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Chasing The River
Publish: 2024-08-17 12:20:27
Categories: Michigan

I probably starting playing poker at a hobby level about 10 years ago. I pretty much only play No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. It's a casual hobby, but one that I enjoy more & more as I get deeper & deeper into the various strategies of play.

After playing live poker for the first time, in Vegas, about 6 years ago, I've taken several trips back solely to play.

Aside from Vegas, there are a few other places where you can gamble that isn't on a Native American reservation. Michigan, happens to be one of those places. 🙂

Not only are online cash poker games legal here in MI, but there's also a few casinos in downtown Detroit... including the MGM Grand.

On my second Friday night in Michigan, my little FR-S found her tires spinning along the highway straight towards downtown Detroit. 20 minutes later, I was parked at the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit. Not long after I was walking my way through the casino floor for the first time, seeking the poker room.

Wow. Not only was there a poker room... but it was packed! 😀

I walked into the poker room at 7:00 and it was a full 30 minutes before I got off the wait list. Longer than I'd want to wait, obviously, but it's a great sign that they're so busy.

I played for 4 hours... choosing to head out at 11:30 because I was just exhausted. You can be sure I'll be leaving this casino in the early, early hours of the day in the future. I'm super stoked to have such good, high-quality poker just minutes away. Super stoked.

If you don't play poker, it's worth pointing out that the only good poker is cash based. It's not a snobbery thing or anything like that, but if real money isn't on the line, people just refuse to play the game seriously enough. So, yes, having legit poker legal and close is genuinely a boon.

Part of the fun of live poker is, in fact, the table talk. Socializing with a bunch of randos... some of which you'll share the next half a day with. It's just like every other human social experiment. Sometimes you get good, fun tables, sometimes shitty ones. Sometimes you even get into little social cliques - whether based on seat position, play style, or just being a regular.

Hilariously, sometimes you also get personality battles among the tables. Disagreements which take on a fantastic dynamic when you're all playing poker (again, for real money!) and are therefore able to piss off someone verbally and then "attack" them financially. It's all great fun. It really, really is.

Well, last night was a great time. Although I've played the MGM Grand in Vegas many, many, many times before... I was surprised to find some of the table rules were different at MGM Gran in Detroit. I"m not a fan of some of the changes, but it's all silly, side-rule shit... the game itself is unchanged.

Beyond the game, was four hours of hanging out with some other Poker folks. There were 5 people (besides me) who were there the entire time. Which left 2 seats of folks joining, busting, and leaving. This is a much slower turnover rate than I've seen in Vegas, and without turning this in to a poker strategy blog, I'll just say that it'll change how I play... so that's be interesting.

Beyond the game strategy, it also meant that for 4 hours I was at the table with the same 5 people... most of which were chatting along. Again, it was just a really nice time. But also, all of them are locals, and regulars. You can clearly tell that there are many regulars. I'm sure I'll get to know many of these people quite a bit more over the next two years.

And, hopefully, I catch enough good cards and play them well enough to keep me there for many, many hours to come.

Speaking of catching good cards, did I win big on my first night? 🙂 Man... I wanted to. I mean, you always do, but wouldn't it have been nice if my first night in I'd hit it big and start this whole thing with a proper bang? 🙂 Well... I did not win big. I bought in for $300, and walked out with $528.... so at least I didn't lose anything.... but a $3,000 night would've been an epic start to my MI poker life. 😉

That's fine... I still need something to aim for on my second night (which... may be tonight). 😀

So let's add a couple more points to the 'Win' column. It's nice to have good quality poker nearby. And maybe, as I become one of the regulars as well, I'll find another social circle blooming.

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