Poker is a fun game but the inexperienced can get eaten alive by the pros. Spend three or four hours really learning how to play blackjack (or buy one of the helper cards) and you only have to worry about the dealer who has no control over what he does. He has to hit sixteen and stay on seventeen. He can't reraise your bet and he actually hopes you will win so you can tip him. You can talk to the other players at the table without worrying about giving them information on your hand. I put a chart on the board yesterday which showed that Blackjack or Video Poker have the best odds of any game if played correctly. Everyone goes to casinos to have fun. You have to decide how much your fun is worth. It just never ceases to amaze me how many people play the games incorrectly and end up losing thousands of dollars per trip. On my trips to the casinos I lose occasionally but never more than the value of the alcohol consumed<G>. They didn't build Mandalay Bay with very much of my money.