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A neat trick that many new live-game poker players don't know about is locking up your seat.
Let's say you get to the Bellagio only to find that there are 30 names ahead of you for the 4/8 texas holdem game. After you put your name down, you have two options. You can wait around close-by so you can hear your name when it's called, or you can ask the manager to lock up your seat and then freely roam around without worrying about hearing your name.
Locking up your seat means that you give the list manager some money (usually whatever the minimum buy-in amount is for the game you want to play), and when she gets to your name on the list, if you aren't there, she will use your money to buy your chips, and set them down at the table for you.
The advantage of locking up your seat at the poker table is that you don't lose your spot on the list if you don't hear her calling your name. Therefore, you can roam around the casino, maybe grab a bite to eat or get a drink without having to worry about missing your seat.
When you return to the poker room, just check with the list manager. If she has called your name, then your seat and chips are waiting for you. All you have to do is walk over and sit down.
The only disadvantage to locking up your seat is that you are required to post blinds from your chip stack even when you're not there. This means that you may lose a few bucks of your lock-up money because the blinds are going around until you return.
Some poker rooms don't even require you to post the blinds until you get back. Rather, they just hold your lock-up money as a "non-refundable deposit". When you show up, you get the first available spot, and the manager just gives you your lock-up money and you got and then you go buy your chips. This is much better because you don't have to pay for missed blinds.
I have seen poker rooms operate both ways, but the most popular rooms such as the Bellagio and Mirage operate the latter way, so it doesn't cost you any money to lock-up your seat as long as you eventually return.
This is a very smart move if you're sure you are going to play poker at a particular room. It means you don't have to wait around the poker room, and it will keep you from doing something really stupid to kill time, such as playing slot machines.
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