Shred

I second that.

I think it also has to do with time and day of the week also. Typically on the weekends and usually around 10:00pm EST during weeknights the tables are looser in general. Playing during the work day or when most people aren't playing the tables can get pretty tight at the levels you mentioned. I can't comment on other sites as I don't play on them.

It depends on what kind of chips you have. Most casino chips including Paul Son, Chipco and others can easily withstand soap and water. I've cleaned casino chips with some mild soap, water and an old toothbrush and had no trouble. Hotstamps I would be very careful. You mentioned ink - I'm not sure what you mean by ink.

As for as I've heard there has been a motion to legalize table games at Charles Town but I don't know if that includes poker. Nor do I know if/when this will really happen. I'm sure there are home games in Martainsburg. I know there are several in Hagerstown (micro to low limit), Frederick (micro to low limit), and Leesburg (low limit). I think there is a small NL game in Harpers Ferry.

There are quite a few players that I know who don't read any books and have a good solid understanding of the game. However, I've also noticed that some of these players have some large leak in their game. I think books help round out areas where a player doesn't pick up naturally.I tend to read poker books just because I enjoy reading them. Sometimes different authors contradict each other but most of the time the concepts are about the same. I enjoy analyzing what the author is trying to say and sometimes I don't agree with everything. I particularly like Ciaffone's approach, but also S

I believe Jone's first edition mentioned only limping with AK, however the second edition suggests raising - there's a couple of pages that the author rethought including the AK situation. I should clarify the Winning Low Limit Holdem 2nd edition is recommended. I think it really sets a solid foundation. The first edition was good but I thought had some flaws.

There are a few illeagal clubs in the DC metro and Baltimore areas and there are also a ton of home games at all limits. Usually when you get into one home game it leads to another and so on until you find the games you like.

I'd like to offer some suggestions. First of all welcome aboard, its a wild ride.As for books, I'd recommend two starting books:Theory of Poker by Sklansky Winning Low Limit Holdem by JonesI wouldn't recommend Small Stakes Holdem by Miller (and Sklansky). Not that its a bad book but Miller takes a very aggressive approach which I think puts inexperienced players into trouble real fast. I believe that SSH is for players who have a great deal of experience but prefer low stakes rather than a beginner's book. I've been "schooled" under Jones and Ciaffone and particularly fit into their style.

I would think your stack size would be less than the average. I also would not sit out for the first session in an event that you could double up with a legitimate hand or at least gain some chips if you can get in cheap and pull something.

I've heard good things about Wilson's Turbo Poker (I think it goes for $50-80). You can download a sample from their site.I've never played on the program so you may want to do your research.

Just the other day I was in a game in Atlantic City and the dealer commented that he couldn't play cards only deal them because he was under 21. I think he was 19.

I'll be heading to AC as well and will probably check out Bally's new room. Hopefully getting a 5-10 game. I'll be there between 1pm and 5pm.

I've seen a couple of people from Maryland. Just wondering where you play? I'm in Frederick.

Agreed that different casinos/cardrooms may be different meaning one casino's 3-6 is another's 6-12 but generally the playing style is different. Those loose passive callers are not as common the more you go up. The number of pre-flop callers in say a 2-4 game can be ridiculous so the main strategy is usually patience rather than skillful tactics. As you move up you'll need to adjust your play. That goes to for someone who routinely plays 20-40 and jumps down to 3-6, they'll have to adjust accordingly. So is the play better from say a 3-6 to a 5-10? You could say yes, but I think a small

First, there's nothing wrong with winning in the first few hands and then cashing out when you are way ahead. Go for it!However, there is a hit and run fallacy that some poker players have and that is to hit a game make some profit then cash out (run). The fallacy is that someone can sit down win a couple of hands and cash out everytime they play, but as Sklansky has been quoted "It's all one long poker game," meaning eventually you'll be grinding it out over the long run. Going to 20 games for just 15 minutes is just like going to one game for 5 hours. There will be winning sessions and

How many tables do you play at one time when playing on-line poker? Several swear by only playing one and others say up to 3.

I only play at Paradise and UB, but not for any specific reason. Here are some quick reviews of each:Both sites offer soft games from micro-limits to low limits and both offer games in the middle to high limit. Both sites are very reliable and security is top notch. Both have a variety of games and tournaments. I've had no issues with either. I typically play 2-4 to 4-8 limit holdem and some SnGs and have no complaints. I also enjoy switching to other games such as omaha/8 and stud. I'd recommend both sites but will give you some comparasions/issues with each:Paradise: Offers in additi

Curious what size cards do you prefer in home games.

Ciaffone's Pot LImit and No LImit book is great, although as the title states there's no limit info as well. Also the book is no exclusively holdem, but also contains, Omaha, Stud and even some Lowball.

How are the Bally's HE 5-10 games? I usally play at the Trop and Taj when I'm in AC at a little higher limits. I've played at the Sands which only had a $3-6 game going and was real soft.Sometimes with a bunch of guys we take a bus trip to the Trump. They like to shoot dice at the Sands and I usally head to a card room. I thought this time I'd be right next door to them at Bally's instead of walking in the opposite direction to the Trop.

This is kind of off topic from the original post, but one thing that always got me was the table shape. Playing on a holdem style table in a home game through my experience with each player dealing is that it is difficult to deal from the ends. I've opted for a round table (60") and that comfortably seats 8 players. We've even had up to ten although it was very tight.I've also bought "banquet" (sp?) style chairs that work great. I bought them from Sam's club for $17 each. They are comfortable, black (faux leather) and match nice with the black rail around the table.

There have been some great articles on strategy on SnGs in Cardplayer magazine. The basic premise - and this is basic - is to play extremely tight during the first few levels only playing premium hands, AA, KK, AKs, QQ, etc, and let the live ones knock each other out. I don't think you are giving much up by allowing other players to knock each other out and not building your stack especially at low buy-in NL SnGs. Then when the table gets to 6 or 7 players you turn up the agression and continue from there. Again this is very basic stuff. I'd check out cardplayer.com and search for sit and

I dunno, I find being staked at a non-professional level sort of silly. I've been playing for over 10 years and can be considered a "serious recreational player". I have a full time job and family and set aside a bankroll that I've worked up from playing poker and even started to "cash out" from my bankroll. My bankroll is sufficient for all the games I play sometimes even breaking the 300BB rule on occassion if the game looks good. I've never felt the need to be staked as I don't base the majority of my income from poker. I can see a professional tournament player who has to overcome la

I usually play at both UB and Paradise. I usually only play $1-2, $2-4 limit and since I'm new to NL only play the $25 max buy-in at Paradise. Paradise has a nice layout and well trusted (I'm not sure why someone would dump a large sum of money into a fly-by night gambling site as I've heard horror stories). I've had no issues with Paradise and have even been sent t-shirts and hats from them just for being a player there - although that was back in 2000. My only complaint is the number of hands per hour. It's a little slow complared to UB. Also, and this is not a plug for UB, but I reall