Don't know what the schedule for the convention game will be or when you would arrive etc. However, maybe Gene could post specific info about instructional sessions. I seem to recall that some casinos, I specifically recall the Palms being one of them, offer instructional sessions in the mornings on Hold Em. Was it The Palms that I heard of that also offers a low limit game for the new players, following the class, so that they can actually play? If that is the case it could be a good idea to get involved in one of them before the actual game. Even if you do some reading and get some play in before hand. I am going to be in Vegas in late June and have some plans to maybe take part in such a session. Then, I have an itch to maybe play some real casino hold em. I don't know if I am quite ready to venture into the no limit games though.

In the mean time I would suggest what I have done. I too am a beginner and along with a group of friends had never actually played the game until we all got together a couple weekends ago. We had all watched WPT and WSOP as well as Celebrity Poker Challenge. From there we got a feel for how the game works etc. Then we all got together and pieced it together the best we could and just played. Of course our limits and some of our betting and the Big and Small blinds etc. might not have been correct but we got a bit more familiar with the game. Then, I read some of the materials that have already been suggested where they tell more about the basics of the way the game works. After playing, a little more of that stuff now makes a little sense. I have made a few notes for our next game so that we can make it more true to a real casino game.

I figure that my performance in the last game was pure luck. I was almost out early but tried to keep my cool and picked a couple of the right hands and got myself back on my feet. I steadilly got myself ahead while others at the table started to lose a bit. I noticed how certain players seemed to get a little desparate to make up for past losses and got very risky with trying to bluff or playing out hands that they just didn't have the cards to win. In a couple instances it seemed as though they were just throwing away their remaining few bucks to get the game over. We played for about 4 and a half hours and ended at 1:30am with just me and another guy who in the last couple hands was able to get his stack back up to his original $20 bankroll. Due to the late hour, while he was seriously considering going on, we decided to have him quit while he was, well..... even.

There is definately going to be a difference between the habits and all that we practice at our casual kitchen games and what we can expect in a casino setting. A few examples that I recall reading about are things like grabbing for the chips when you win. In a casino I understand that you should put your chips out in front of you and let the dealer count them in. Don't just splash(?) the pot by throwing your chips in. Also, wait for the dealer to push the chips to you if you win. Also, there is the way you call your bet. Don't say Call and Raise. You would just raise. Also keeping your cards secure (?). One thing I read mentioned how you should do something to indicate that your cards are in play. Don't just leave them out there. I noticed some with little crystal frogs or something like that. Often players will put a chip on top of their cards when they are still playing. In a Casino game that will help assure that your cards don't accidentally get swept up with folded hands. There are probably other differences to how we might play at our kitchen tables. Thus, I figure it could be beneficial, and maybe a lot of fun, to formally learn some of the ways to play in a casino before actually going into a casino game.