@knicker

There are plenty of players who do not self-evaluate their play. Dressing the part of a rounder and doing some fancy chip tricks don't make the player.

Also, the term "tourist" does not equal "fish" anymore. I've played with plenty of knowledgeable and fine-playing tourists, like myself, from all over the world, in Vegas. On the flipside, just because someone is a "local" doesn't mean they have the knowledge or the skill to play well. Last month, I played with, and took money, from many locals who were quite fishy.

In order of who I like to see at the table at a 1/2 NL game:
- the drunk tourist who wants to play that game they saw on TV
- the business man in town for a convention who plays in a little home game now and then
- the off duty dealer
- the local regular
- the "tourist" who has traveled to Vegas in order to play poker

Though any of the above can be good or bad players in general I've lost my fear of playing with dealers and locals and look out more for the competent tourist.

@psujohn

Your comment regarding the dealer's interesting.....care to expand a little further? (no, i'm not a dealer). I find that most dealers are very good.

Just in my limited experience the dealers I've played with have not been good players. Then generally fall into the "think they're better than they really are" category and can get themselves into trouble.

Few (if any) dealers or locals are completely incompetent but in general if they're playing a lot of poker and they're at the 1/2 table they're likely either not great or looking to pick up the easy money.

It's always dangerous to stereotype but my first thought for locals is TAG and for dealer is semi-spewy wannabe LAG.

@Bucabear I find that most dealers are very drunk. I'm about half joking. And so are they when they sit down at some of the small stakes poker games I play.

I find that locals and tourists tend to have about the same wide range of individual abilities and are often sitting at a poker table for a similarly diverse variety of reasons. Which is not too surprising, since about two thirds of the locals just got that way pretty recently, after being tourists. You can drive around the newly sprouted suburbs of Las Vegas and play the game of checking off the license plates from all the states parked in the driveways.

@knicker

Good trip report, but it's called a card protector or capper. If you mark the cards, you're doing someithing shady. I use one all the time, as I sit in the 1 or 10 seat due to poor vision, and it keeps the dealer from accidentally scooping my cards or having them fouled by a bad muck. It's never a bad idea to cap your cards, and I use a different one a lot just because I like variety.

@JohnDz So do I. People ask what it is. I reply: "It's eighty-nine cents at Gambler's General Store on South Main." Does it mean something to you? "Yes, it means my cards are 100% sure not to get mucked until I'm ready to muck them."

EDIT: Oops, Gambler's General Store is on South Main.

I cap my cards with a capper - a chip. Best card protector I know. That way I'm never All-In.

For the record, I do not now, nor have I ever, owned any of the following: a hoody, a little music gizmo, or a pair of wrap around mirrored sunglasses.

I find that the the "Covert Poker Commando Operations" uniform often elicits about the same whispered snickering reactions from many of my fellow players as would wearing a full-on Bozo the Clown outfit to the table. "Oh great, look, here's another of those snotty little (bleeps) bringing chips for us..." But bear in mind that this is mostly coming from local rocks. I just want the 'net kiddies to please develop the social skills to behave themselves in public so as not to tighten down or drive away the casual friendly recreational players who are out for a little relaxing fun.

I actually have run into a few highly regarded professionals who, for whatever peculiar reason, sat down to play for a while at one of my small stakes fixed limit games, believe it or not. Not one of them said or did anything at all to point that out about themselves. Someone else did afterwards.

@Bucabear

Your comment regarding the dealer's interesting.....care to expand a little further? (no, i'm not a dealer). I find that most dealers are very good.[/quote]

What limits do you play? At anything higher than 6/12 LHE or 1/2 NLHE the joke is "What's your ideal table?"

The answer: "10 dealers + me!"

Seriously, dealers who play low limits are frequently horrible. They see terrible play pay off all day in the box, then emulate it. It's not universal by any means, but I'm never leaving a table just becasue I find out it's full of dealers. Unless they all try to run the game at once.

I find that many of the players that play wearing sunglasses, backwards hats, hoods, etc are merely emulating what they are seeing on ESPN. It's pretty natural for fans of the game (especially younger fans) to want to dress/act like their favorite TV player. So I guess I understand it, even if I don't do it. I do get a chuckle when a guy sits down with the upside down sunglasses or hood, etc. But hey, it's Vegas, do whatever the heck you want to do!
I do admit I have used my IPod at a table during tournaments, but typically it's because I am not too into table chatter during a tournament. When I play a limit cash game, I am typically a lot friendlier and open, talking with the other players at the table. As far as my dress, I honestly dress in whatever I feel like, but for the most part I try to look very unassuming and under the radar. I try not to do anything to make me stand out at all. For me, anonimity plays to my strong suit better.
That's my two cents.