Miss Holdem

Playing Against Card Room Regulars

In a card room which is located in suburban areas such as Seattle, one can find a group of poker players that is different from other poker players. The players of this unique group do not go to big casinos in order to be in a sparkling and posh environment. They are also not interested in being big famous winners of poker tournaments. They just play poker for entertainment and for money. These players are called card room regulars.

Card room regulars play friendly poker several times a week in one chosen card room or gambling house. These regular poker sessions are part of their routine. While other poker players play during weekends or on Friday nights, the card room players can be seen in the gambling house on weekdays. Some of them even play in the middle of the day.

Should one go up against card room regulars? These players probably have a lot of experience and can be difficult to beat. Perhaps. But any poker player, given the right conditions and knowledge about him, can be beaten. One can beat a card room regular if one knows what to expect from him. Here are some ways to identify a card room regular:

- The staff of the card room or gambling house greets the poker player by name since his face is already familiar due to the frequency of his visits.

- The staff or manager comments on the arrival of the poker player. The comment could be "on time", "late", or "early". This is because the card room looks forward to the arrival of their regular customer.

- The dealer conducts small talk with the poker player about things that happened several weeks ago.

When a new poker player approaches a table full of card room regulars, he will be subjected to a disconcerting scrutiny. The card room regulars already know each other, but this new player is someone who is an unknown. The new poker player should not be overwhelmed by such a treatment. These card room regulars will still welcome a new player.

Will the new player be at an advantage or at a disadvantage? The new player may think himself at a disadvantage because his opponents already knew each other. But there are advantages, too. For example, being new means that these card room regulars don't know how to deal with the poker player.

Since the card room regulars are already familiar with each other, they will be relaxed. They may even tease each other. Such bantering can give a whole mountain of information for the new poker player. And this is another advantage.