One particularly grungy pro overheard someone trying to buy into the $1/$3 game for $17,000. You can buy up to the largest stack at any stakes, so playing $1/$3 was far from out of the question, but both Zach and I were up for a little reg battling for the privilege of playing with the deep-pocketed fish.

Zach and I got on the list for the sole $2/$5 game in the room, which looked acceptably good if not a little juicy. While many a blackjack table lied dormant, the poker room felt more full than not. Thankfully, the poker room tends to populate somewhat independently of the rest of the casino. Harrah’s, on the other hand, was operating more than slightly below capacity.

On Bourbon Street, you would have never guessed it was Monday night. In a city famed for its embrace of degeneracy, the allures of a casino become slightly less seductive. However, coming directly from the French Quarter made the casino experience feel emphatically mundane. In my time as a poker player I’ve grown accustomed to these sensations, but it’s never exactly felt normal, especially with the more subdued nature of most poker rooms. The artificial lights, the whirring sounds of slot machines, and the odd assembly of patrons and emotions make for a somewhat surreal experience. In most parts of the world, stepping into a casino feels a little bit like leaving reality. Last week we were in Biloxi, and now we are in New Orleans.

Here, I am recounting highlights from our trip and taking a closer look at the poker culture I’ve experienced throughout my journey. My co-host ( Zach Resnick) and I are heading west in search of poker’s riches. If you are just jumping aboard, my name is Jack Laskey and I’m a co-host of the Just Hands Poker Podcast. We’ve crossed the halfway point on the Great American Poker Trip.

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