An integral member of a ship broking firm based in London, Ambar Venkatraman has been playing poker regularly for the last 3 years in casino's all around the world. On a long self discovery trip last year, Ambar decided to head to Las Vegas and ended up spending a month in the casino's of Sin City. Card Player India gets him to relive the experience!
Man's fascination for things like the race to send a man onto the moon or for ground breaking inventions such as electricity, the telephone, the wheel or even silicon implants( in particular the silicon implants of one Ms. Pamela Anderson) has been well documented through the years.
But when you talk of an entertainment quotient, there is no place as ridiculously entertaining as 'The Strip' aka Sin City, a fact which is engrained into your brain as you land at Las Vegas Airport.
I always wondered why was it called sin city, but the pure injection of sin that you receive once you're there makes you incapable of doing anything that in the eyes and the book of the Pope can be defined as 'good'. From the constant ringing of the slot machines, to the sheer insanity of the structures that are the casinos on the strip, a proper loop roller coaster at the New York New York, to the 'falling off the edge' ride at the Stratosphere, to the Lion cage at the MGM, to sit below the Eiffel tower at the Paris and watch the musical fountain show at the Bellagio, it almost makes you believe that you can do and be anything you want.
I was in Las Vegas for a total of 25 days not so much for the reasons I have stated above but for the fact that 'I love playing poker' and that love for the game had driven me to the city where they say the game is played at its highest level. I wanted to experience that rush of sitting on a Vegas poker table not knowing if the new guy that has come on position 7 is a pro, a hustler, a tourist. Thats when you realize what skills you have developed as a poker player playing all those house cash games. Amidst all the glamour and fun that comes with Vegas, when you are there as a serious gambler what you have to understand is that every other human being wants your money and you have to want theirs, if you don't then you're better of going for a tourist excursion to the Grand Canyon.
One of the real pleasures of playing poker in vegas was that you had the option to make some of the most beautiful casinos of the world as your offices for the day. However, once you are on the table and have those two cards in front of you its a whole new ball game. The poker room of every casino has its own characteristics - The Venetian I found to be a bit hostile, The Bellagio as a casino and its poker room is an experience of a life time (I was lucky enough to actually see Phil Ivey play at the Bellagio), the MGM grand could give you an interesting mix but sometimes could also have some really dodgy people on the tables, The Wynn and The Encore are in todays time the most sophisticated casinos on the Strip and in turn attract some of the tightest players that I came across in my time there.
What one needs to keep in check when in Vegas as a gambler is not to get awed by the crazy nature of this crazy city. I only lasted 7 days in my first stint as I was consumed by the 24 hour life that it entices you to lead with all the gambling, the partying, the women and the rest of the glitz. I then went back for 3 weeks with a game plan of being methodical about the amount of time I was spending playing poker and partying, budgeting everyday out as if I was at work. The importance of understanding the word "Bankroll" is imperative. Live within your bankroll otherwise your intended stay could be a lot shorter than you expected even with a good day at the tables.
One last piece of advice before I sign off- Guard your chips like you would guard your wife...Becasue that strip was built on the money the casino's took from YOU!
By Ambar Venkatraman
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