Leaving the tiger for the sharks

Ive recently made a switch- Ive not visited a casino in months... and im getting my 'fix' at a (much closer) greyhound track w/ poker.

Its a large city (500,000+) and this is one of two poker rooms for the city- and the track provides a neat secondary item to watch.

Ive enjoyed playing there against otherplayers- albiet I loose more then I win, but im learning alot and practicing what i learn. I was recently in my first tournament there, a $120 tournament w/ 36 players and I managed to finished 9th. I felt pretty good.

Its nice to go there, I dont feel I need as big a bank roll, and honestly these venues are pretty nice- not as shabby spots as I thought they might be.

Do most of you think youd need a full fledged casino for your deeds- or do you find the parimutuals just as entertaining?

I make it to Emerald Downs (horses) MAYBE once a year if the weather is nice. (note that they are not allowed to offer other types of gaming currently, though they may soon get to offer class 2 machines) So I guess my answer is I require a full fledged casino.

Ive enjoyed playing there against otherplayers- albiet I loose more then I win, but im learning alot and practicing what i learn. I was recently in my first tournament there, a $120 tournament w/ 36 players and I managed to finished 9th. I felt pretty good.


First tournament and you have every right to feel good. Final Table right out of the gate! Congratulations !

I have watched the horses run a few times, but I've never placed a wager on one -- it's just not my thing. Also, I don't play slots and have very rarely played poker; that suggests that the typical racino would be of little interest to me. I have played at several "real" casinos in WVa that are co-located with dog or horse tracks, but I stuck to the crap tables.

H'mmm.... is this stuff about Tigers and Sharks a mixed metaphor? Oh well,,, so what. Its an interesting question anyway.

I think almost all racetracks have either become "racinos" or will soon become racinos or else will soon become extinct.
Of course there are or will be various local measures to stave off the inevitable such as physical separations of the betting opportunities, dollar limits, limits on the number of tables, etc.

But its sort of the Dottys question: for some slot players a small parlor with two groups of machines and some coffee and crackers is just fine and they don't need no dancing girls or rock and roll bands. Vegas is full of casinos, yet you don't visit every one. However, the existence of those other options contributes something to the overall atmosphere. You might not personally visit a Nudie Bar but the existence of all those places sets a tone for the "eat, drink and be merry" attitude. You might not stroll the Las Vegas Strip carrying a yard long concoction of something green and pink but the establishment selling dozens of those drinks an hour helps contribute to the general "Vegas experience".

An economist would start talking about "marginal" stuff at this point in time. Just how much does One Added Unit contribute to the overall experience and how much does One Added Unit contribute to your personal overall experience.

A local racetrack/mini-casino/cardroom offers you "enough". You are very well aware that you are not in Las Vegas and can't stroll outside carrying three feet of booze with you. You are probably very well aware that the only naked sirens around will be those unadorned instruments on the bumpers of police cars. You are also aware that you don't need to be strip searched to get into the local racetrack. In short, there are pluses and minuses and for you they add up to a "comfortable" sum.

I might find the racetrack more pleasant if I ever won anything there, but I never do. I find my local "casino" to be sufficient but I'm also constantly aware that it is merely what is closest and not what I would prefer. Its sort of like scratching an itch but not scratching it long enough. Its much better than not scratching it at all, but it sure leaves something to be desired.

I think you enjoy poker and lets admit it, a giant poker room with lots of tables and spreading a zillion varieties of games may be an awesome sight for you to behold but in all actuality you know you can only sit at one table at a time, so the more limited offerings at your local racino/cardroom is probably all you really need. The two local poker rooms seem to suit you. Thats all that matters. All those people strutting up and down Las Vegas Blvd with those yard long drinks are welcome to them.

Coming in 9th out of 36th shows you have skills and an interest. Coming in 9th out of 2,000 would be the same skills and the same interest but simply more saddle sores. So stick to the card room that makes you happy!

Well written response FleaStiff! I completely agree with you.

The downside of a small local card room is that you will see the same faces over and over. If you all get along, fine. However, if there are one or two sourpusses, you might want to change tables and not have another option. The beauty of Las Vegas is the overwhelming variety of choices to accomodate every preference and style of play. Despite its economic problems, it still has no equal.

Well written except for your summary.

Quote: FleaStiff

Coming in 9th out of 36th shows you have skills and an interest. Coming in 9th out of 2,000 would be the same skills and the same interest but simply more saddle sores. So stick to the card room that makes you happy!

No disrespect intended, but most tourneys pay the top 10%. So 9th out of 36 is impressive, but not even close to the money. 9th out of 2,000 would make you near the top prize winner of the day!

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Well written except for your summary.

No disrespect intended, but most tourneys pay the top 10%. So 9th out of 36 is impressive, but not even close to the money. 9th out of 2,000 would make you near the top prize winner of the day!

Still making a final tagle first time out is an accomplishment. 9th of 2,000 is skill and luck. Or to quote Doyle Brunson not verbatim.
Big tournaments are like a lottery. Skilled players have more tickets, but it's still a lottery.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Well written response FleaStiff!

I must have been drunk!

>The downside of a small local card room is that you will see the same faces over and over. If you all get along, fine.
Yeah, my local Indian casino has that. The same faces over and over and they even all take their breakfast together and sit at the same four tables in the Deli that are pushed together for them each morning. I guess they get along since they all seem happy even when the conversation turns wistfully to craps (which is unavailable to them in the Indian casino). Maybe all they really do is trade Blinds back and forth, I don't know. I couldn't bluff if my life depended on it so whats the use of my trying to play poker.

>The beauty of Las Vegas is the overwhelming variety of choices to accommodate every preference and style of play.
True. You may not actually go to more than one casino but you do have the option to go to another one or two or three ... anytime that you want to. Some poker players find there is a change of policy in one room and they all migrate to the same new room without having told each other which new casino they were choosing. Some poker players go to Vegas or atleast claim that they go to Vegas because of the endless supply of "fish" or "donkeys". I'm not quite sure what they mean but I think its roughly equivalent to "victims".

> Despite its economic problems, it still has no equal.
True. Its sort of like the real Mona Lisa on display in Paris versus all the copies that are available. No matter how content you may be looking at a copy you are always aware that the original is elsewhere and is unequaled anywhere else.
Hookers are everywhere, but Vegas is a magnet that has them flying in on Friday morning and leaving on Monday morning. Other places don't have that sort of appeal. Women walk around the Venetian with black eyes. It has nothing to do with their boyfriends, they walk into things because they are awe struck at the architecture and the shops. Some casinos have several craps tables and they are all in use. Everyone has different tastes and often they vary but Vegas can satisfy everyone instantly. Its simply that large a place and there seems to be a disinhibitioning factor in the phrase "Vegas, Baby". I think Brazil has a festival of some sort wherein adultery is not legally recognized for three days of the year. Las Vegas seems to be a sort of unofficial similar situation but for all days of the year. Booze consumption, sexual appetites, food consumption, ... the phrase Vegas Baby seems to alter the senses. And that does not happen in some local-monopoly card room with bare boned tables and metal chairs on a linoleum floor. Nor does it happen in some ersatz imitation of a Vegas casino.

Flea -

Another great post!



FYI: Yeah, "Fish" and "Donkeys" are lousy poker players / victims. "Fish" as in "Shooting fish in a barrel," and "Donkey" as in "Plays like an ass." "Donkey" also gives us the verb "Donk" as in "To 'donk' your chips away."

Quote: DJTeddyBear

No disrespect intended, but most tourneys pay the top 10%. So 9th out of 36 is impressive, but not even close to the money.

That may be but it was his first tournament and although 9th may not be in or even be near the money its a heck of a lot better than having come in 36th.

I think what he may have been describing might be referred to as a "small pond" that happens to be close by to his home. It was not a bad experience for him but he is indeed aware that its not "the real thing". Its not miles of flashing neon signs, its not scores of casinos and dozens of poker rooms and throngs of people milling about. Its a small, local card room.

There is perhaps actually steel chairs and linoleum on the floor. His local "small pond" will never be mistaken for a Las Vegas casino or be mistaken for the Venetian's poker room which is said to be the most well appointed and comfortable one in Las Vegas. And although we can split hairs about this, the top ten percent of the tournament would have been either 3.6 or 4 players so indeed being 9th ain't all that great, but it ain't all that bad either. Skills displayed in a steel chair and linoleum-floored environment are still skills possessed by him. And pleasures had in a steel chair and linoleum-floored environment can still be rewarding even if there are occasional wistful thoughts about those plush chairs and deep carpets at the Venetian.