There are shows such as Mansion Poker that try to switch up the formula with elements like displaying players heart rates...whatever. The point it, there is a whole lot of this crap on TV and I think it gives people the wrong impression about what gambling is all about.Since middle school, I have always liked playing poker with friends for insignificant amounts of money, or just for fun. I was also always the guy to try to make a bet out of every situation, such as who can drink the most warm Pepsi in three minutes (48 ounces, thank you.) Sadly, I have yet to go to Vegas since becoming legal, but upon turning 21, it didn't take long for me to venture to some of our local southern AZ casinos.
If you live in Tucson, you have three options for legal gambling within 30 minutes of town.
-Desert Diamond Casino is the oldest of the nearby casinos, about 20 minutes south of Tucson at 1100 West Pima Mine Road.
-Casino Del Sol and Casino of The Sun are two Casinos in south-east of Tucson on Valencia. They are pretty much across the street from each other, with Casino Del Sol being the newest, largest, and most attractive of the three.
My first experience playing organized poker was at Desert Diamond. Now, I'm sure Vegas poker rooms are a little more like what you see on TV, but Desert Diamond's room-and the rest of the casino for that matter-has surely seen better days. The room is smoky, cramped and drab. The felt tables have unnumberable cigarette burns, and the folks lingering at the tables at 3a.m. match their surroundings pretty accurately. I sat down at a 2/10 ($2 min, $10 max bet) table, and within 15 minutes I had lost the $80 I had just gained in blackjack. I left that morning with a new respect and disdain for the game.
Here, then, are a few misconceptions some of you might have from watching poker on TV, and what their harrowing realities.
1. It is Not that exciting. What few people realize is that when they show poker on TV, they edit out the vast majority of the hands played. For every exciting hand with a huge pot, there are a dozen hands where very little happens and nobody has a hand to play. Sitting at a table with strangers who are trying to take your money for several hours is not fun.
2. Speaking of those strangers, most people in casinos are not nice. They are bitter, depressed and stressed out about how much money they have just lost and how they are going to make their car payment. Conversation is slim, tread carefully when making jokes about winning a hand.
3. Along those same lines, and this should go without saying, but THE MONEY IS REAL. Sure it seems like fun to throw around chips but it is very easy to lose sense of reality in a casino and forget about finances. Most people on TV have money to play, or they have been invited to play tournaments for which they don't put up any dough.
So remember, if you are thinking of visiting a casino any time soon, don't expect it to be like it is on TV. Be careful and don't spend more than you can afford to lose. As a side note, I have never won any money playing poker at a casino, and my biggest winnings have come from 10 cent video Keno.
