Poker in Las Vegas

About

Poker differs from every other game on this list: you are not playing against the casino. The players at the table bet against each other and the winner of each hand takes the pot. Nevada's gaming statistics reflect this; UNLV's summary of Gaming Control Board data lists poker as rake only, with no direct win for the house.

The game dealt most often in casino poker rooms is Texas hold'em. Before the cards are dealt, the player to the dealer position's left posts a small blind and the next player a big blind, forced bets that start the pot. The dealer position moves one seat clockwise each hand. Every player then receives two cards face down.

There are four rounds of betting. Pre-flop, the player to the left of the big blind acts first and must call, raise or fold. Three community cards are then dealt face up (the flop), followed by a betting round; a fourth (the turn), and another round; and a fifth (the river), and a final round. In the rounds after the flop, play starts with the player to the dealer position's left.

If more than one player is left at the end, the hands are shown. Each player makes the best five-card hand from their own two cards and the five on the board, and does not have to use both of their own cards. Hands rank from highest to lowest: straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card. Games are spread as fixed limit, where bets and raises are set amounts, pot limit, where a raise can be no larger than the pot, or no limit, where you can bet everything in front of you.

What to expect

Poker rooms run a list. When you arrive, there is usually a display showing the games running, their betting limits and the names of people waiting; tell the desk which game you want. Some rooms ask you to buy chips at the cashier before you are seated rather than buying in from the dealer at the table.

Once your chips or cash are on the table they stay there until you leave the seat; you cannot take winnings off the table during play. Stack your chips neatly so the other players can see roughly how much you have. Act only when it is your turn, protect your cards (a chip on top of them works), and announce your action clearly: a raise made in more than one motion, a string bet, is not allowed. One player plays each hand.

Unlike table games, phones are often allowed in poker rooms; Caesars lists poker as an exception to its rule against phones at table games. It is customary to tip the dealer when you win a pot.

Other casino games

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Slot Machines

Before you play

• Las Vegas casino guide for beginners
• How casino comps work
• Las Vegas poker rooms

Good to know

• The rake is your cost of playing. Poker rooms typically take a percentage of each pot up to a maximum amount. Rake levels change and differ from room to room, so ask at the desk before you sit down.
• Because you play against other players, there is no fixed house edge in poker. Your result depends on your play and on the players at your table, which is why poker is the only game here where skill decides long-term results.
• Casinos also deal games that look like poker but are banked by the house, such as Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride and Pai Gow Poker. In those you play against the dealer, not the other players, and Nevada's gaming statistics count them as house games with their own win, separate from the rake-only poker tables.
• Nevada law gives players a route if a payout is disputed. Under NRS 463.362, a casino must immediately notify the Nevada Gaming Control Board of a dispute with a patron involving $500 or more; for smaller disputes it must tell the patron of the right to ask the Board to investigate.
• If gambling stops being fun, the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling lists 1-800-GAMBLER and 1-800-522-4700 as its helpline numbers; the line is answered 24 hours a day, calls are confidential, and it connects callers to treatment and support resources in Nevada. Setting a spending limit before you sit down, and not raising bets to win back losses, is advice Caesars gives its own players.

Questions about Poker