Congratulations to my friend Terri Evanowski for her finish in the WPT $15,000 event at Bellagio. She played very well in her second major event (the other was the 5000+ entrant WSOP final) and finished 42nd, earning $32,200 for her Super-satellite investment. She entered the 3rd day in 14th chip position, but ran into some unfortunate circumstances. Her QQ ran into AA, and her KK ran into AA. You need to win with these premium hands to gain chips…making great laydowns keeps you alive, but does not get you to the final table. She also had a tough table that day as five of the six final table players were at her table . To her credit, she did not try to make an additional $8,000 ladder move, but pushed in with QJ in late position trying to win some chips. Of course, she ran into AA and was eliminated. She did a great job, is a heck of a player, and you will hear more of her.

Last week, we started to talk about the Las Vegas home field advantage. Let’s finish that up.

Many tourists are not used to being offered free drinks by attractive women in abbreviated (to truly scanty) attire. Between taking advantage of the drinks and glancing at the servers, they are not playing the same game they play at home. At several casinos with Ultra-lounges, more women in “club wear” also provide a distraction. Hey, I like looking too, but since I am there every week, I am not totally consumed with this phenomenon.

House rules are different in some Las Vegas cosinos as well. I find it amusing when some visitor tries to make a ruling based on what the rules are where he usually plays. Let me give you two examples from Bellagio. In California, a player moves a certain number of seats and has the option of waiting a number of hands equal to the number of players he has passed, or posting. In Bellagio, you can move two players for free, but if you move three live players or more, you must post no matter how long you are willing to wait. You cannot “deal off.” If you come from a broken game, you are dealt right in…and that means if you sit down in the blind, you must take it or get a blind button. You cannot come in behind, and certainly not for free. Of course, if you sit down behind the button, you are dealt in for free. Regulars understanding this sometimes delay sitting down from a broken game until their position is favorable. Tourists get angry if they put their chips down, go to the restroom, and return to find a blind button.

Moving on. Some folks are not used to 24-hour towns with breakfast specials served from 11 PM to 8 AM, or steak specials 24 hours a day. No clocks, multiple TVS, unending games, never-closing bars, all help to remove the typical tourist from the element he is comfortable with.

So how to you overcome all of this? First, of course, don’t drink. Do not play a game requiring judgment the day you fly in. Relax, sleep, play later. The game will be there when you are ready. Remember that you are playing poker for money and that decisions matter. If you are tired, uncomfortable, up way past your bedtime or playing in a game that is too tough, stop. There is no shame in acknowledging that the limit you might play in at home offers easier games that the ones in Las Vegas. It is OK to step down a bit if you sense you are not one of the best players in the game you are playing. Too many people come to here and try to play higher because they want to test themselves. Fine, try this and it might work for you. But be aware it might not and be ready to step out.

Try to identify the professionals. True, some do not play that great, but they are all winning players to one degree or another. You would normally be better off focusing your efforts on the other guys. Not that you should give professionals a free pass. If you feel you have a hand, or a pro is taking advantage of a situation, go ahead and crush him. I tend to focus on the weaker players because, as Willie Sutton said when asked why he robbed banks, “That’s where the money is.”