Top 5 Places To Play US Poker Live

So you're thinking about venturing into a casino for live poker play. There are a few things keep in mind to make your time more enjoyable. First, remember that the staff, including the dealers are there to help. Don't hesitate to ask for help or directions.

Second, review the house rules to avoid unknowingly crossing a line of play while at the table. When sitting down at a table, watch the play until the big blind reaches you so you get a feel for how your opponents play. If you're unsure of your hand's strength in a showdown, turn them up and let the dealer read them and announce the winner.

Let the dealer control the table by collecting your cards and pushing chips won your direction. This can eliminate some embarrassing moments of accidentally mucking a winning hand or reaching for chips that aren't yours. Remember that dealers work for tips like waiters or bartenders. It's customary to tip your dealer after winning a hand. $0.50 to $2.00 is usually sufficient in low-limit games. Most importantly, have fun. That's why you're there!

5 - Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Connetic

The number five spot for live poker play is located in Mashantucket, Connecticut on the Mashantucket Pequot Indian reservation. The Foxwoods Resort & Casino boasts the East Coast's largest live poker area which is divided into a 100-table main room and a 50-table tournament room.

It's not just the size of the venue that earns its spot on a list of top live poker rooms. Foxwoods features a large array of games for the casual player as well as the seasoned pros dealt 24/7, 365 days a year.

As with many large poker venues, the Foxwoods caters to the hold'em crowd offering many games ranging from $1/2 tables for those looking to start their bankrolls to $150/$300 no-limit cash games for those with deeper wallets. Foxwoods offers plenty of Stud as well if that's your game and you can expect to find tables featuring Stud-8, H.O.S.E. and Omaha 8 if you're looking for a mixed game.

If tournaments are your thing, Foxwoods schedules daily hold'em tournaments and 17 rotating weekly tournaments. The weekly tournaments typically feature hold'em, but will also include 7-card Stud and Omaha 8. Sit & Go events and at least five tournaments daily mean that there's always a table for you. If trading blinds with the pros is your attraction, Foxwoods boasts two World Series of Poker (WSOP) events. Foxwoods hosts the World Poker Finals every fall as well as the Foxwoods Poker Classic. You can try your luck at winning a seat at either of these tournaments at hosted satellite and feeder events.

While the décor of Foxwoods' poker room won't wow you with lavish displays, you will be treated with Native American accents and a bank of bright blue waves across the ceiling. A poker manager can help you find the right game or you can make use of the casino's electronic seat finder. You should sign up for the Foxwoods Rewards card. At the entry level you gain points to be exchanged for food, gas and hotel stays. The more you play, the greater the reward levels. It should be noted that there is no food service or cell phone use at the tables, so take a break for food and leave the phone in your pocket.

Foxwoods Resort & Casino
350 Trolley Line Boulevard
Mashantucket, CT 06338-3777
860-312-3177
www.foxwoods.com

4 – Bicycle Casino, Los Angeles

The quest for the number four live poker room in America will take you across the country to Los Angeles to the Bicycle Casino. Affectionately called "The Bike," their smoke-free poker room boasts 190 tables and offers games for all levels of play.

You will be treated to tables featuring comfortable chairs in a room that is over 100,000 square feet and studded with big screen plasma TVs. You don't even need to leave your chair to enjoy food and drink service while playing live poker at The Bike. Taking advantage of their free Players' Club entitles you to free meals if you sit for more than three continuous hours of play and grants you access to a host of daily, weekly and monthly tournaments.

You can view some of The Bicycle's cash game action on the streaming video show Live At The Bike at http://www.liveatthebike.com and catch amateurs and pros duking it out over high stakes. In addition to the standard hold'em, 7-card Stud and Omaha poker, you can sit down to games of Pineapple, Pai Gow and Mexican Poker. If you're attracted to big tournament play, The Bike hosts some of the best. The Mega Millions Series, CardPlayer Poker Tour, L.A. Poker Series, Legends of Poker and others all call The Bike home.

The Bicycle gets convenience points as well offering three cashier's cages for easy cash outs. It is located just 10 minutes from downtown L.A. and offers valet parking or two large casino lots if you prefer to self-park.

The Bicycle Casino
888 Bicycle Casino Dr.
Bell Gardens, CA 90201
562-806-4646
www.thebike.com

3 – Bellagio, Las vegas

A Strip mainstay, the Bellagio opened its poker room in 1998 and finds itself third on our list. It features 40 tables in its main room and 2 high-stakes side rooms which are home to a number of celebrity poker player regulars. Bobby's Room offers two tables and a minimum buy-in of $20,000. The lavish art-deco styled Club Privé combines seclusion and service and offers high-limit players a speakeasy-style bar with an extensive selection of rare spirits.

The main poker room extends complimentary beverage service and 24-hour food service tableside. While playing hold'em, Stud, Omaha or Mix games at all limits, you will be treated by an array of TV monitors and massive plasma screens as well as a top-notch overhead music system. If the 24-hour poker action isn't enough to keep your head in the game, the poker room's walls are adorned with artwork depicting poker greats as well as past Bellagio and WPT events.

Another aspect of The Bellagio that justifies its rank is the use of the Genesis Bravo poker room management system which makes it easy to track table wait lists as well as player comps. The Bellagio comps players at a rate of $2/hr. You can swipe your MGM Resorts International M Life card at your table and can use the comps for tableside service or elsewhere in the resort. Also, The Bellagio is one of only five Vegas poker rooms to not drop a jackpot rake in cash games.

The Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
888-987-6667
www.bellagio.com

2 – The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, Las Vegas

The trip from the number three live poker room to the second place finisher is a short one-mile journey up The Strip to The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino. With over 14,000 square feet of smoke-free card-playing space, The Venetian's Sands Poker Room is Las Vegas' largest poker room.

The main room features 59 tables with space for 600 players and boasts two high-limit play areas. The room's proximity to Strip-side entrances and internal spacing make wheelchair accessibility and general movement easy even in high-traffic times. Its amenities and service repeatedly earn this poker room honors for customer satisfaction among Las Vegas casinos.

The Venetian offers you the ease and convenience of the Genesis Bravo management system for wait lists and comp management, a desk dedicated to tournament registration and TV screens outside of the play area that give up-to-the-second waitlist information for games.

While playing, you will enjoy 24-hour dedicated food and beverage service staff which can be summoned by the dealer. Comfortable, adjustable leather chairs swivel and roll for convenience. All tables are equipped with automatic shufflers as well as two charging outlets per seat to keep your phone or tablet powered

Game play at The Venetian attracts players of all skill levels and boasts cash games 24-hours a day and tournaments twice daily. You can enjoy the expected limit and no limit hold'em, Omaha 8 and Pot Limit Omaha.

The quarterly Deepstack Tournament events pack the poker room and add an additional 60 temporary tables to push participation over 700. The Venetian's comp setup will give you $2 per hour spent at cash games. Paper vouchers are issued for larger buy-in tournaments. Comps can be used for food, drinks, tableside massages and to buy into tournaments (in $10 increments). The Venetian's Sands Poker Room is also one of the five Vegas rooms to not drop a jackpot rake.

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-414-1000
www.venetian.com

1 – Commerce Hotel & Casino, Los Angeles

The hands-down top spot for live poker in America is L.A.'s Commerce Hotel & Casino. Size says it all when it comes to poker rooms and the Commerce offers the largest in the world with over 200 tables offering a variety of games for players of all levels. The Commerce divides play into two areas, one for low and middle range limits and another room for high-limit play.

If you're stopping by the Commerce's poker room you have a variety of games to choose from at all hours of the day. The Commerce deals more hold'em than any other casino in the world. But if you're burned out on hold'em you can sit down to play 7-card Stud, Razz, Low Ball, Mexican Poker, Omaha, Pai Gow or Pineapple.

Lower limit games tend to attract a lot of loose play as expected from a large room, while the higher limit games attract seasoned players, pros like regulars Mike Matusow and Phil Laak, as well as their fair share of Hollywood celebrities. The room is quick opening up a new table for any game with full waiting list. The casino offers a $100,000 Super Jackpot for hold'em and the bad beat jackpots regularly reach six figures. The Commerce also plays host to daily tournaments and high-profile events with prizes that as high as $20 million including the LA Poker Classic (LAPC) and the LA Poker Open.

The amenities you will enjoy at the Commerce are exceptional. Players have tableside access to a great variety of food and beverages. The casino stands out in the industry for their "Bring Your Home Game" program. This setup allows players to bring friends into the casino to play their home game with a professional dealer and pit boss while surrounded by large screen TVs and the buzz of one of the world's premier poker destinations. The Commerce also offers free poker classes as part of its Commerce Casino University of Poker. For low-limit and high-limit players alike, the Commerce is the top live poker destination in the U.S.

The Commerce Casino
6131 E. Telegraph Road
Commerce, CA 90040
323-721-2100
www.commercecasino.com