This article discusses live cash games in Arab casinos or card rooms. To play live poker, you must know the regulation and cultural environment of the Arab world. We have some basic differences with other games and will talk about them elsewhere.
Lowest Levels: Low Stakes Limits
In Arab countries, gambling is strictly controlled and low-stakes games are not available everywhere. But wherever poker is legal (e.g., UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt), casinos generally offer low-stakes games. These tend to be limit games with blinds of 1/2 dirhams or dinars (50¢/$1 to $1/$2). Lower stakes are rare. More typical are games at 2/4 and 4/8 stakes.
Most players at this level use poker as a recreational activity. I would say 80-85% of all frequent players never play in higher stakes.
Low-stakes no-limit games generally start out with blinds of roughly 1/2 dollars and buys-ins of $100, not lowest stakes. These games require more advanced strategy.
No one at this level wins over the long run. The reasons are natural variance (luck), rake, dealer tips, and often bad beat jackpots. Together these costs are about 8 dirhams or dollars per pot, or about 4 big bets per hour.
Winning 1-2 big bets per hour is practically impossible even for professionals. Food, travel, and tip expenses swallow up winnings. These games are for recreation players. Losing up to one small bet per hour is standard.
Time with friends, display of ability, and a game played for less than a meal or a movie. Life is good.
Low to Mid Levels: The Five Percenters
This includes limit games for about 8/16 to 15/30 dirhams/dollars and no-limit games with 1/2 blinds and $200 maximum buys.
Success in the long run is possible but very difficult at these levels. High rake, tipping, and bad beat jackpots put almost insurmountable barriers. I would estimate less than 5% of players at this level make stable incomes.
The occasional winners possess:
- excellent skill,
- good bankroll management, and
- emotional discipline.
Mid to Semi-High Levels: The Professionals Emerge
This comprises limit games of 40/80 to 160/320 dirhams and no-limit games with blinds 2/5 to 10/20 dollars.
Conditions shift here. Approximately 10-15% of players here make steady income. Rake is lower, and one of the reasons is the presence of wealthy sponsors and highly fanatical regular players.
The majority of players of roulette, blackjack, and craps play poker as well, but are weak players, which is beneficial for professionals.
This level sees the emergence of true poker professionals.
High Stakes: Stalking the Wealthy
Games with buy-ins higher than those noted here fit here.
More than half of the players at this level earn steady income. The main reason is the availability of wealthy sponsors, millionaires, and successful businesspeople who enjoy poker and have tough competition. They play well and wish to compete against good players.
Without them, best professionals would simply pass chips without real income.
Common belief is only 5% of all players win in the long term, but they are distributed unevenly across levels of stakes.
Conclusion
Poker in the Arab world is subject to a blend of national norms, cultural beliefs, and legal restrictions, and is therefore comparatively quite distinct from elsewhere in the world. At the lower limits, most players maintain the game light, playing for amusement rather than for generating revenue. Switching to higher stakes requires skill, self-control, and proper understanding of managing bankrolls.
Mid-range and high-stakes games attract wealthier players and sponsors, making the competition tighter and the real chances for steady winnings. It isn't all that simple, however—few players can make a living playing here.
There has to be responsible play, law-abiding behavior according to local laws, and mastery of one's own emotions in order to thrive under this arrangement. Ultimately, poker in the Middle East can be both a thrilling challenge and social occasion, combining strategy with the enjoyment of bonding to others.