Dear Expert,

How do I find a low to medium limit games around my area, which has no cardrooms?

Thanks, Zach

Hi Zach,

However, I'm glad you asked the question, because in the time since I wrote that answer, I have decided I would also add:

1) Remember, private games are at least technically illegal, so you need to be cautious. It's not just the police you have to worry about, either: once you move to high stakes games, you need to worry about your game getting hijacked (robbed). In lower stakes games, your main concerns are bad checks, and spouses who are so angry that hubby isn't home that they call the police to raid the game. It happens.

2) If you do find your way into a game through someone you meet in a bar or other casual means, be particularly cautious when playing for any significant stakes. There are a lot of thieves and cheaters out there. Casual acquaintances are probably fine for low stakes games, and what you'll find is that the players in your first game probably also play in other games in town. Eventually, you will be able to "network" your way into most of the private games in the area.

3) Michael Konik's soon-to-be published book, "Telling Lies and Getting Paid," has a nice section about home poker games.

Andy Glazer