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Mastering poker strategies can give you an edge in various online casino games. Understanding probability, bluffing, and emotional control can enhance your gameplay beyond the poker table. This article explores how these skills can transform your online gaming experience.

The art of poker is not just about luck; it involves a deep understanding of strategies that can be applied to many online casino games. Players can use poker skills to improve their performance across different gaming platforms. The intersection of poker strategies and other casino games offers an exciting avenue for players seeking to elevate their gaming experience. As you explore the world of online casinos, consider how the strategic depth of poker can enhance your overall approach to gaming. Red Casino offers a platform where these skills can be tested and refined.

Understanding core poker strategies for gamers

Poker strategies are built on a foundation of probability assessment, bluffing, and emotional control. Probability assessment allows you to calculate the odds and make informed decisions based on potential outcomes. This strategic thinking is essential for making calculated bets and anticipating opponents’ moves. Bluffing, another key aspect, involves creating narratives or signals that mislead opponents, adding psychological depth to your gameplay.

Emotional control is vital in poker as it helps you manage stress and remain composed under pressure. This skill ensures that emotions do not cloud your judgment during critical moments. By honing these strategies through consistent practice and play, you can refine your decision-making process and apply these skills effectively across various online casino games.

Beyond these fundamental strategies, successful poker players also develop keen observational skills and pattern recognition abilities. Reading the table dynamics and understanding betting patterns can provide valuable insights into optimal play strategies. These analytical skills translate remarkably well to other casino games where pattern recognition and strategic observation can identify favorable situations. Additionally, bankroll management, a critical poker skill, ensures that you maintain sustainable gaming sessions across all casino platforms. Learning to set limits, manage your funds effectively, and avoid chasing losses are universal principles that protect your gaming budget while maximizing entertainment value.

Applying poker skills to blackjack and roulette

Blackjack and roulette are two popular casino games where poker strategies can be effectively utilized. In blackjack, probability assessment comes into play as you evaluate the likelihood of drawing certain cards to improve your hand. The ability to assess these probabilities can inform your decisions on when to hit or stand, enhancing your strategic gameplay.

In roulette, understanding probability can help you make more informed bets by analyzing patterns or trends. While bluffing is less applicable in roulette, emotional control remains crucial as it prevents impulsive betting driven by frustration or excitement. These examples demonstrate how strategic thinking developed in poker can be adapted to enhance performance in other games.

Benefits of using cross-game strategy techniques

The advantages of applying poker strategies to other casino games are numerous. Improved decision-making is one significant benefit, as it allows you to approach each game with a clearer understanding of potential outcomes. This leads to better risk management, helping you optimize your bets and increase the chances of winning.

Additionally, employing these strategies results in a more engaging gaming experience. As you navigate different games, the satisfaction of applying your honed skills enhances enjoyment and rewards you with a sense of accomplishment. Encouraging experimentation with new techniques not only enriches gameplay but also broadens your overall gaming expertise.

Exploring the potential for enhanced gaming skills

The potential for poker strategies to enhance casino gaming skills is vast. By integrating these methods into various online platforms, you can elevate your performance across different games. This adaptability allows you to approach each game with confidence and strategic acumen.

Experimentation is key; try applying your knowledge in new contexts and observe how it influences outcomes. By doing so, you cultivate a versatile skill set that not only improves individual performance but also enriches the overall gaming experience. Embrace this intersection of skills and explore the possibilities within the dynamic world of online casinos.

It is not whether online or live poker is superior but how they both combine to make a well-rounded player. The strategy and analysis of online games is more sharp and the live presence of the game teaches players to read, manage their emotions, and learn the behaviors of the table. The combination of these two develops a complete poker game.

Essential Skills for Live Poker

Live poker still requires human capabilities to succeed, to read people and to control emotions, something that cannot be learned using a computer.

Reading Physical Tells

Live play provides access to information that is not available online. There may be a hesitation or a determination showing in the moment, a change of sitting position or a slight fluctuation in the rhythm of betting. Though none of the tells can be termed as absolute, trends observed over time raise a difference in decision-making.

Table Dynamics and Image

How you look at the table determines how opponents will react to you. A tight image will steer you to bluff; a more impressive one will help you fetch a handsome price when you have a good hand. Through watching the actions of other players, you can observe some common patterns, which you can use against them.

The Skill of Meaningful Talk

Strategic table talk, when applied wisely, can affect the mind and sometimes even gain information. Stakeholders are likely to disclose emotional conditions or betting plans even when having a casual chat, which adds another dimension to live decision-making.

How to Use Technology to Win

Online poker games and digital tools provide a unique training ground. They’re ideal for playing a lot of volume hands and analyzing your game to precision — skills just as valuable as those you’ll learn at a live table.

Smart Hand Review

Hand databases and tracking software enable a player to view decisions objectively. Instead of concentrating on big pots, going through repeated scenarios, e.g., defending blinds or playing marginally out of position, will uncover structural leaks in your game.

How Volume Builds Pressure

Online poker helps in thinking. Hundreds of hands per hour help players acquire an instinct towards calculating pot odds and understanding probabilities and post-flop decisions. That confidence is passed across to the live felt where you are not instantly nervous under the pressure.

Access to a Global Strategy Pool

You should consider online poker a virtual classroom – a platform to train, share ideas and refine the skills together with others via forums and training websites.

Most of the strategies that are prevalent today, such as maintaining balanced ranges and developing sophisticated counterstrategies, were conceived and developed online long before they began to feature in live games. You can remain in touch with that conversation and thus remain a step ahead silently.

Safe Play Online and In-Person

Both live and online poker require discipline, especially in terms of maintaining a positive mindset and control of your bankroll.

Unified Bankroll Management

Consider your poker bankroll to be something sacrosanct, regardless of the location you are playing. Have strict boundaries of how much you’re willing to budget for online and live poker sessions to assist in the management of swings and make sure that your decisions are not influenced by emotions.

Other players choose to invest less in the high-risk online games and at the same time make sure that live poker is their main game. This way they can stay down-to-earth and play in a confident way.

Avoiding Digital Fatigue

Sometimes the convenience of playing poker online can be addictive, and you end up playing too many games, which can lead to you burning out or getting frustrated with online poker. This frustration can be easily transferred to your live poker games.

When you are losing hard online, it is generally an indicator that you should get out of the game and take a break (and perhaps get in the lab to study some more) rather than pursue the losses at the casino. This is one of the key things that one should learn to play sustainably in the long term.

Choosing the Right Platform

Choosing an online casino is almost as important as your strategy when you want to play online.

Websites are very varied in terms of fairness, security, and the tools they offer to ensure responsible play. As an example, in a comparison of sites that are loaded with games, you can read a review of them, like this review of Stake.com, to see how they compare on aspects such as licensing, high payouts, and player protections.

On the basis of this easy rule, you can choose only those platforms that are clearly managed and directed at safe and long-term play.

Final Wrap

Online as well as live play has been adopted by the best poker players today. Through online tools and poker training sites, they acquire skills within months, which would otherwise take years. In live settings, they put that knowledge to the test. This creates players who are sharp with people at the table and precise with the math behind the game.

There are exercises to try to improve your skills. To begin with, train a particular poker skill on the internet – such as disciplined 3-betting when blind. The next time you play live poker, you should then try to implement that same strategy. You must watch and listen to how your opponents respond as you do.

This is all you need to do to perfect your game: just practice online, then live, and watch your stack grow!

I just got back from my annual trip to Japan for my wife’s work. Each year I take a different side trip from there to play poker (since there’s no legal poker – for money – in Japan). Last year I went to Vietnam and had a great time playing poker in Hanoi. This year I decided to go to and play poker in Cambodia.

Travel From Japan to Cambodia

I wrote an article about poker heaven once. After considering many possible scenarios, I dismissed the idea, concluding that poker paradise did not exist after we died, but was probably right here on earth. I now think I may have found the exact spot. It’s in Cambodia!

Cambodia is a small nation, with only about 17.5 million people and about 70,000 square miles of area. That makes its population about 1/20^th of the US, about the size of the US state of Missouri (or about eight times the size of Israel).

I flew from Tokyo to Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh, a city of 2 million. It took me about 11 hours, with a transfer in Beijing. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights.

After staying, walking around, and playing poker in Phnom Penh for a couple of days, I then took a bus to the Cambodian coastal city known now as Sihanoukville, but traditionally called Kampong Som. It is a small city of about 100,000, with a whopping 16 poker rooms!

(One note about the poker in Cambodia. There is cigarette smoking in all of the rooms. The air filtration systems were pretty good at keeping it from being overwhelming. Still, if secondary smoke bothers you greatly, then it’s something to consider.)

Poker in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh is an extraordinary place, worth a visit in its own right. It has a brand-new airport, KTI, that is about a 35-minute drive from downtown. I booked a private ride from the airport to my casino hotel, Nagaworld. (I used the excellent website 12go.com to book my driver in advance. I recommend it highly.) The ride cost $25. There is also a public bus, for a buck or so, that takes 75 minutes, but it stops running in the late evening. I was going to take it, but my flight arrived too late. There are also dozens of cab drivers waiting for you as you exit customs at the airport. Negotiate a price with them before you leave. They’re friendly, speak English, accept dollars, and are not going to rip you off.

English and dollar friendly though Cambodia is, if you are arriving from the US or any non-Asian country, you will need a visa to enter the country in addition to your passport. No worries, though. If you didn’t get one in advance, you may purchase one for $30 on arrival.

Phnom Penh is a thriving urban area, undergoing rapid modernization, filled with tuk-tuks, motor bikes, cars, carts, pedestrians carrying wares on their head, and a very busy port. There are many construction sites. It has dozens if not hundreds of temples, shrines, and gilded pagoda-like structures and golden buddhas. As I walked the streets, I had non-stop opportunities for interesting photos. It is also teaming with inexpensive restaurants, massage shops, and street vendors. I had a mediocre massage for $3 and an excellent haircut for the same price.

Phnom Penh also has a major, full-service, 24/7 casino, Nagaworld, with a poker room, right in the heart of its downtown. It’s where I stayed and played poker in Cambodia’s capital for two days and nights.

Nagaworld is a top-end, luxurious casino resort with every amenity. Were it in a major western city, located as it is in the heart of downtown, it would easily cost $400 to $1,000 for the grand room I was given. They have a nice perk for poker players. Play for eight hours and the room is comped! As it was, I paid about $140 total, including all fees, taxes, and extra charges. It included a huge, lavish, brunch buffet. Such a great deal!

I played there three times during my stay, late at night, early in the morning, and mid-morning. There were 11 tables in the Nagaworld poker room, three in action most of the time I was there: two $1/3 games, one $2/5. They spread PLO from time to time as well, and sometimes have a $5/5 game.

The games had a mixture of regulars and visitors from China. I saw only one other non-Asian in the room. The level of play was mixed. Typically, over the six or so hours that I played, there were two or three folks trying to nurse short stacks. They gave practically no action, walked much of the time, and I suspect they were there just for the room comp. Two or three players were clearly big gamblers – and donors to the game. And two or three players were good – probably trying to grind out a meager hourly wage. I played both $1/3 and $2/5, with the $2/5 game much more aggressive, with many more 3- and 4- bets than the relatively sedate $1/3 game. The rake was, by non-US standards, reasonable: 5% with a $15 maximum.

The house provided free soft drinks – including soda and gourmet coffee beverages. There is a reasonably priced poker menu, with a highly rated kitchen on the premises. There are a number of high-end restaurants on the premises. I sampled some excellent noodle soup while I was there, that cost about $10; and I had a surprisingly good latte as well. The breakfast/brunch buffet was incredible – and I ate enough to last me until dinner. It would have cost $35-50 in a US hotel.

Should you choose to leave the premises, as I did and recommend you do, you’ll find all sorts of Asian-themed shops, cards, and restaurants – all within at 10-minute walk of Nagaworld. Food in Phnom Penh is very cheap. A hearty dinner for two might run you $12 or $15 if you ordered alcohol; though if you are on a tight budget you can get by for $2 to $3 a meal. I’d also recommend spending at least a day or so touring the city.

There are many museums, a lot of art, a beautiful and busy port, and miles and miles of teeming city street action to view. I enjoyed spending three hours at the National Museum. It houses art from all of Cambodia’s many centuries of history, including many unique religious objects. It’s a worthy way to spend time away from the poker tables.

Though it sounds a bit weird to say so, I highly recommend visiting the Genocide Museum, which memorializes the horrible killing by dictator Pol Pot and his entire Khmer Rouge regime. The museum doesn’t pull any punches, with a number of extremely graphic and troubling exhibits about the torture of Cambodians at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. I forced myself to look at everything. It’s important to remember what horrors happened in this country in the 1970s. Millions of people – just regular Cambodian people – were murdered – many of them tortured. We should never forget.

I could have enjoyed a full week’s vacation in Phnom Penh, staying and playing at Nagaworld. It would have been delightful and fascinating to explore more of this city, and to take at least a two-day side trip to Angkor Wat, something I failed to do. Angkor Wat is the chief destination of most who visit Cambodia, and worth at least a few days of investigation. But I had poker games to visit in Sihanoukville.

Poker in Sinhanoukville, Cambodia

I took the bus from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. It takes approximately three hours by car without traffic. As it was, with the delays and changes that are to be expected when booking public travel in Cambodia, it turned into a five-hour trip. The ride cost about $12 one way. You can book a private ride for $125, (or you can stay at Queenco, and get a private ride for free). I didn’t know about the private ride at the time, so I took the bus.

The bus was annoying, but the trip was worthwhile because it landed me in a nearly magical poker world.

Without being overly dramatic, I think I have finally found the specific spot of poker paradise here on earth. In fact, it is at the Queenco Casino in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

The poker here is outstanding. No fewer than 16 places have poker in this seaside city (also known as Kampong Som). New places are added weekly. Games ranged from the smallest NLHE of $1/1 at the busiest room in the area, the 7Deuce room at DV Casino; to a daily $1/3 NLHE and PLO game at Queenco, to NLHE and PLO games of $2/5, $5/5, $5/10, and $10/20 at some of the other rooms in the area (the location of the bigger games changes regularly).

I first stayed at the luxurious and beautiful Won Majestic Casino in the heart of downtown. Though they don’t have a poker room, they are across the street from the DV Casino, home of the 7Deuce Poker Room. It is the busiest poker room in the city, and the only one that has a game around the clock, seven days a week. It has both a $1/1 and a $1/2 no limit Texas Hold’em game, and is raked at the lowest rate around, 10% up to $5. When I visited and played in the room, on a Saturday night until 3AM and 8AM Sunday morning, there were as many as eight tables and no fewer than five tables going.

Playing (and winning) at the 7Deuce Poker Room at the DV Casino in Sihanoukville, Cambodia

My accommodations at the Won Majestic were outstanding. I received a corner suite, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. It was spectacular and extremely spacious. I paid about $100 a night for my two-night stay. It included an elaborate breakfast buffet, with all types of Asian and non-Asian breakfast and lunch food, including freshly made-to-order noodle soups (you select the fresh raw ingredients and they whip up the soup), to eggs, waffles, bacon, sausage, cereal, pastries, salad, and an enormous selection of fresh fruit. There also have an espresso coffee station that serves delightful lattes, cappuccinos, mochaccinos and the like.

View of the Gulf of Thailand from my spacious corner suite at the Won Majestic Casino Hotel.

Sihanoukville’s setting is among the most beautiful in the world, with the gorgeous Gulf of Thailand as backdrop. There are perhaps the most spectacular beaches in the world an hour across the bay on the tropical island of Koh Rong – land of smiles. Put the two together and you have an ideal place to play poker on vacation.

But it’s poker paradise for another reason. Poker players can live here year-round for practically nothing!

Queenco Casino, my favorite poker spot in the area, has a great deal for poker players. Play just 5 hours of poker a day in their comfortable room, and they will give you both a lovely free room and their magnificent breakfast/brunch buffet. While you are playing poker, you can order from their poker menu for free as well. They will even pick you up from KTI, Phnom Penh’s spanking brand new airport – located about a 3-hour drive from the casino.

Were I a single man, beginning his poker career, I would do what five people I met down here did. They lived at Queenco, playing at least five hours a day of $1/3 NLHE poker. I’d enjoy the wonderful accommodations, the great personal services of Queenco staff like Ken the concierge and Pakito, the best poker room manager I have encountered anywhere. I’d indulge in the breathtaking breakfast/brunch spread each morning. And I’d have the great food served to poker players (I had an excellent spaghetti Bolognese, a huge and delicious seafood pizza, as well as a terrific fruit plate). I’d spend my non-poker playing time going to and enjoying Koh Rong and its amazing beaches.

If I wanted to play with different players or play bigger than the $1/3 and occasional $2/5 game at Queenco, I would also play poker at any of the 15 other rooms in the area, including 7Deuce, Honor, Lion King, Blue Bay (they have two rooms), Triumph, Lavogue, Tou Ji, Big Fish, Power Long, Aces, Atlantic, Polygraf, Di Hao, Jei Bei II, Acme, or any of the others rooms yet to open. (New poker rooms open just about every month).

Yes, it’s a long way from the US and Europe, but for serious poker players, or adventurous poker travelers, I’d say the lengthy journey would be worth it. I know I want to return – next time with my non-poker playing wife, who can enjoy the great massages at the spa as well as the beautiful beach and the great food.

In 2026, the iGaming sphere is growing more than ever before. With strong and unique features offered in the iGaming market, it is gradually becoming increasingly difficult for operators to select the right platform that will meet their needs.

Although the offering is extensive, not every casino platform stands out in terms of quality standards. A beautifully structured platform can be engaging and promising, but it does not necessarily mean operators and players get the expected experience.

That’s why in this article we’ve highlighted the best online casino platforms, making it easier for you to choose the one that fits your needs.

The Impact of Choosing the Right Online Casino Platform

When choosing a casino platform, operators consider many factors, among which are game variety, security, interface, promotional tools, and more. However, selecting the right platform goes beyond individual features.

A well-chosen online casino platform must enhance player engagement, streamline operations, ensure regulatory compliance, and last but not least, drive growth, creating an extraordinary experience for both operators and players.

GR8.Tech

The top leader in our list is GR8 Tech. With hundreds of thousands of global partners, the high-performance online casino platform of GR8 Tech delivers a unique experience for operators and players worldwide.

The platform combines a vast game library, secure payment solutions, mobile-first design, powerful analytics, and flexible promotional tools, all fully customizable for consistent growth and engagement.

Key Solutions: Infinite Casino Aggregation, Hyper Turnkey, Crypto Turnkey, ULTIM8 Sportsbook, Affiliate Platform

Benefits of Choosing GR8 Tech

GR8 Tech is ideal for operators looking for scalable growth and a platform that delivers exceptional experiences, keeping players coming back. Its comprehensive features and global reach ensure both operational efficiency and consistent revenue opportunities.

Relax Gaming

Relax Gaming is an online casino content provider and aggregation platform, known for delivering slots, bingo, poker, and jackpot games to operators around the world within competitive markets.

Benefits of Choosing Relax Gaming

Built‑in tooling, analytical access, and strong regulatory credentials help operators optimize performance and player retention over time.

NoLimit City

NoLimit City is an online casino game developer specializing in HTML5 video slots known for their bold themes, advanced mechanics, and mobile‑optimized play. Founded in 2014, the company has grown into a globally recognized provider whose content is available across many regulated markets.

Benefits of Choosing NoLimit City

Its certified content ensures operators can expand into new markets confidently while delivering dynamic and engaging experiences to players.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right online casino platform can define the future success of your operation. The platforms highlighted in this guide not only provide the tools to scale efficiently but also empower operators to innovate, differentiate, and capture new player segments.

Explore the mentioned online casino platforms today and take the first step toward building a next-level, future-ready solution for your audience.

Poker has come a long way from its underground roots. What was once a niche card game played behind closed doors has grown into a global competitive phenomenon, with tournaments offering prize pools that rival those of major professional sports. As interest in competitive wagering and tournament-style gaming continues to rise, resources like Ohio sportsbook promos help players stay informed on regulated betting promotions while following the biggest moments in poker history.

Without a doubt, few things have contributed more to poker’s rise than the emergence of massive, headline-grabbing tournaments. Over the last two decades, a handful of events didn’t just set records; they fundamentally changed how poker is perceived in public consciousness. These tournaments elevated poker into mainstream entertainment and cemented its place on the global stage.

Below, we take a closer look at the five biggest poker tournaments in history, not just in terms of prize money, but in cultural and competitive impact.

1. World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the WSOP Main Event. With its iconic $10,000 buy-in, this tournament remains the gold standard of competitive poker. Especially considering it’s over 50-year-long legacy, no other event has shaped poker’s identity quite like the WSOP Main Event.

Already the game’s marquee event, when the early 2000s poker boom came along together with televised coverage and online qualifiers, the WSOP Main Event was instantly catapulted into being a global spectacle. Fields ballooned into the thousands, prize pools soared into the tens of millions, and winners became instant legends. Beyond the money, the WSOP Main Event represents poker’s ultimate test of skill, endurance, and composure.

2. Big One for One Drop

Ever since debuting way back in 2012, the Big One for One Drop has proven to be one of poker’s most audacious. events. Featuring a staggering $1 million buy-in, this charity-driven event redefined what “high stakes” truly means.

This tournament fundamentally changed perceptions of poker at the highest level. It attracted elite professionals and ultra-wealthy amateurs alike, generating enormous prize pools while supporting a philanthropic cause. The image of Antonio Esfandiari hugging a pile of $18 million will forever be burned into poker’s collective memory. The Big One for One Drop proved that poker could combine extreme competition with social impact; a rare combination indeed.

3. Triton Super High Roller Series

The Triton Super High Roller Series represents poker’s modern evolution. With buy-ins often exceeding $250,000, Triton events have produced some of the largest single-tournament payouts in history, with pretty much every nosebleed-stakes player in the game guaranteed to show up and enter the fray.

What sets Triton apart from all the other tournament series on the poker calendar is how it blends exclusivity with global appeal. These tournaments attract the world’s best players, are held in luxury destinations, and are broadcast to big international audiences. Triton didn’t just push prize pools higher — it created a new elite tier of tournament poker.

4. World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship

While the WSOP may be the more well-known brand, it’s the World Poker Tour that helped make poker a television phenomenon. From its beginnings in the minds of Mike Sexton, Linda Johnson, and Steve Lipscomb, to its modern day pinnacle as the WPT World Championship series at Wynn Las Vegas, the event has played a crucial role in introducing poker to mainstream audiences both during the early days of televised poker and today.

The WPT deserves immense credit for professionalizing the game, with its production quality and storytelling making poker accessible to casual viewers. The WPT World Championship has regularly produced multimillion-dollar prize pools and has helped further establish poker as a legitimate spectator sport.

5. European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final

Poker’s growth hasn’t been confined to the United States, and the European Poker Tour Grand Final has proven just how global the game has become. Known for its international fields and high buy-ins, the EPT Grand Final consistently delivers massive prize pools and world-class competition.

The EPT has played a critical role in expanding poker beyond North America’s borders, creating a truly international poker circuit and giving rise to a new generation of elite players from across Europe and beyond.

Why These Tournaments Changed Poker Forever

What connects these tournaments isn’t just money; it’s influence. Each of these events pushed poker forward in a different way. They inspired online qualifiers, attracted new audiences, and encouraged innovation in tournament formats and how they’re showcased to the world.

Moreover, they’ve also helped legitimize poker as a skill-based competition. With larger fields, tougher opponents, and global exposure, success at these events requires more than luck. In effect, they raised the bar for what it means to be a successful professional poker player.

The Modern Poker Landscape

Today’s poker ecosystem exists largely because of the aforementioned listed tournaments. Streaming technology, international sponsorships, and regulated gaming markets can all (at least in part) trace their roots back to the visibility and credibility these events created for the game of poker.

As betting and gaming continue to intersect, poker tournaments remain a focal point for fans who appreciate strategy, competition, and high-stakes drama.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that poker records are meant to be broken. Especially given the numbers that live events have boasted over the last few years, we wouldn’t be surprised to see even larger tournaments emerge in the future.

In 2026, online gambling continues to thrive in the United States, with more players indulging in various real-money-betting casino games, including online slots, classic table & card games, and so on. However, as the enjoyment of these games grows, so does the need for responsible gambling practices.

If you’re an online casino player wanting to game sensibly, knowing the essential tips can enhance your experience while ensuring safety. According to Newgamenetwork’s 2026 analysis, multiple strategies have emerged to help players maintain control over their gambling habits.

Without further ado, here are several simple and effective safer gambling tips that can help you gamble responsibly each time you log in to play your favourite games on your favourite US casino sites.

Understanding safer gambling tools

One of the most effective ways to gamble responsibly is by utilizing the various tools designed to help players manage their gambling behaviors. Here are some essential tools to consider:

Here are several other important factors to consider before signing up anywhere.

Choosing a licensed and regulated online casino

Select a fully licensed and regulated online casino governed by a trusted operator. The credibility of the casino is paramount for safe gambling. Ensure that the casino operates under reputable regulatory bodies, as this adds an extra layer of confidence in its operations.

Remember, gambling responsibly means never chasing losses, which could lead to harmful behaviors and financial difficulties.

Additionally, steer clear of playing while tired or under the influence of alcohol. Also, learning the rules and bet types before diving into new games further enhances your experience, minimizing mistakes due to lack of knowledge.

Cashing out a portion of your winnings occasionally can also provide a sense of accomplishment and help you maintain control over your gambling activities.

Finally, remember that trusted sites will always have excellent cybersecurity measures and top-notch data protection and privacy policies in place to keep you and your personal data safe, so avoid playing on unlicensed and unregulated casino platforms.

Setting a sensible gambling budget

Before making a deposit, it’s crucial to devise a reasonable spending budget. Always ensure that your essential bills – such as rent, groceries, and other expenditures – are covered before gambling.

Only play when you can afford to do so, and avoid treating gambling as a necessity.

Establish a reasonable/sensible budget and stick to it because by doing things this way, gambling remains an enjoyable pastime without turning into a financial burden.

Awareness of personal triggers

Being aware of your personal triggers is key to maintaining responsible gambling habits, and perhaps try to consider the circumstances that compel you to gamble, whether it’s stress, boredom, or social pressure.

Acknowledging these triggers can help you develop strategies to address them productively, preventing impulsive decisions. Engaging in other recreational activities, such as exercise or hobbies, can serve as a healthy distraction and empower you to steer clear of gambling in unfavorable conditions.

Final thoughts

In summary, responsible gambling is essential for ensuring a positive online casino experience. Players can significantly enhance their gaming experience while maintaining control over their gambling activities simply by utilizing available tools such as session time reminders, deposit limits, and spending caps.

Choosing a licensed and regulated casino also adds to the safety, and establishing a sensible budget ensures your gambling remains an enjoyable activity rather than a source of financial strain. Players can fully enjoy the thrill of online gambling while safeguarding their well-being by embracing these practices and remaining aware of personal triggers.

Always remember that the key to enjoying online gaming lies in responsible practices, and maintaining a balanced approach is key to long-term enjoyment.

A poker tracker and HUD are not magic glasses that reveal secret truth. The real value is boring in the best way: clean records, fast review, and consistent decisions. When your online poker stats turn into noise, the tool stops helping and starts steering play into autopilot mistakes.

A Quick Reality Check Before Choosing Any Software

Even if the mood is to play aviator for a quick hit of action, the same principle still wins long-term: decisions improve when results get tracked, reviewed, and compared over time. In poker, that tracking is hands and lines. In any game, the goal is the same, fewer guesses, more measured choices.

What “Best” Means In Practice

“Best” is not the most features or the prettiest HUD. “Best” is the option that runs smoothly, imports hands without drama, and makes review easy enough to become a habit. Popular choices often include PokerTracker, Hold’em Manager, Hand2Note, and DriveHUD, but the smartest pick is the one that fits the player’s routine and stakes.

The Stats That Usually Earn A Spot On The HUD

A HUD should answer simple questions quickly. Overloading the table with numbers creates hesitation and misreads. A lean set of core stats usually gives the biggest return, especially for players still building fundamentals.

Before adding a long list of stats, it helps to start with a tight “starter pack” and expand only when a stat has a clear use case.

After a few thousand hands, the HUD can grow in a controlled way, one stat at a time, tied to a specific decision point rather than curiosity.

Popups Matter More Than A Crowded Table

Your main HUD should stay minimal, while deeper detail lives in popups. Popups are where lines get checked without cluttering real-time thinking. Good popups show position-specific numbers, street-by-street aggression, and key filters like “vs steal” or “in three bet pots.” This keeps your table clean and the information sharp.

The Biggest Leak Trackers Can Fix

The most common improvement players have to be working on is not “catching bluffs.” It is identifying repeated patterns that feel invisible during a session. Examples include calling too wide in the blinds, over-c-betting dry boards, or bleeding chips in marginal turn calls. A tracker makes these leaks measurable, and once a leak is measurable, it becomes fixable.

A Simple Workflow That Keeps Review From Being Painful

A tracker helps only when you regularly review your online poker sessions. The easiest workflow is short and consistent. Mark hands during play, then review a small batch with filters after the session. Focus on one theme per week, such as blind defense or three bet pots, and compare results month to month. This avoids random deep dives that feel productive but change nothing.

Red Flags That Signal A HUD Is Hurting More Than Helping

When not used properly, tools can push you to play robotically and develop exploitable habits. When that happens, win rate often drops while confidence rises, which is an annoying combo. A few warning signs show up early, and noticing them will save you time.

It helps to treat these red flags as a reset button, not a moral failure, since the fix is usually simplification rather than more studying.

Choosing A Setup That Still Works Six Months Later

A winning setup for an online poker player is the one that stays usable. Stable imports, clear reports, and simple filters beat fancy dashboards. A player can keep one HUD for cash games and one for tournaments, keep notes consistent, and schedule review as a training mechanism, not as punishment in the event you have a losing session. Over time, the tracker becomes less of a crutch and more of a mirror, reflecting what actually happens at the table.

On January 29 – February 1, at the fabulous Resorts World Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the BARGE (www.barge.org) group will be hosting their Winter event in Vegas: EMBARGO. At this point, I couldn’t tell you what EMBARGO stands for, though it is probably on the website. BARGE, however, stands for Big.Aug.Rec.Gambling.Excursion which is to say it is an acronym from the early days of the Pre-Modern Internet.

Back in the 1980s and early 1990s, one could dial up on a modem and connect to the cyberworld through electronic message boards and fancy “newsgroups” on something called the USENET. Again, don’t ask me what it stands for, but as a kid in those days, I would race home from school to connect my very slow computer to these nascent networks before my parents got home from work and might want to use the telephone to do this archaic thing of “talking” verbally to friends, relatives, and telemarketers. So, I would race home and do what any nerdy geeky 12 or 13 year old would do which is start arguments with earnest well meaning adults 10 or 20 years older than myself over who was the better Captain… Kirk or Picard? Or, better yet, I would insult their very detailed technical explanation for how warp drives work and bait them into a rage over minor inconsistencies in character’s behavior on Star Trek. This all happened in alt.tv.star-trek.tos and rec.arts.star-trek which were newsgroups devoted to what I’ve just described.

Meanwhile, a small group of folks in their early 20s and 30s who had more important things to do than argue with dumbasses like me would congregate in an adjacent area called rec.gambling and would talk about things like blackjack strategy or who was the better captain… Kirk or Picard? Some of these fine folks found themselves at the same conference in the early ’90s because the conference was in Las Vegas and it was for something technical and nerdy. And remember, these folks liked to gamble. They had so much fun, they decided to meet again the following year.

By the third year, the gambling discussion and play started to focus on poker as these smarties realized you can have an even bigger edge on the rubes than if you are counting cards against the house. By this point, they had carved out their own little group on the internet where they could send messages to each other all year long and plan their gambling for the summer meet up and of course argue about who was the better Captain… Kirk or Picard? They called it BARGE because it sounds good and is easy to remember rather than Big.Aug.Rec.Gambling.Excursion. The in person meet-ups always took place in August in Las Vegas because back then rooms were dirt cheap in the city at that time of year.

I was not a part of the group back then and I think both the group and I are very thankful that I didn’t discover them until the mid-2000s, when poker was going through its golden age. While I would still argue who is the better Captain, I would also say dumb things like “When UTG makes a 3x raise and the button re-raises and I have JJ in the SB and…. what should I do?” They welcomed me with open arms and took my money freely.

Since 2007, I’ve never missed a BARGE and I was an enthusiastic proponent when they started the smaller winter version called EMBARGO in 2011. Poker was starting to wane in popularity and poker rooms were closing so the organizers thought maybe it would be a good idea to do a smaller event to try out another venue just in case something happened and Binion’s no longer wanted to host us for our poker shenanigans. This is what the narrator would call foreshadowing.

Anyway, since then BARGE and EMBARGO have been held annually, one in the summer and one in the winter. The venues and dates (BARGE is now in July?!?!) do change periodically but the faces stay the same. The games at EMBARGO tend to be slightly more chaotic and carnival style and the ones at BARGE are perhaps 10-20% more reigned into traditional styles of play. The members are earnest, well-meaning, and competitive but you won’t find use wearing sunglasses and hoodies. Our vibe is relaxed and we are there to have fun. While many of us are grey or bald, you will find some of our children joining in the fun as they have aged up into their 20s.

The tournament buy-ins are inexpensive (high two-figures and low three-figures) and the conversation around the table flows like you would expect at a big family reunion, with people like me playing the role of Cousin Eddie. Did I say we are here to have fun? We really are. Sure, we all want to win but no one cares if you didn’t realize you were the big blind and no one raised but you still folded your hand… give ’em the cards back and lay out the flop, dealer!

We love playing mixed games at these events. As soon as enough players bust from whatever crazy tournament is going on, there will definitely be a $4/8 dealer’s choice cash game going. Our members have invented a bunch of games that no one remembers and a few that I’m sure you have heard of (Action Razz anyone?).

EMBARGO 2026 DATES

Come join us Thursday, January 29 – Sunday, February 1 and treat yourself to some fun. Don’t be shy. If you see me walking around (we all wear name or nickname badges because it is hard to remember people’s name the first time you meet them) be sure to tell me who is the best captain… Archer or Pike?

The integration of technology into poker has revolutionized the game, enhancing how it’s played and experienced. From virtual reality to AI-driven analytics, modern advancements provide players with unprecedented opportunities. Staying informed about these developments is crucial for any poker enthusiast.

The digital transformation in poker is undeniable, with technology reshaping every aspect of the game. This evolution not only changes how players engage with the game but also opens new avenues for strategy and enjoyment. With online casino game suppliers for iGaming platforms playing a pivotal role, the landscape of poker has become more accessible and engaging than ever before.

Online platforms and advanced technologies enhance accessibility

Online platforms have brought poker to a global audience, making it easier for players to participate from anywhere. The convenience of logging in from home and competing with players worldwide has broadened the game’s appeal. These platforms often offer tutorials and practice modes, allowing newcomers to learn at their own pace while seasoned players can hone their skills against diverse opponents.

Technological innovations like virtual reality (VR) are beginning to redefine the poker experience further. VR immerses players in a lifelike casino environment, enhancing the sensory aspects of gameplay. Additionally, AI-driven analytics provide insights into player behavior and strategies, allowing individuals to refine their approach based on data-driven feedback. These advancements create a dynamic and interactive environment that keeps players engaged.

Improved player engagement through digital advancements

Technology has significantly improved player engagement by offering a variety of game formats and interactive features. Digital platforms provide a vast array of poker variations that cater to different skill levels and preferences. This diversity ensures that every player can find a game that suits their style, keeping the experience fresh and exciting.

The convenience of playing poker online cannot be overstated. With constant access to games, players no longer need to wait for scheduled tournaments or visit physical casinos. This flexibility allows you to play whenever you desire, fitting seamlessly into your schedule. Moreover, digital platforms often feature social elements such as chat functions and community forums, fostering connections among players worldwide.

Emerging trends and future developments in poker technology

Looking ahead, several emerging trends are set to further transform the poker landscape. Artificial intelligence continues to evolve, promising more sophisticated analysis tools for strategic development. Machine learning algorithms can predict opponents’ moves based on previous gameplay data, giving you a competitive edge.

Blockchain technology is another area poised for impact, offering transparency and security in online transactions. As these innovations mature, they will likely make online poker even more appealing to a broader audience. Staying informed about these trends ensures you remain at the forefront of this ever-evolving game.

Setting up the perfect casino night requires you to think about quite a few different things. One of the most important? Pacing.

Everyone thinks of casino nights as being filled with energy and speed, and sure, a good night does incorporate those elements. But people don’t jump straight from zero to 100 when they enter the casino, whether it’s physical or digital. They need a bit of time to get going, to warm their brains up, to ease into the right “mode” for casino play.

And that means that if you’re crafting a perfect casino night, whether for yourself or for friends, you should be thinking about which games make the best opener. Our pick? Blackjack.

The Pacing Is Great

Even if you’ve never played blackjack before, you’re bound to be familiar with this game – who isn’t? But what sets it apart as the ideal game for warming up? Well, a few things.

Firstly, the pacing. You don’t want a warm-up game that’s actually going to take over half of the evening because it’s too long or people get too engrossed in it. That’s not a problem here, because blackjack rounds tend to be completed very quickly (think a minute or two, depending on the players and dealer), so it’s easy to enjoy this game for just the warmup period, however long you want that to be. And if you feel like you need to expand it a bit because you’re not quite ready to plunge into the faster-paced games? No problem; just play a few more rounds!

You don’t even have to organize a dealer if you don’t want to; you can play crypto blackjack games online with ease, and cards will be dealt to you automatically. This takes all the work out of it, maximizing the simplicity for your warmup sessions. Plus, if you want to play fast, this can be a great way to ensure that the system is seamless and shuffles are completed automatically, letting you focus purely on the game and the fun on offer.

You can even join this kind of game from an app, eliminating the need to get out a laptop or tablet. Settle down with your phone, boot up your favorite platform, and enjoy! If you don’t have an app yet, installation is very easy. And with a good, streamlined setup, you can plunge straight into your warmup session.

It Requires Thinking… But Not Too Much

Next, it’s important to recognize that blackjack offers a good balance of brainpower versus luck. To be clear, there’s quite a bit of skill involved in playing blackjack well – don’t assume it’s simple. At the same time, there aren’t as many nuances as you’d find in a game like poker. No bluffing, no body language, no weighing up the different hand options – you’ve just got to suss out whether you’re in a mathematically strong position and make your choices accordingly.

That’s great for a warmup option; it gets your brain ticking, without requiring the kind of mental energy that more complex game titles might require. The more you play blackjack, the easier you’ll find it to figure out the optimum moves, but you can always keep a guide open if you’re playing online, referring back to it if you get stuck.

Anyone Can Play

One of the real beauties of blackjack? It’s easy for anyone to learn, and you can involve a bunch of players at once. Plus, because the rounds are short, people can join with ease, even if they arrive later.

Picture this: you’re hosting a casino night and you’ve got three players, with another five or six still to come. Most games pose a problem because if you start and then more people show up, they’re going to be left out. With blackjack, though, they can just wait for the next round and drop in. And because the players are interacting with the dealer, not each other, this won’t disrupt the gameplay at all! That makes it a highly flexible activity for getting the night going.

Setup And Pack Up Are Simple

This is true even if you opt to grab a few physical decks of cards – and even more so if you choose a digital version. Blackjack can be set up and played in very little time, without any special equipment beyond the cards (or device) and a flat playing surface. Simply shuffle the deck and start enjoying yourself.

Similarly, when everyone feels ready to kick off the more energetic games and plunge into roulette, craps, or poker, packing up is as simple as gathering the cards, shuffling, and putting them away. That’s great news because it means blackjack can fit in seamlessly with your other activities, not taking up any extra time or energy. And hey, if you’re going into a poker game afterward, you’ll already have the cards ready and waiting!

When we last left off, I was deep into the final stretch of a month-long Las Vegas grind. More than three weeks of mixed game poker were already behind me, complete with some solid wins, painful losses, stupid unforgivable mistakes, mental fatigue, and moments of clarity that only come from extended time at (and away from) the tables. With just a few days remaining before flying home, my focus shifted definitively towards “how well can I finish?”

I won’t lie. Treading barely above the breakeven line, I also felt some desperation creeping into my mind for the first time. While I know not to be results-oriented as a poker player, a better bottom line result would certainly make a better impression upon crossing the finish line (and, frankly, an exciting and uplifting end to this miniseries).

What follows is not just a recap of my final sessions, but a series of reflections on how my month as a semipro mixed game poker player in Las Vegas came to its conclusion.

Having spent a lot of time at Orleans’ poker tables during the last week of my trip, the adjacent Baskin Robbins certainly brought me a good deal of joy.

Days 24-25 | November 28–29: Forced Rest and a Reminder of Why the Grind Matters

My final week in Las Vegas didn’t begin the way I had envisioned. Post-Thanksgiving, I got sick with stomach flu throughout most of Friday and Shabbat. I suppose, in hindsight, that it was for the best. A good dose of sleep, rest, and recovery would enable me to charge full force into my remaining few days at the felt. If I was destined to have gotten sick, let it be on days that I wasn’t going to be playing poker anyway, right? 🙂

Thankfully, by Saturday night, my hunger — and my hunger to get back out there and play more poker — returned in full force.

I late-regged for the $240 Triple Draw Mix tournament at Orleans. Two hours later I was out well short of the money, finishing a disappointing 27th out of 40. It was frustrating because I simply could not get anything going, but sometimes that’s just how tournament poker goes.

From there, I moved into a $4/8 Limit Hold’em cash game with a very specific goal: try to make back the tournament buy-in and call it a night. What followed was an eight-hour session that turned into one of the most exciting wins of my trip.

Over the course of the session I managed to bob and weave my way to winning $165. Along with that, I had also won an extra $75 from a poker room promotion for hitting quads. Then, on what turned out to be my final hand, I flopped quad aces and was awarded a massive $450 bonus. I quit immediately. After all was said and done, I finished up $690 on a $200 buy-in!

What made the session especially meaningful was the context. With a $5 rake plus a $3 jackpot drop almost every hand, the game effectively sheds around $350 per hour. That’s a tough game to beat! After eight hours, I was the only player still sitting at the table from the original lineup, and I am not sure any of the others booked a profit before leaving. To come out ahead naturally, even before bonuses, felt like a genuine achievement. The rest was gravy.

Day 26 | November 30: Long Sessions, The Agony of Missed Bets, and a Determined Grind

With the end of the trip approaching, every remaining hour I still had to play poker felt precious. It’s with that sense of urgency that I settled into a $6/12 mix session (with a half kill to $8/16) at Resorts World.

Overall, I was doing okay, but I could feel some bad habits creeping in. I chased a bit too often instead of tightening up, and I made a few outright mistakes. The most glaring were missing bets at the end when I was good. For instance, in one Drawmaha 2-7 hand, I ended up checking back the river as last to act when I should have realized I was guaranteed at least half the pot. Those moments of lapsed focus continue to haunt me. You’ve got to make the right moves whether you’re playing with $2 chips or $20 chips!

Even so, a few hours in I had worked my way up to about $280 in profit and had my sights set on hitting $400.

After the game combined to a single table, I steadily lost it all as the cards went cold. When the game eventually broke after nine hours, I was right back where I had started. Disappointed at the result, I found myself wishing I had quit earlier to lock up the profits. I guess that’s only natural, but I don’t believe it’s a very healthy way to approach poker. In any event, I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel on my day just yet.

From there, I headed back to Orleans to chase another promo at $4/8 Limit Hold’em. I know it isn’t a mixed game, but having managed to score a bonus there the night before combined with the lure of additional promotions is why I chose to grind at that specific venue towards the end of the trip. What can I say? They got me 🙂 🤷‍♂️

After about an hour I was ready to quit when I found myself down $110, but the table broke and there was exactly one seat left at the only other $4/8 Limit Hold’em table in the room, so I took it with the remaining $90 in my stack. On the very first hand, I was dealt pocket aces and they ended up holding at showdown. Thanks to multiple preflop callers and one opponent who stuck around with pocket kings until the end, suddenly I was back to even. From there, everything clicked. I finished the session up $200 and left immediately, another strong result in a brutally raked game.

Along the way, I learned a new Orleans-ism: six ways to the flop is apparently called “Orleans heads-up.” IYKYK 😂

Day 27 | December 1: Prioritizing Friendship, Learning, and Perspective

Though there was a low-stakes mixed game running on this day, I made the decision not to play and instead spend the day railing my friend and mentor Eli Elezra. Between hosting my Mixed Game Festival and my own grind, I had not had many chances to just sit with him, watch, learn, and enjoy the experience. I’ve put in a good couple hundred hours sitting on his rail over the years, and those represent some of my most enjoyable poker memories. I wanted to have that experience again before I headed home.

For about eight hours, I watched him grind his way from being slightly down in his $300/600 mix to locking up a low five-figure win. As always, it was riveting to have a front row seat to the action. I don’t really do much formal poker study, so that’s my version of “being in the lab”: talking through hands, debating decisions, and constantly asking questions. Old school-style.

Throughout the session, Eli and I also “talked through” my entire trip; the ups, the downs, and the lessons I should be aiming to learn and internalize for next time. It was also a chance to “own up” to the main mistakes I made during my month as a mixed games semipro that prevented me from being more profitable, all of which would have added up to another $3K or so. Even so, Eli reassured me that to nonetheless still be up a little after all that illustrated “how well I did” to withstand all the inevitable bumps along the road.

Let me tell you folks, having a Poker Hall of Famer give you that kind of an open, honest assessment helps boost your spirits a lot.

Later that night, I squeezed in a short $4/8 Limit Omaha 8 session at Orleans, starting hot and ending up with another $200 profit in just two hours. That felt like the perfect example of knowing when enough is enough. Not every poker session needs to be 10 hours long. Sometimes a clean, profitable two-hour session is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Not Tainting the Purity of the Grind

Most cash game players play low-stakes Texas Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha, where swings of $1,000 or more are pretty commonplace. With mixed games, we take escalators instead of elevators. That is to say that, generally speaking, it’s a far more gradual win/loss process. As I noted at the beginning of this miniseries, that’s how I built nearly my entire bankroll. It has taken me years of effort.

I obviously wanted to win more money over the course of this trip, but with just one day left I wasn’t about to flip a switch and just “gamble, gamble” at NLHE and PLO tables hoping to get lucky and spin it up. This is essentially the same reason why I never just “put it all on red or black”. I’ve always been a poker player, not a gambler. Plus, frankly, I wasn’t anywhere near mentally prepared to potentially lose the few hundred dollars in profit (or more) that I was still clinging to via one or two crazy coolers.

I flew out to Las Vegas to grind mixed games, and I was going to honor that process until I crossed the finish line.

Day 28 | December 2: One Last Hurrah

With 24 hours left to my trip, I was optimistic that I’d be able to end things off on a high note. As per my usual, I planned for an all-nighter.

It was cold. After arriving to shorts and T-shirt weather, the seasons had changed. I got here during NAPT Las Vegas and was leaving just as the WPT World Championship was kicking off.

It was a day of “lasts”: the last exercise walk, finishing off the food I had bought, filling the rental car’s gas tank, doing a last load of laundry, and packing up to head home.

I was proud that from a cost/overhead perspective, I had done a near-perfect job. Being in Las Vegas for a month meant I had to treat the time as though I lived there, not like I was vacationing there. With a stated goal of making money, it also meant not spending it unnecessarily. This felt like a particularly worthy achievement in a city built on lightening visitors’ wallets.

It also ended up being a great business day. This reinforced just how important it was to not abandon my regular work, especially the value of in-person conversations, while pursuing poker as a semipro.

I took my seat in a $9/18 mixed game at Aria and decided, for the first time all month, to buy in short (for just one rack; $300). My hope was that a scarcity mindset would help me value every chip. Unfortunately, after 3.5 hours, I needed to rebuy. Before doing so, I walked over to Bellagio to say goodbye to Eli and clear my head for one final push. On the spot, he decided to invest a couple racks ($600) in me, essentially giving me one last freeroll. Unfortunately, over the next 4.5 hours, I ran ice cold. I got quartered repeatedly, could not get paid when I was strong, and got outdrawn when I was ahead. Nothing worked. Even with the most positive of attitudes, you can’t always will your way to a win at the poker table. C’est la vie.

After the game broke, I decided to “give it one last shot” at Orleans in the $4/8 Limit Hold’em game. I figured that in a worst case scenario, the damage wouldn’t be too bad. In a best case scenario, maybe I’d get lucky and hit one of the high hands for a big promo score. I certainly came close on three separate occasions:

Close, but no cigar. As if to rub a little salt in the wound, a couple hours into the session someone else took a seat at the table and within a few minutes managed to flop four fives, a promo hand worth just under $2,000. He was completely unaware of any promos running in the poker room…

That was my cue to leave. At least I won a few bucks before racking up with a wistful smile.

Closing Thoughts

I got absolutely demolished in my $9/18 sessions (17.5 hours) and $20/40 sessions (19 hours) over the course of the trip. By contrast, I won a little in my $8/16 sessions (55 hours) and was a big winner in $4/8 sessions (78 hours). Maybe there’s a real jump in player caliber, and I clearly need to improve and adjust? Maybe I just need to run better?

If I’m being 100% honest, I’d say it’s a combination of the two. After all, I’ve won at $20/40, $40/80, and even $80/160 before. Those weren’t fluke wins. Plus, sample size is a thing, both for better and for worse.

So, yes, a lot of it boils down to discipline, consistently making good decisions, and having decent card distribution. At the same time, I know that I obviously need to keep working on my game and actively heed the many lessons I learned during my month as a semipro mixed game player.

I will keep taking shots, and I will keep playing the occasional tournament in pursuit of big scores. Those scores will eventually come because luck happens when preparation meets opportunity. My job is to keep showing up.

Even after a month, part of me wanted to stay and keep playing. But the other part of me couldn’t wait to hug my wife and children again. The games will still be there when I eventually get back.

Ed. note: I’ve included some graphs and notes below for full transparency, along with an epilogue.

Epilogue

If you would have told me 10 years ago, or even two years ago, that I’d have the opportunity to grind for a full month in Las Vegas as a semipro mixed game player, I’d say “you’re out of your mind.”

While it’s easy to lament having won only $600 over the course of the month and ponder the futility of a $3/hour win rate, I instead choose gratitude:

I also got to have the catharsis of writing an 11,000-word, 5-part miniseries about my adventure; a deeply honest account of what it means to grind mixed cash games over the course of a month. The swings, the mistakes, the wins, the losses, the camaraderie, and the countless hours at the tables all blended together into an experience that reaffirmed why I love the grind in the first place.

I did my best, and I know that someday — hopefully not too far in the future — I’ll get to do it again.

In composing the first three parts of this miniseries, I tried to break down the story of my month as a semipro mixed game player into phases. It started out with early optimism and the hope of validating a long-held belief in my poker abilities through a real-life field test. The second article covered my jumping into the mixed game waters with an initial slow and steady climb. The third article covered my next week-and-a-half of play, during which I suffered a massive downswing and then began a slow and steady rebuild (both financially and mentally) during Mixed Game Festival XII.

By the time the festival ended, my confidence was finally back. I had recouped losses and was back in the black for the trip. What came next was a deliberate pause from poker as I headed to Los Angeles to spend the weekend with my extended family. From there, I headed back to Vegas, returning to the grind that would once again test my discipline and everything I had been “trying to do right.”

If I had to sum up the weeklong stretch of the of the trip that I’ll be covering in this penultimate installment of the miniseries, it would be that I tried to strike the perfect balance between the full-on grind and regular, normal life. Even so, sometimes (as the Hebrew saying roughly translates to): “the operation is a success, but the patient dies.”

Days 17-19 | November 21-23: Resting and Recharging in Los Angeles

The drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles felt like more than just a change of scenery. As I made my way west, I leaned into something deeply personal and sentimental, listening to and singing along with the music I loved as a teenager back when I lived in LA. It unlocked a part of me that doesn’t surface very often, as my life has changed quite drastically from the years when I was an “LA boy.”

Shabbat with my aunt, uncle, and cousins was grounding in a way that poker simply cannot be. Spending time with some of my closest relatives was exactly what I needed. I rested deeply. I slept well. I ate food that didn’t just taste amazing, but that also brought back memories from my youth. As much as I love the game, it was refreshing to not just have “poker, poker, poker” be the constant focal point of my day.

Poker Calls Twice, But I Let the Phone Ring… and Slept in the Car

On Saturday night, after going out for pizza with my cousins, I had a familiar dilemma. It was late, but I still had plenty of energy, and the Commerce Casino poker room (where I’ve made some great memories) was only 20 minutes away. A little maxim I try to adhere to on my trips is “do on your trips what you can’t do at home.” At home, I don’t have a poker room 20 minutes away. As a matter of fact, Israel doesn’t have any poker rooms. I quite literally have to get on a plane if I want to visit one.

There were no mixed games running (I checked on the Bravo Poker Live app; and, yes, I checked the Bike and Hustler, too). More importantly, the timing was wrong. Just because I had an opportunity to play didn’t mean it was the right game for me to play, the right time to play, or that I’d be on my A-game. Plus, I’d have plenty more time to play once I’d get back to Vegas. Sometimes it’s important to just say “no” and wait until next time. It felt like the mature decision.

I got back to my aunt and uncle’s house to find that I had accidentally been locked out. It was well after midnight, and they (and all my cousins) had gone to sleep. Not wanting to wake anyone up, I once again faced the temptation to go play poker all night rather than sleep.

For any normal, sensible person, the choice would be obvious. For a poker player, not so much. 🤷‍♂️

“Yihiye beseder” means “It’ll be alright”

A Glorious, Relaxing Sunday

That I had somehow gotten into such a ridiculous situation was downright comical. I actually laughed myself to sleep. It wasn’t the greatest of sleeps (I woke up a couple times to start the car and blast the heater for a few minutes), but all’s well that ends well. My aunt, uncle, and I had a good laugh when they woke up in the morning and saw my text messages. They let me in, and I managed to snatch another couple hours of shut-eye in a proper bed.

What followed was one of the most relaxing days I’ve had in years: A late breakfast with my aunt and uncle, an hour long visit with my rabbi (he’s been my spiritual advisor for 30+ years, ever since I was his student in ninth grade), a solo lunch at a great Chinese restaurant, and a few unhurried hours spent chilling at a local public park where I had made many a memory as a kid. It was an ultra-rare day where I had nothing planned and just “let the day come to me.”

It felt like a gift. No rushing. No schedule. No work. No social media doomscrolling. No defaulting to YouTube or Netflix. Just mindful presence. It was just perfect. All of that culminated in an awesome family BBQ at my cousin’s house that felt like an early Thanksgiving.

I set out back towards Las Vegas that night with a full stomach and a full heart; my mental and spiritual batteries had been topped off. I was filled with gratitude for the weekend that had been and with excitement for the days that awaited me in Las Vegas. The four-hour drive back that night passed in a flash. Rather than feeling the emotional drop that can follow such a high, I felt energized. Refreshed. Ready to return to a city I love and make the most of the remaining time I had as a semipro mixed game poker player.

Day 20 | November 24: Back to the Grind, Back to Reality

This day felt like it marked the beginning of my trip’s home stretch. It was time to shift fully back into play mode, but before hitting the felt, I eased back into the day responsibly. I caught up on some work, did laundry, went for a walk, and sat down to eat a proper lunch.

Again, all of that might sound utterly trivial and simple, but it’s so easy to just throw good habits out the window and slip into bad ones. The path of least resistance is always so much more tempting than committing to the discipline of a healthier routine. I’m glad to say that I won that battle!

Poker-wise, the day ended up being a marathon. I logged 15 hours of play across Wynn, Resorts World, and Orleans. The first session, marking my return to the $20/40 streets, sadly couldn’t have gone worse. Once again, I could not get anything going. Despite playing patiently and making the right moves and decisions, I just couldn’t win. Bad cards. Bad draws. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Honestly, it felt at though I was cursed specifically in the $20/40 game. I got crushed and lost the remainder of what Eli had given me to play with. That ended up being my fifth and final $20/40 session for the trip.

As I walked out of the room utterly deflated, I sent Wynn floorman Chris Schmiz the message below. My hopes of having monster sessions in the big game were dashed. At least the trip wasn’t coming to an end on a sour note though. There was still plenty of poker left to play.

Indeed, dropping down to $8/16 changed everything. It was as though the storm had suddenly dissipated and the skies were sunny once again. My card distribution didn’t feel especially favorable; just normal. Booking a modest win helped my confidence return, and frankly it was astonishing how quickly my mood shifted.

I suppose that even though I’ve played (and have won) in plenty of $20/40 (and higher) sessions, things are just different when playing fully in my comfort zone. I don’t know how to fix/change this situation other than to keep taking select shots at playing higher and slowly making those stakes an extension of my comfort zone. Thankfully, again due to Eli’s incredible generosity, my strikeouts in the higher stakes games didn’t negatively affect my own bankroll.

When the game broke, rather than make a dumb decision to play $1/3 Texas Hold’em (yes, this still had to be an active decision), I drove over to Orleans and late-registered a $150 HORSE tournament. Much like the disciplined decisions I had made earlier in the morning, this was the better, smarter move. I flew to Vegas to be a semipro mixed game player, after all, so I had to stick to that path.

I fought and bobbed and weaved my way to ninth place out of 40! Alas, only the top five finishers made it into the money.

Mixed game tournaments demand patience and a stubborn refusal to quit. Every chip must be treasured, and they’re so important to have for the inevitable downswings so that you can then build up and maximize your rungood when it eventually comes. Mine never arrived though, nor did the $2,016 first place prize money that I had my eye on. Dang, that would’ve made such a big difference in so many ways.

Part of me wanted to jump right back into a cash game, but I realized that I was bummed about not having cashed in the tournament and thus wouldn’t be playing my A-game. So, instead, I walked upstairs to catch a movie (Running Man). That decision mattered a lot.

Post-movie, I felt great… so then I returned to the tables for what ended up being an all-night $8/16 Omaha 8 or Better session. I did so because I genuinely wanted to play, not because I was tilted. I walked away eight hours later having won a little more than a rack ($230) and deeply aware and grateful that I was living the Cardplayer Lifestyle I had dreamed about for years.

Day 21 | November 25: Running on Empty and Loving It

Oh, you thought I went to sleep after that all-nighter? Well, you’d be incorrect.

I quit playing at 9am and went straight to Bellagio to discuss plans with Craig Larson for a future Mixed Game Festival. The meeting went great (Gdwilling, it’ll be happening next summer!) and afterward I enjoyed a wonderful “celebratory” lunch before finally grabbing a short one-hour nap and taking a much-needed shower. The one thing I didn’t do was go for my daily walk… alas, I’m only human. 🤷‍♂️

Salmon, broccoli, hash browns, and cantaloupe taste amazing when you’re celebrating life rungood

Then, it was straight back to the poker tables. I headed to Resorts World where I played eight hours of $8/16 mix. I wouldn’t have pushed myself if I didn’t feel on my A-game, but I honestly felt absolutely fine. Three cheers for youthful energy! I stayed disciplined, avoided spew, and managed to accrue about a rack and a half of profits before finally calling it a day. Being awake for 36 hours and still playing solidly felt surreal.

“This is heaven,” I remember thinking. The camaraderie. The comfort. The rhythm of the room. “I can order food. I can get a massage. I am nowhere near tired of poker. I’m surrounded by friends with whom I love spending time playing. I want to do this forever!”

Up to that point, when on my own dime in the lower-stakes mixed games (aside from the one major mistake of playing heads-up against Ruth earlier in the trip) I had been a pretty consistent cash game winner for three weeks. That felt validating, despite tournament buy-ins eating into what remained of my profits. Eventually, if you keep at it, the tournament breakthroughs are bound to come as well and balance out all the red ink. Surely, I’m destined to have more than $380 in lifetime winnings on my Hendonmob page, right?!

With all of that said, and the consistency and my mistakes all accounted for, reality matters. I feel plenty comfortable playing in $4/8 and $8/16 mixed games, but it is not a stake you can realistically support a family of five on, especially if you factor in tournament variance. That, in turn, reinforced what I’d being aiming to achieve with the trip: “semipro” status. It just makes so much sense to me. Low-stakes mixed game poker, when played well, can be a meaningful supplement, but not the sole pillar. Having it as “something extra” beyond my regular revenue streams makes the entire experience healthier, emotionally and financially.

Day 22 | November 26: Respecting the Grind, Then Failing at It

On my way there, I had some time for some broader reflection. Having been working in the poker industry for so long, I already had a ton of respect for the grind. For the players who do this every day. For those who depend solely on poker income. Now “in it” myself for the first time, that respect had only grown. The discipline, mental fortitude, and emotional resilience required are enormous, especially for tournament grinders and mixed game players with limited options versus their Texas Hold’em-playing counterparts.

Plus, you also have to manage overhead costs relentlessly. Accommodation, food, transportation, rake, and GTO use of the comps you earn while playing all matter. Every leak adds up. Those leaks naturally also include not tilting away your chips at the tables, or spewing away any hard-fought profits in the casino pits.

All of that is hard enough to do when you’re winning, but that much more challenging when you’re losing and still have to show up to play the next day. Some days you’ll break even and sometimes days and even weeks might go by and you’ll have “nothing to show” for all that effort. That’s exactly what the grind is: showing up every day, slowly and steadily “chipping away” and trying your best to make money, and remaining as disciplined as possible throughout. It really is, as the saying goes, “a hard way to make an easy living.”

Ironically, on the very day I was thinking most clearly about discipline, I once again abandoned it.

The Tilt Cometh, and Taketh Away

I started fine, then for some inexplicable reason just loosened up and began playing poorly. By four-and-a-half hours in, I was down two racks ($600) and should have thrown in the towel. Instead, I rebought. I played better after that, but wasn’t hitting and continued bleeding until the game broke with me down $800. Very frankly, I had run cold, but that was compounded and the situation exacerbated overall by my having tilted, not remaining patient, and not quitting earlier.

That’s when I really should’ve stopped for the day. But no. I doubled down on my mistake while in the precise mindframe to worsen the loss both quantitatively and qualitatively. I drove to Orleans hoping to win some back. Four hours later, I had blown another $400 playing $8/16 Omaha 8 or Better and $4/8 Limit Hold’em. It was pure spew and a massive self-inflicted blow to my bankroll. It takes so much time and effort, and good decision making and rungood to make $1,200 playing low-stakes mixed game poker. I had completely blown it all over the course of two sessions on one rotten day. Starting off the day with 12 hundred dollar bills in your wallet and ending it with an empty wallet just makes you want to cry.

This was my low point of the trip. The only saving grace at that moment was that the following day was Thanksgiving. Honestly, it was pretty hard to be in a thankful mindset after the catastrophic day I had had at the felt.

Day 23 | November 27: Thanksgiving, Perspective, and Partial Redemption

I had gone to sleep resolved to abstain from playing poker the following day. Thanksgiving would be spent with Eli and his family, and I intentionally brought no cash with me to the meal in order to avoid any temptation of heading straight to play poker from there. It was a wonderful experience and exactly where I needed to be.

After the meal, I spent several hours in front of my computer catching up on projects that had started to pile up. That, too, is part of being a semi-pro. Poker cannot come at the expense of everything else. Only at 11pm, with a clean desk, did I head out to play poker again.

I started out at Orleans playing $4/8 Omaha 8 or Better, ran cold, and lost just over a rack ($115). On the drive back, I finally gave in to temptation and stopped at South Point to jump into a $1/3 No Limit Hold’em game and “try to win back the $115 I had lost.”

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with Texas Hold’em, and I’ve played tons of it over the course of my life. But this trip was about being a mixed game semipro. Nonetheless, the session went pretty well. In just under an hour, I managed to profit $150 and smartly get up from the table. While it didn’t come anywhere close to making up for the day before, it felt good to book the win. Plus, frankly, just one “Hold’em slip up” in a month isn’t too big a deal for a mixed game semipro.

One Week Left To Go

It felt like déjà vu. After just over 160 hours of playing poker, I (once again) had essentially zero to show for all my effort. Two horrific sessions over the course of one shitty day of poker had wiped out all the progress I had made over the previous week. It just goes to show how cruel the game can be. The game doesn’t care that you “do everything right an overwhelming percentage of the time”. You’ll sometimes get punished, harshly, for your mistakes. Even when you’re disciplined. Even when you rest and eat healthy and exercise. Bottom line, when discipline mattered most, I slipped hard and paid dearly for it.

With just one week left in Las Vegas, the question now was simple and heavy: Could I recover financially and mentally from my biggest self-inflicted loss of the month? Or would this mistake define the trip?