Much attention is given to the quality of play in Las Vegas poker rooms. These rooms, which hide in conspicuous enclaves of big time casinos, have long been home to some of the world’s finest players. These days, the overall level of play has dropped dramatically. With ESPN and other networks giving poker more mainstream coverage, average Joes everywhere are learning to play the game. While they learn to play games on the internet and against their below average friends, they also want to test their skill against the “real” poker players out in Las Vegas.
Unfortunately, many of these players lack the skill to compete at a high level. That’s where you and I come in. For experienced poker players, it is our job to find these relative new players and to take their money. As 19th century poker player Canada Bill Jones said, “It’s immoral to let a sucker keep his money. ” How do you find these players, though? What separates a good player from a bad one? Often times, good poker players will have to sit down and play a few hands in order to figure out who is a potential candidate for bankroll dumping.
Using some simple tips and clues, the savvy gambler can eye his or her prey before ever sitting down at the table. In general, experienced poker players come in two forms. They are either frequent visitors of Las Vegas who have plenty of poker expertise or Las Vegas locals who make a living out of playing poker. That’s not to say that these players are any better or worse than the average Joe, but they are much less likely to get drunk and dump their hundred dollar bills into the table’s coffers. These guys are generally playing by themselves. You won’t see them chatting it up or messing around at the tables.
If you see a player who is extremely friendly with the dealer and the dealer seems to know that player personally, it’s a good indication that he or she is a Las Vegas regular. It’s hard to simply eye a person and judge their poker skill on that look alone. Las Vegas natives seem to be less concerned with flash, though. They are dressed as if they’re ready to grind away at the tables. Tourists, on the other hand, look dressed for vacation. They will have that wide-eyed look of excitement while the experienced player will look completely content with the situation at the casino.
In addition to their flashy dress and wide eyes, tourists and new players tend to stick to the trendy hotels. Places like the MGM Grand will attract much of this. More times than not, they will be drunk and ready for action. If you notice a drunk, boisterous, and seemingly careless person at a late-night table, that’s your target. Along those same lines, late night sessions are the best time to take advantage of these folks. Alcohol is their enemy as it makes their already shaky decision making that much worse. Winning at the poker tables in Las Vegas is not as difficult as it may seem.
In reality, it’s all about choosing your battles correctly. There is no reason to butt heads with the best poker players that Las Vegas has to offer. Use these tips to identify the weak players and go after them. At the end of the day, your bankroll will thank you for it. Poker is a game of image and deception. Even through it’s rough history, poker will always remain a game of class, even with the recent blow-up of Texas Hold Em in rural and suburban areas as well as on television, so when you cash in next time you go to the casino, do you even think about what you’re wearing, and how that affects how people view you and your game?
This is America, you don’t need to be dressed up to play cards in a casino like Europe, but does this mean you should go in wearing ripped jeans, a t-shirt, and sunglasses? If this makes you feel comfortable, then sure, but you should know that some of the sharks hanging around will view you as nothing but a casual player, there to win or lose a small amount, but generally be there to have a good time. This is fine if you actually can play your cards, as you’ll be a little bit of a sleeper around with guys who may look more polished or serious then yourself.
Keep an eye out for young guys or teenagers (I live and gamble in Minnesota, where our gambling age is 19) wearing poker themed slogan t-shirts with sayings like “Big Slick” or “I’ve Got the Nuts”. Although these may impress their friends who have nothing to do with the game other than watching the WPT once, all it does to a table full of skilled players is scream “I’m a beginner player. ” Again, if you’re actually not just a beginner, maybe throwing that “I’ve got bullets” shirt on will throw some play your way.
Keep an eye out for small emblems or logos on clothing that represent poker brands. These could either be brands that this player actually likes, or more importantly, he may be a sponsered player, either way meaning he has invested time and money into learning the game and is probably an extremely skilled player. If you want to get into a pot with these guys, you’d better make damn sure you know how to play your cards. Again, people who feel the need to dress up to play poker are probably either extremely serious and talented players, or people just trying to act that way.
It shouldn’t take too many hands to seperate the wheat from the chaff with these players. Even if their game isn’t completely watertight great, I must admit, I always respect a player who will sit down in designer sunglasses, a suit, and a tie. Women! A great display of cleavage or generally just looking attractive has switched many a male player’s concentration to the female from his hand. Use this trick wisely! This bring us to the subject of sunglasses. People wear sunglasses in poker to try to eliminate tells from the eyes, just like people wear hats to somewhat eliminate facial tells.
I personally wear sunglasses (a pair of highly reflective Aviators), because I can somewhat hide in my own little world. I still converse and table talk, but I can sit right there and stare at a players face the whole hand, and they will have no clue where my eyes are. They didn’t glance down at the flop, turn, or river, they had been watching the player to my right the whole time. It feels good when you have someone under complete surveillance, but make sure your glasses aren’t too dark so you can misread a card or the color of a chip.
Poker pro Phil Ivey recalls throwing a pair of thousand dollar sunglasses away after he misread a river and lost a $100,000 pot. Now to tell you all what I wear to the casino or cardroom. I’m only 19, so I’m consistently the young guy at the table. I’m a kid, but I know my way around a poker table and a 4/8 or 2/10 game of Hold Em, so usually I dress up a little which is something my younger peers very rarely do. It’s easy to disrespect the lousy kid with the Metallica t-shirt on throwing chips around left and right and then remarking to what happened when Esfandiari had that hand last week on the WPT.
I dress up to seperate myself a little bit, usually wearing my signature Aviators, unkept curly hair under a Guiness cap, button up long sleeved shirt, comfortable khakis or jeans, and either my work shoes or Converse All-Stars. This shows that I am fun and cocky, but I did think to throw on something that looks presentable before sitting down to play. Take these tips as they are and think about what you’re wearing before heading to the cardroom! See ya at the tables.
Lady Gaga has spent the last year sweeping the world with her catchy pop tunes, amazing vocals, and outlandish performances and clothing. Even though she has many looks and sounds, everyone can recognize some of her singles like “Just Dance,” “Love Game” and probably her most popular, “Poker Face”. Even though she has covered the music industry with her music and image, it seems that it has become just as popular to cover her songs. One of the most interesting and popular covers of “Poker Face” is by Of Mice and Men, which brings the pop diva’s song into the post-hardcore scene.
Although the original “Poker Face” and its cover have completely different instrumentals, vocals and an all around sound and mood, the cover still holds true to the layout of the original song, simply just remaking it to their own liking. Of Mice and Men don’t just simply cover the Gaga hit, they do it so well and it is so popular that it is now one of their best selling songs and in high demand to play live at concerts. After all, who says pop can’t scream and get a little angry? Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” can easily be heard on any pop radio station today and it wouldn’t take long to find someone who could sing it.
Some of the reasons for this popularity are the song’s catchy synthesizer, heavy dance beat, and Gaga’s distinct voice. Just as those techniques pull listeners in, the song jumps into an upbeat, sing-along chorus, which is essential for any pop song to be successful. Of Mice and Men manages to turn the song on its head by taking out those key elements. With distorted electric guitar and bass instead of synthesizer, a full drum set boasting a fast bass beat, and replacing Gaga’s signature vocals with a screamer, the song soon loses its own identity.
Just before the song gets too far from its origins, Of Mice and Men pulls it back with a catchy and upbeat chorus, by slowing down the drums and singing rather than screaming. After repeating this sequence a few times, the band falls into a breakdown of heavy, slow drums and guitar, reminding the listener that it is truly a hardcore song, not simply a pop hit in disguise. This is the perfect balance between remaking the song and keeping its original pieces. A whole different music scene than Gaga’s could very well appreciate the cover, which is why it has become so popular for Of Mice and Men.
By bringing it into their world, and doing it well the band has created their own hit. Even though the song could be considered completely different, a lot of the technical elements remain the same. The original song starts with a single synthesizer playing one of the two main riffs, then a lower harmony of that riff joins. Of Mice and Men echo this as the electric guitar starts the song off, and the bass joins with a lower harmonic. The bass beat and the drums come in at the same time in both songs as well as the second synthesizer/guitar.
Not only do the instrumentals of the cover stay within Gaga’s blueprint throughout the rest of the song, but the vocals do as well. There are essentially two different voices that Gaga uses; the lower, repetitive voice that she sings the verses with, and the higher, harmonic and upbeat voice for the chorus. Once again Of Mice and Men successfully copies the original format by using two different vocalists, one with a higher singing voice, to echo Gaga’s in the choruses, and the lower screamer in the verses.
Even though Lady Gaga has conquered most of the know pop world, there are so many other genres of music. Covers and parodies are the most popular way for a song to cross-over from one genre to another and Of Mice and Men shows how this is possible by taking a hit in one world and transforming it into a hit in a completely different one. Through changing some elements but keeping others the same, they create a song that has its own sound but still maintains its original character.