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You’re on the short stack and hold pocket Aces.
After thinking a moment, you go all in. The opponent
cold-calls you with 6-7 suited and flushes you out of
the tournament. Shaking your head, you check your wallet
to see how much you’re out.
Not a cent.
The Deal
Several poker-hosting businesses have seized on the
Hold’em obsession because of two things: willing
bar owners and no lack of poker-hungry players. The
poker hosts approach bar managers and ask for a small
fee. In return, the hosts provide one or more of the
following: poker chips, cards, tabletops, poker tables
and dealers. The bars see an increase in business, usually
on weeknights when customers are tough to come by. If
there’s one thing that the average poker player
likes to do besides playing poker, it’s drinking.
Regular crowds appear and make the establishment a weekly
habit. Both the hosts and the venue benefit.
The Tournament
Anywhere from 10 to 230 sit down in the evening with
predetermined blinds and chip counts, just like a casino
tournament. Often, those that purchased an appetizer
will start with a slightly higher chip count. Blinds
go up periodically and players play down to one person.
Instead of money, top finishers win gift certificates,
merchandise and league points, which gain them entry
into leaguewide tournaments. Ultimate prizes in these
tournaments include cash and trips to the WSOP.
The First Lesson is Free
Despite the no-gambling nature and free-flowing alcohol,
competition can be fierce. Bar leagues range in skill
from the casual, call-everything dopes to serious poker
players who use leagues to hone skills between Vegas
trips. Some see bar leagues as a cheap way to get into
the WSOP. Others played collectible card games in college
and can’t escape the lure of competition. Regardless
of skill level, bar league players expect a friendly
attitude. These players don’t mind getting check-raised
and busting out, as long as the winner’s not a
jerk about it.
No Fold’em
Typical play in bar leagues is ‘loose-aggressive’.
In other words, many players see the flop for the minimum.
Good players can take advantage of such loose play by
getting in on those cheap flops and outplaying opponents
after the flop. Suited connectors are especially good
in looseaggressive games. Beware pocket pairs; a large
raise will often not scare away anyone, and the more
players in the pot, the worse the pair ends up. It’s
not a poker night unless aces or kings get cracked.
Loose-aggressive style is often found at no-limit, small
buy-in casino games;
a good league player could take their game to the riverboat
and come home with cash.
Good habits
Whoever said hanging out in bars would teach good habits?
Real-life dealers appreciate people who remember their
blinds. Bar league players learn to play their opponents,
rather than the cards, and when they take that trip
to Vegas and there’s actual money on the line,
it means less to them. Sure, league players go to have
fun and meet new people, but if they’re not careful,
they might learn some serious poker skills along the
way.
The best poker bars in America
1. Barley Island Brewing Company, Noblesville,
IN www.barleyisland.com
It’d be difficult to find a friendlier bunch than
the crowd at Barley Island, a brew pub known for its
single-named microbrew concoctions. Ask for the ‘Brown’.
Average Thursday night attendance is 20 to 40, and most
of them know what they’re doing. The Barley Island
player is
the kind of person who’ll take your chips, but
will buy you a drink afterward. Tables are spacious
and well-lit; this is far from the typical bar atmosphere.
This location is part of the
Indianapolis-area league run by Poker Prodigy (www.poker-prodigy.com).
2. Ringers Sports Lounge, Austin, TX www.ringerssportslounge.com
This Austin sports bar has great food and 22 HDTVs,
but it’s fast becoming known as a huge poker venue
on Wednesday and Friday nights. Drawing between 80 and
140 Hold’em enthusiasts, it’s the biggest
weekly poker game in Austin, and possibly all of Texas.
Ringers is the flagship location for the Fantasy Poker
League (www.tfpl.net).
3. The Blarney Stone, O’Neill, NE www.blarneystone-oneill.com
Wednesday and Saturday Nights You wouldn’t expect
that in a tiny town of 3800, a bar would attract 80
to 100 people on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but that’s
exactly what happens. “On Thursday mornings, the
local radio station announces the results from the previous
night and lists the top 10 overall players,” said
Alan Widman, president of the Fantasy Poker League.
“If
the results aren’t announced by 8 a.m., there
is hell to pay.”
4. Horsemen’s Park, Omaha, NE www.horsemenspark.com
Thursday night is “Poker & Ponies” night
at this off-track horse wagering facility. Making the
final table is a big deal, as Horsemen’s attracts
160 to 230 players. The skill level is so high, that
some league regulars avoid the place altogether!
5. West Linn Saloon, West Linn, OR www.wlsaloon.com
The West Linn Saloon is in a small, 150- year-old historical
community and has an antique bar, but the player skill
on Mondays and Wednesdays is far from old-fashioned.
“There is a beautiful kinetic energy that is released
when the younger, mill-town raised crowd goes headto-
head with the older, more affluent area transplants,”
said Steven Triplett, director of the Northwest Poker
League (www.nwpokerleague.com)
6. The Gypsy Restaurant, Portland, OR
A happening place in the center of a big city, this
restaurant attracts a large, younger crowd late Tuesday
nights. Most Gypsy Restaurant players went nuts over
the game from TV and want to try it out in real life,
but don’t expect an easy ride here.
7. Scooters, Raleigh, NC www.scootersbar.com
Yes, it’s a biker bar. And no, not all the players
that play here are bikers. Poker night attracts a diverse
crowd from all walks of life, and the atmosphere is
friendly. “People probably would have never walked
into that bar before if it weren’t for poker,
but it’s helped them build an awesome community
of players,” says Mike Matsinger of the World
Tavern Poker Tour (www.worldtavernpoker. com).
8. The Crazy Horse Saloon, Anchorage AK
A strip club in Alaska’s about the last place
someone might expect to find poker, but this place attracts
85 people per night, plus a waiting list, and 30 of
those players are women!
9. Rí Rá Irish Pub, Raleigh,
NC www.rira.com/locations/raleigh
“Rí Rá is a very cool Irish pub
that you would never expect to host a poker tournament,”
says Matsinger. “Yet they are one of the most
popular venues in North Carolina because it is a fun
atmosphere and a very well run event.” Rí
Rá’s poker night is Monday.
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