It's tough to win on the road. Most people understand this, especially as it pertains to team sports. If you're a football bettor, for example, you know that oddsmakers routinely give three points to the home team before even beginning to analyze the matchup.
But does this apply to cash games in poker? After all, it is not a team sport; there are no refs or umpires to be influenced by the crowd. In fact, there is no crowd - just you, some other players, and a dealer, just like home.
Nevertheless, I contend that there is a significant home-court advantage in poker, especially as it applies to Las Vegas. Perhaps this column applies to other venues, as well, but I am quite familiar with Las Vegas, so I will stick with that.
Where does this advantage come from?
• Playing with strangers
• Patience
• Environment
• Comfort
Playing with strangers: Las Vegas attracts tourists from all over the world, which is something that most cardrooms don't. Vegas players play with strangers every day of the week, and get used to quickly sizing up players and their games. We expect the unexpected. Many visitors play with the same crowd and same styles every day, and can't adapt well to new people and strange play.
Patience: Las Vegas players are there for the long run. We do not have to play a hand today if we don't think it's a winner. We will be here tomorrow. Many players from out of town, even if they know better, have a sense of urgency about gambling and getting involved. They are in town for only a few days and want action, even if they know it's unwise.
Similarly, many visitors, even those who play in other cardrooms, play immediately when they get to town (some even before they check in to their hotel room!). They are jet-lagged and tired, and their judgment is not at its best, but there they are, doing battle with some of the nation's toughest players. And many locals are well-rested and ready for a day's work. For example, I always nap before I go in to play. I sleep from 5 p.m. until I wake up, typically between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Then, ready and refreshed, I start in a proper frame of mind (at least I try to). I am playing with conventioneers who have been working all day, family men who have taken their wives to dinner and a show and now can finally play some poker, and other nice folks who are at the end of their day.
Environment: Many tourists are not used to being offered free drinks by attractive women in abbreviated (to truly scanty) attire. Between taking advantage of the drinks and ogling the servers, they are not playing the way that they do at home. In several casinos with high-tech nightclubs, more women in "club wear" also provide a distraction for the male players. Hey, I like looking, too, but since I am there every week, I am not totally consumed with this phenomenon.
House rules are different in some Las Vegas casinos, as well. I find it amusing when some visitor tries to make a ruling based on what the rules are where he usually plays. Let me give you two examples from Bellagio. In California, a player moves a certain number of seats and has the option of waiting a number of hands equal to the number of players he has passed, or posting. At Bellagio, you can move two players for free, but if you move three live players or more, you must post no matter how long you are willing to wait. You cannot "deal off."
If you come from a broken game, you are dealt right in … and that means that if you sit down in the blind, you must take it or get a blind button. You cannot come in behind, and certainly not for free. Of course, if you sit down behind the button, you are dealt in for free. Regulars understanding this sometimes delay sitting down from a broken game until their position is favorable. Tourists get angry if they put their chips down, go to the restroom, and return to find a blind button.
Even the common Las Vegas rules, like one bet and four raises for a cap, and the dead-button rule (there's never a small blind on the button), provide differences that unfamiliar players need to learn to cope with.
Comfort: Some folks are not used to 24-hour towns, with breakfast specials served all night or steak specials offered 24 hours a day. Unending games, multiple TVs, no clocks, and never-closing bars all help to remove the typical tourist from the element with which he is comfortable.
Also, simple familiarity with the dealers, procedures, table arrangement, floorpeople, and food availability, among others, gives the local player less to think about or worry about than the visitor. It is easier to focus on the games when you know how everything works.
Ways to overcome the home-court advantage: Here are some thoughts on overcoming this disadvantage when you're on the road.
First, of course, don't drink. OK, perhaps a beer or glass of wine will not impair your game, but do not get carried away just because drinks are free.
Do not play a game that requires judgment the day you fly in. Relax, sleep, and play later. The game will be there when you are ready. Remember that you are playing poker for money, and that decisions matter. If you are tired, uncomfortable, up way past your bedtime, or playing in a game that is too tough, stop.
There is no shame in acknowledging that the limit you play at home offers easier games than the ones in Las Vegas. It is OK to step down a bit if you sense that you are not one of the best players in the game. Many people visit Las Vegas and try to play higher because they want to test themselves. That's fine, try it. It might work for you, but be aware that it might not, and be ready to step out.
Try to identify the professionals. True, some do not play that great, but they are all winning players to one degree or another. You generally would be better off focusing your efforts on the other guys, but don't give the professionals a free pass. If you believe that you have a hand, or a pro is taking advantage of a situation, go ahead and crush him. But, I tend to focus on the weaker players, because as Willie Sutton said when asked why he robbed banks, "That's where the money is."
If you keep all of this in mind, you will have a better trip, and probably a more successful experience.
Barry Tanenbaum is the author of Advanced Limit Hold'em Strategy, and a collaborator on Limit Hold'em: Winning Short-handed Strategies, both of which are available at www.CardPlayer.com. Barry offers private lessons tailored to the individual student. Please see his website, www.barrytanenbaum.com, or write to him at [email protected].
