Texas Hold 'Em Etiquette Question

[Quasimodem]

I play the Howard Lederer World Champ Poker 2 sometimes?

One of my opponents is a female (name changes from game to game) and she wears a mask (think Lone Ranger), but in addition to the mask, she has one of those "drop-down curtains" which covers the nose and also the chin, so basically, all you can see is her eyes.

Sorry, no link, y'all just use your imaginations, okay?

So I'm wondering: If I show up in a get-up like that, other than being laughed at, am I also going to be asked to get out and not let the door hit my ass?

Thanks

Q

[GameHat]

Explain a bit more - is this an online poker site with webcam functionality?

I can't imagine you *not* getting thrown out of any brick&mortar casino if you tried to pull this stunt.

If it is an online, personally I'd complain to customer support that this isn't exactly in the spirit of webcam poker. Not that facial tells are anything as big as the movies would have you believe, but if you can simply just wear a gorilla mask, what's the point of the video feed? Just skip it and find a different site.

[Quasimodem]

Oh, NO! It's just a game you can load and play on the computer, but it's SUPPOSED to be REALISTIC, so WTF, GameHat, is what I'm saying...... If a casino wouldn't let you take a seat looking like that, then why put it in a computer game which is supposed to be realistic?

Q

[dropzone]

Is she hot? No doubt, and yeah, the Muslims are right and you can figure it out from her eyes. Did I ever tell you of when I dated an eye model for Maybelline? The rest of her matched.

(thinking) No, you are fucked. Wear sunglasses (did I ever tell....) and keep your mouth parts paralyzed. And try to forget that Texas Hold 'em is a game for women and wusses.

ETA: It's online? You are truly fucked. Never play poker with someone you cannot see. Or estimate their state of drunkenness. And NEVER play it against sober computers.

[GameHat]

Originally Posted by Quasimodem

Oh, NO! It's just a game you can load and play on the computer, but it's SUPPOSED to be REALISTIC, so WTF, GameHat, is what I'm saying...... If a casino wouldn't let you take a seat looking like that, then why put it in a computer game which is supposed to be realistic?

Q

Ah, I see. If it's just for fun, it doesn't really matter. It still does kinda violate the spirit of the game though.

[dropzone]

Cards that ain't for money is masturbation with a count down.

[Oakminster]

Originally Posted by dropzone

Cards that ain't for money is masturbation with a count down.

Spoken like a man that's never played duplicate bridge.

[dropzone]

But who wants to. Sex is great. I understand Bridge is better.

[Auntbeast]

No way would they be allowed in a casino. I was a poker dealer and not even on halloween could we wear any sort of mask or face covering at all. Wear all the hats and glasses you want, but I doubt you'd be allowed in the door.

[don't ask]

What about those glasses with the eyeballs hanging on springs?

[Auntbeast]

We had a player take out their glass eye and put it on the table. He was escorted out. I'm thinking if your eyeballs are still attached, yer good. :P

[Chronos]

Wasn't there someone in a tournament a few years back who wore an Elmo mask?

A bit of quick Googling seems to say that it was the World Series of Poker.

[Cyberhwk]

Yeah, they wouldn't allow it. Every year a bunch of goons dress up for the Main Event. IIRC they've had Elmo and more than a few Grouch Marx'. They had to actually pass a rule stating you can not cover your face with clothing. This is obviously on a case by case basis since someone like Peter Eastgate could put on a hoodie and some huge sunglasses and achieve much the same effect.

I, for one, blame Phil Laak for the trend.

[Oslo Ostragoth]

I'm still curious WTH the OP was about....

[Cyberhwk]

Originally Posted by Oslo Ostragoth

I'm still curious WTH the OP was about....

He's playing a poker game against a bot. The bot has an avatar that has the majority of her face covered. OP wondered if this would really be allowed in a casino.

[Turble]

Retired Las Vegas pit boss here, so this applies to Nevada.

People are not allowed to cover their faces in casinos because it would be impossible to know if they were on the Excluded Person List, commonly known as the Black Book. A casino can lose its license if somebody on the list is allowed entry.

[Robot Arm]

Originally Posted by Turble

Retired Las Vegas pit boss here, so this applies to Nevada.

People are not allowed to cover their faces in casinos because it would be impossible to know if they were on the Excluded Person List, commonly known as the Black Book. A casino can lose its license if somebody on the list is allowed entry.

How many people are in that book at any given time, and are you really expected to recognize all of them on sight?

[ZenBeam]

What if a poker player used steroids got his dentist to shoot his face full of Novocaine to avoid facial tells? Legal? Poor etiquette?

[Turble]

Excluded Person List
The list isn't really very big. Every casino will have at least one copy in the pit that bosses occasionally browse through to keep the faces fresh in mind.

Much more extensive is the Griffin Book, several volumes of pictures of known and/or suspected cheats and card counters (card counting is not a crime but Nevada casinos can exclude them if they choose - and most do.)

Griffin is a detective agency and the book is by subscription only - no samples available. It contains hundreds of photos and the bosses of subscribing casinos do indeed become familiar with many of them. If you ever notice a guy or three in the pit paging through a big plastic loose leaf notebook, they are likely looking at the Griffin Book, either just refreshing their memories or trying to decide if someone on the table they keep taking a casual peek at is the person in the book.

@ZenBeam: If you take a look at a game above the low limits, something like a $75/$150 Stud, you might think some of those guys have done just that -- you ain't seen poker faces until you've seen a real poker game being played by pros for a meaningful amount of money - the guys you see in the big money game on TV are being paid to entertain and are strongly encouraged to be rather animated ... and the dead immobile face shots just don't make good TV.

[Quasimodem]

Just as a sideboard, I like the Howard Lederer Poker WC Poker 2 game, but it would be great if it had a built-in "coach". I know enough to fold if I don't have anything in my hand, but I am sometimes confused as to terminology (river, for instance).

I've been thinking of finding a site with a free strategy guide, printing it out and keeping it by the keyboard.

Any other ideas (just keeping it as basic and "Quasi-friendly" as possible, I mean)?

Thanks

Q

[Turble]

I think you would learn a lot more playing online against live players. All the sites have play money games; you don't have to make a deposit to sign up but you do have to give your real ID info - they do check you out and they are very serious about preventing even play money players from opening multiple accounts.

pokerstars.com had over 330,000 players this afternoon.

If you want to play No Limit Hold 'em, about the only thing close to a simple chart you will find is in the book "Kill Phil". I have it and highly recommend it for new players. It does have the chart you are looking for.

For general (free) poker information, you can check out Mike Caro University or
twoplustwo.com. Both contain a wealth of good information, but be prepared to be overwhelmed if your curiosity is casual ... these places are for serious players.