Your First Visit to a Casino Poker Room

Live poker in a licensed casino is more welcoming than most first-timers expect, but there is a routine to it. Here is the version that works in almost every room on this site.

Before you go

• ID. A passport or national ID card. Every European casino registers players on the first visit and checks the national self-exclusion register; a driving licence is often not enough. In the United States a government photo ID is required and the minimum age is 21.
• Cash or card. Most rooms sell chips at the cage or at the table. Card payments are common in Europe; ATM fees inside casinos are high.
• Check the schedule. Venue pages on this site show typical stakes and days, but cash games start late in many European rooms and tournaments have registration windows. The link to the casino’s own schedule is on every venue page.

Getting a seat

Go to the poker desk and ask for the game you want. Rooms use a waiting list; at busy times you will get a buzzer or a text when your seat opens. Buy-ins are usually 40 to 100 big blinds minimum, with the standard amounts listed on the venue page.

At the table

• Act only when it is your turn, and say your action (“call”, “raise to 25”) before moving chips.
• Put a single chip in for a call; putting one chip in when you meant to raise counts as a call in most rooms.
• Keep your cards on the table and protect them with a chip.
• Tip the dealer a small amount when you win a pot in the US; in Europe tipping is appreciated but not expected.
• Phones are allowed at most tables but not while you are in a hand.

Rake and time charges

Casinos take a percentage of each pot, capped, or charge per half hour at higher stakes. The venue page shows the structure where the casino publishes it. Ask the floor if it does not; it is a normal question.

Leaving

You can leave a cash game whenever you like. Colour up small chips at the table, then cash out at the cage. Winnings at licensed casinos are not reported to tax authorities in most European countries; the rules differ, and the country pages summarise them.