The Fashion of Poker
Didn't anybody see Casino Royale? For goodness sake, in the middle of a high stakes poker game, James Bond is poisoned, dies, is brought back to life, bleeds profusely from multiple injuries and still manages to come back to the poker table in a clean and pressed tux. Is losing the baseball caps really too much to ask?
I spoke with a hostess at the Venetian and she said the staff really does think it is unfortunate how casual things are in their poker room. She said a good rule of thumb should be to know what the restaurants' dress codes are in a hotel, and follow those. (For example, a few of the restaurants at the Venetian do not allow jeans or tennis shoes.)
Ten Tips for a Looking Like a Winner
1) Leave the baseball caps at home. Basically, if you are old enough to get into a casino, you are old enough to leave home without the baseball cap. If you think that your cap covers your eyes so other players can’t see your tells, it doesn’t. Wear sunglasses if that is a concern for you. I can't believe I actually have to write this, but I saw it with my own eyes, leave the stocking caps at home too.
2) White sneaks are for the gym. Every guy should invest in a nice comfortable pair of leather shoes that can be worn casually with jeans or chinos. Imagine that even though you are at the $1/$2 tables, you may be treated any moment like a high roller and comped dinner at one of the nice restaurants.
3) Shlumpy sweatshirts really make you seem like you should be at a fraternity party. Or that you are a punk all-in, all-the-time online poker player. A light knit sweater is just as easy to put on, just as comfortable and looks exponentially better.
4) Wear layers. The temperatures can vary quite a bit from night to night. A nice button down shirt and a jacket or light sweater should have you covered either way.
5) Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em and know when to tuck in your shirt. I can't tell you how many flashes of men's backsides I got (cracks and all). Before you leave for the casino, practice sitting in a chair and leaning forward with your back to a mirror, if there is any skin or skivvies showing, wear a longer shirt. Please.
6) Shave and shower before you go. Even if you start out clean shaven, by the sixth hour of play it is not pretty. If you start out grungy, it is just plain nasty by the sixth hour.
7) Do not wear poker champion shirts or jackets. People really tighten up their play when they see these. If you are in fact a champion, you probably don't care, but if you're just a big fan, you are losing opportunities to take advantage.
8) Bring your respectful attitude. Say it with me “play tight, be polite.” It was so annoying being at a table with trash talkers. Besides, I honestly think the waitresses respond better to players who are friendly and considerate. A good poker player can be sexy; a good well dressed player who is polite to the players, dealers, and the cocktail waitresses is HOT. (Did you know that at the Venetian, the poker room waitresses have to walk all the way across the casino every time they fill up a tray? Try doing that in 3 1/2" heels a few times and you will seriously respect them more.)
9) If you tend to run hot, wear a polo-style (collared) short-sleeved shirt instead of a t-shirt.
10) Last but not least, leave costumes at home. I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but a poker room hostess I spoke with said the worst she ever saw was someone who came in dressed like Spiderman (and it was not Halloween).
Meredeth McMahon is a personal image consultant with Nouveau Image in the Pacific Northwest. www.nouveauimage.com
Would the moderator please remove this thread and the associated trip report (http://www.allvegaspoker.com/trip_detail_777.html)? This is in no way a trip report, but is instead a shameless plug/Spam. As someone who has contributed to and reads/relies on the great posts on this site, I find this particular 'report' to be somewhere between annoying and downright offensive.
Thanks,
ZPinhead
I totally agree with you pinhead. If the casino has a problem with the way I dress, then the shouldn't let me in! I don't need the fashion police to tell me how I should dress in a casino. I'm there to play cards not walk on the runway! So take you dress code and stick in where the sun doesn't ...........
I second the motion
I thought it was pretty funny, but it's in no way, shape or form a trip report. It's a blog posting on her trip to Vegas.
I am female and I appreciate good fashion. But this post, I do not appreciate. I think it takes away from what this forum is all about.
Folks, calm down. This isn't a "post". This is a new feature from the main site that will make a duplicate of all trip reports posted and put them here for everyone to discuss. No one physically came here and "posted" it for all to see. It's the way the software works.
Comment all you want on these reports. If there is something the head honcho doesn't want on here, he'll remove it. I have no authority, nor does LVM, to do this.
Actually, (by popular demand) there is a new feature that is almost 100% complete that integrates the trip report postings into the forum so the community can discuss them.
As for this particular 'trip report' ("the fashion of poker") I personally approved it, knowing that it was highly self promotional, because I wanted the community to decide whether stuff like this is appropriate for the site.
I think the community has spoken, and it's clear that this sort of self promotional content doesn't belong at AVP. As the site becomes more popular, we're only going to see more and more self promotional content, so we have to decide where to draw the line. Based on your reactions, this post crossed the line.
If anyone has a different reaction, please feel free to voice it.
Agree this trip report is ridiculous. I play poker with a hat on and am in no way looking to go project runway when I play. I am comfortable in a hat and sometimes dare I say a hooded sweatshirt, which is what I wear to work sometimes too. If I go out to a nice dinner with my wife maybe I'll dress nicer, but at the poker table, comfort is better and the money I save on dry cleaning can be used to fruition at the poker table. I am offended by this guy's rant.
I hope he's at my table and I get to spill some chianti on his nicely pressed shirt. Just kidding, I don't behave that way at the poker table, I'm all polite and very friendly.
my 2 chips.
i do shower every morning but i do not shave. i am on vacation when i am in vegas. relaxing,drinking,playing poker,laughing that is my idea of a nonstress vacation.
Yes, it was pretty apparent that it was spam, but if you'll notice LVM removed the associated link, ruining the intention of the spammer. However, I found the post itself rather humorous. It makes me think of old sports footage where all the men in the crowd are wearing suits and ties even though it's a day game and it's 90 degrees and muggy...
I have no problem with people being funny and writing a "spoof" type article but I think it should come from people who are active AVP members.
WTH? (I'm cleaning it up for the kids)
My only issue is with endless discussions of what "is" and "is not" appropriate, being posted "here" or "there" by "this" or "that" person. Is AVP such a hot bed of meaningful poker discussion that we can't tolerate a single wierd post?
For the record I thought the post was supposed to be funny. It was clearly meant as satire--banal as it was--marketing link or not. As far as I'm concerned the moderators can continue to approve whatever posts they want.
Well, this really comes down to a community thing. If most people don't approve of rhetoric like the above, then the owner of this site will not allow this type of stuff to surface in our area. This was allowed to be posted to get feedback on what is and isn't appropriate for this community.
I, for one, got a good laugh out of this and wondered if it was actually a serious "trip report" or just a joke.
If you REALLY want to see how a large, on-line poker community reacts to such an opinionated and self-serving post, cross-post it on 2+2 or pocket5s - but you'd better be wearing asbestos underwear!
Please address the appropriateness of gaseous bodily emissions, k? thanks.
Excellent post. Although I feel that women's attire should have been addressed somewhere.
Frankly I prefer women players to wear bikini's or evening gowns revealing a somewhat immodest amount of cleavage. Short skirts are always appreciated, and high heels should be mandatory.
Sarcasm aside. Go for comfort. The next time I spot Doyle, Daniel or any other top level pro (other than Marcel Luske) dressing up to play poker, I'll think about changing my attire. Until then, comfort rules.
I'm sorry ... but what a Moron! Get a life. You dress how you want and leave the rest of us alone. As long as the clothes are clean and don't smell you shouldn't have a problem with it.
If it's important to you, have your own home game and you can enforce whatever dress code you like. Leave the rest of us (in public places) alone - last time I checked this is America!
Oh, this wasn't a serious post you say? Nevermind ...
@Shamrock
I just had to LOL at this... I'll be sure to keep this in mind as I am getting ready to go play.
I laughed too....Shamrock obviously doesn't realize how friggin' cold it is in the casino!!! LOL