had more fun playing online than live due to the bigger prizes, faster play, etc.

I do dislike it when the pace of the game is at a crawl live because people are staring down their opponent in a $100 tournament like it's the ####### World series final table and there is hundreds of thousands on the line.

 

[badmojo1006]

I have more fun in my low stakes monthly poker group than I have at the Casinos

 

[Gamese7en]

Excalibur was kind of a dump of a casino, but they used to have a group of dealers who worked overnight who had a lot of personality and made the games a lot of fun. Combined with my friends being a very lively group, overnight poker sessions there were some of the most fun I've had gambling in Vegas.

Then they got rid of dealers and have the live poker played using computerized cards. Basically video poker against other people there at the table. Took one look and walked away and haven't gone back since.

Not really sure when you were last at the Excalibur, they have the same dealers for years. The Luxor tried computerized games several years ago and went back to live dealers.

 

[BillyBarooo]

really miss those home games at the peak of the madness in the mid 2000s. One "friend" had a game at his house with tables everywhere. every room on the ground floor, over the pool table, on the deck outside, sometimes spilling into the garage. 50-60 people crammed into 1 floor of a regular size house. Absolute blast. Always was one guy who lost his mind on a bad beat or cruel bluff. Betting on who would blow their top first was as much fun as the game itself. Best part was that it was a drinking game, so by staying moderately sober and just playing solid would practically guarantee some dough. Take down a W (almost always a split with 1 or 2 others) and it made for a nice score. Never felt bad as virtually everyone there had money to burn and i was friends with only a handful of that crowd anyway. Damn good times

 

[flapgreen]

If I play poker at this point it is strictly to earn money. Haven't played in a while bc I would need to be playing at least 10-20 NL for it to be worth my time, and at that level usually there are a lot very skilled players at the table.

Tell us how high your IQ is and if you think you're gifted.

 

[flapgreen]

The only time Ive ever had fun playing poker is at a house game; low stakes just as an excuse to drink. The players in casino pokers rooms are largely too serious there is no way this is fun.

This is pretty much how I am. I think a night with the guys drinking and playing cards is about as fun as it gets, even if it is just a $20 buy-in. Casino poker is pretty drab

Same here

 

[flapgreen]

I was at MGM and admit a guy took a bad beat against me..he then starts ranting about how I could play the hand I did. I was just there trying to have a good time.

Dentist

 

[hotdogcollars]

The only time Ive ever had fun playing poker is at a house game; low stakes just as an excuse to drink. The players in casino pokers rooms are largely too serious there is no way this is fun.

This is pretty much how I am. I think a night with the guys drinking and playing cards is about as fun as it gets, even if it is just a $20 buy-in. Casino poker is pretty drab

Same here

flap, did you ever play in home games around Jax? I was playing in like 2 or 3 a week at my peak. mostly in southside and arlington, but also in old city with the hipster crowd.

 

[sbonomo]

I actually enjoy poker. I typically try to play a moderate size limit or tournament. I typically break about even. Now if I can find a heads up game, I typically kill it. Last time in Vegas played 26 hours of heads up with a pro....took him for just under five racks. Then my wife took it all to the forum. I don't remember that or the plane ride home. Good times!

 

[Tennessee_ATO]

I still enjoy playing in smaller (40-60 entrant) tournaments a great deal. There are always a couple douches at the table, but I've consistently found that there are at least 3-4 pretty decent guys who are pretty good to shoot the bull with. I stopped playing cash games years ago. The pool of players just seemed increasingly miserable -- it just became an insufferable grind. It seemed to me that a lot of cash players don't realize that you can be a serious player while not being a ########.

Craps is far and away my favorite game in th casino, but I've found more and more tables with a sour mood about them for some reason. I miss the hell out of O'Shea's -- never a bad time at those $3 tables even if we were losing. Best vibe in Vegas IMO. Then Harrahs murdered it.

 

[Thunderlips]

The sunglasses, IPods and hoods up....these guys look like jabronis at the table. House games are fun as there's usually a lot of bull ####ting and chatter. Very few people are willing to chatter it up in the casino.

 

[Arizona Ron]

The sunglasses, IPods and hoods up....these guys look like jabronis at the table. House games are fun as there's usually a lot of bull ####ting and chatter. Very few people are willing to chatter it up in the casino.

 

[flapgreen]

The only time Ive ever had fun playing poker is at a house game; low stakes just as an excuse to drink. The players in casino pokers rooms are largely too serious there is no way this is fun.

This is pretty much how I am. I think a night with the guys drinking and playing cards is about as fun as it gets, even if it is just a $20 buy-in. Casino poker is pretty drab

Same here

flap, did you ever play in home games around Jax? I was playing in like 2 or 3 a week at my peak. mostly in southside and arlington, but also in old city with the hipster crowd.

I was all online back then(2005-08). Only played a handful of live games back then. I remember seeing advertisements for games at the dog track but never got around to going. Live was always so boring to me unless I was around a bunch of people I knew or a weekend in Vegas.

 

[Capella]

I don't play casino poker often but when I do I play wild as ####. Always show my crap cards to piss off the Hellmuth bro at the table who folded his A-10 and generally do everything I would never do.

It's fun, if you ever find yourself in that situation give it a whirl. It's amazing how serious these dorks are.

 

[flapgreen]

The sunglasses, IPods and hoods up....these guys look like jabronis at the table. House games are fun as there's usually a lot of bull ####ting and chatter. Very few people are willing to chatter it up in the casino.

yes

 

[flapgreen]

I don't play casino poker often but when I do I play wild as ####. Always show my crap cards to piss off the Hellmuth bro at the table who folded his A-10 and generally do everything I would never do.

It's fun, if you ever find yourself in that situation give it a whirl. It's amazing how serious these dorks are.

This sounds just like Icon at every live game he's ever played.