good place to play poker for a beginner

[Jhaulotte]

I had heard the Luxor has some very bad players and the limits are pretty decent.

[PokeringCanuck]

My experience says Mirage is too risky. Even as someone who knows how to play... I am a low limit player, and I want to sit down with a couple of people who know how to play, at most a single old grinder, then a bunch of people who don't know how to play... If you are a beginner, the best you can hope for is people as new to it as you... experience is big, not a tough game to learn. But do even a bit of reading and against beginners you'll probably do ok.

Mirage can just have 4 grinders and some of the people there really know how to play, even at lower limits. Mirage was the Mecca of poker at one point and it has a bit of a talent level as a result.

[PokeringCanuck]

I had heard the Luxor has some very bad players and the limits are pretty decent.

Luxor is the best if you just want to play but arent really expecting to get lucky and win a couple hundred bucks. Even if you pick up AA a couple times, probably wont earn too much sort of thing..

You get dealt some of those hands at MGM and people will have $200 in against you with AJ before the flop if you're lucky. Free 200 bucks!

[Chuck]

My experience says Mirage is too risky. Even as someone who knows how to play... I am a low limit player, and I want to sit down with a couple of people who know how to play, at most a single old grinder, then a bunch of people who don't know how to play... If you are a beginner, the best you can hope for is people as new to it as you... experience is big, not a tough game to learn. But do even a bit of reading and against beginners you'll probably do ok.

Mirage can just have 4 grinders and some of the people there really know how to play, even at lower limits. Mirage was the Mecca of poker at one point and it has a bit of a talent level as a result.

In fact, Mirage was my last seat in Vegas at a Poker table. I was there for about 3-4 hours, landing small/medium pots, then just when I thought I had this guy pegged I'd been raking against all night on a big pot, he cleans me out in one hand with what, in hindsight, was a carefully calculated play setup by baiting me with small pots over a period of time. It was NL, think he took me for about $600 on that hand. Haven't played since...in Vegas anyway.

[johnbender]

I suggest Flamingo for beginners. It's more of a fun room...low limits, spin the wheel on big hands, stuff like that. Good drink service too.

[MangoPort]

Surprised the thread has gone this far without Venetian being brought up.

It's the largest room (with the exception of the RIO WSOP arenas), but it also has the nicest floor staff, very fast cocktail service and a very welcoming vibe.

There's a difference between playing terrible players that don't understand poker and are nervously playing with $50 in front of them and drunk tourists that are just there to have fun and splash some money around.

Venetian has the latter.

[dcredsox]

Venetian is pretty good

[Jhaulotte]

Venetian is pretty good

+1
Venetian's daily tourny line-up is great. Good variety of games and buy-in amounts.

[dcredsox]

Yea they have great tourneys. Flamingo isn't a bad place either for beginners.

[romano2nea]

LOL! Venitian is well known as one of the tougher Poker room in Vegas! Not the best place from a beginner point of view ^^

[Jhaulotte]

LOL! Venitian is well known as one of the tougher Poker room in Vegas! Not the best place from a beginner point of view ^^

Good point. I guess when I said it was good I meant it looks good, good table stakes, and wide variety of games and tournys, but youre right it is not a place to sit and learn for the first time due to the quality of players.

[romano2nea]

And moreover, for a beginner, it will be more fun to play with people here to have fun (drinking, talking...) than play against sharks who are here to take your money Mirage, Luxor, Excalibur, Flamingo and all those "layback" places will be fun

[plur25]

I vote for the Flamingo poker room

[calbear21]

are all the higher end casino's minimum $10 for their tables games or do any of them have $5 tables?

[Jhaulotte]

are all the higher end casino's minimum $10 for their tables games or do any of them have $5 tables?

Higher ends are nearly impossible. You MIGHT find a 5 dollar at PH,MGM, or a casino like that. Its tough and usually only slow hours. Wynn, Bellagio, and Venetian type places I have never seen it. Doesnt mean theyre not out there but I havent seen them. Mirage where I do a lot of my gambling I have seen ONE 5 but not on weekends