If the only hands of poker that you have ever played have been online, then you really owe it to yourself to get out of the house and play some live poker. If you live in Southern British Columbia, you should seriously consider checking out the River Rock Casino in Richmond. Not only is it beautiful and easy to get to, but it is full of fish.

When you first walk into the River Rock, you will notice that the entire complex is designed to look like a big log cabin. The poker room is located on the second floor (first floor is all of the slot machines and blackjack tables.) When you walk into the poker room, you will first notice how big it is. There are many different tables in the room, with different games being spread. Normally there are 3-4 $1/$2 No Limit Games going, a $3/$6 NL game, an Omaha H/L game and a number of Limit Hold'em games. If you want to find a number of fish, sit down at the $1/$2 No Limit games. Normally you will find 1-2 half decent players, and a bunch of other people just looking to blow their money. If you want an extremely fishy game, hit the casino on a Friday or Saturday night when the drinks are flowing.

Also, the casino offers a daily early bid tournament, and normally has two $100 tournaments per week, normally on Wednesday and Saturday. The $100 tournaments (in which I have played 4 times) play like a $5 tournament online. You will notice that the same people get to the final two tables all of the time. Most of the players are atrocious, and tight, solid poker will get you far. I find that most people are accustomed to the faster pace of the online game, and will make ridiculous moves just because they are getting bored.

In the cash games, the moves are even more ridiculous. You will have 5-6 people in raised pots, and you will have your typical fish calling down to the river with ace high, just hoping to catch an ace. Just be patient and wait for your big hands, as you will get paid off. Enter pots as cheaply as possible, and you will get paid off big time when the flop hits you.

The staff are warm and friendly, and there is plenty of parking. There are many places to get some food, and many televisions throughout the poker room with which you can watch a sporting event.

If you are planning on playing, I would call ahead and get put on the list to play, as on a typical night you will be waiting 1-2 hours to get onto a table. The waiting list for 1/2 No Limit is the longest, with typically a backlog of 20-50 people, waiting to play. However, I would still make the trip out, as if you are a relatively strong player, you will clean up at the tables. Good luck!

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