I only played online. before I decided recently to start playing again. (I last played in late 2010 early 2011 online)

i live in Washington state and online is illegal. so my only option is to play live poker.

however, i dont know even the simplest general poker room rules.

for example, it seems like alot of casinos give free drinks (water, coffee) to live players. and that the food menu is 50% off for live players. how do i know what is free?

Can i pay with my live chip stack? do i tip the waitress with my live chip stack? etc

additionally, i dont know how to get a table, or leave a table. rules when you change ur mind and come BACK to a table, etc.

is there a FAQ on these?

Some of this stuff is room dependant, it's absolutely OK to go into a casino, ask where the poker room is, approach the desk and ask some questions.

You can say 'I have never played poker in a casino before' and go from there, that way they know you are going to ask some basic questions.

Free stuff and promotions are obviously room dependant.

As far as I know, it's standard to be OK to pay waitresses from your stack.

The poker desk people will tell you which table you can go and sit at or will put you on a list if no spots are currently open for the game(s) you want to play.

You can get up and walk away from a table whenever you want, tell the dealer you are leaving if that's what you are doing. It's polite to wait until your turn to muck your cards if the deal has started.

If you change your mind, you go back on the list assuming you don't do so before the dealer tells the floor that a seat opened up.

To answer the question in the title, YES!

Welcome back to poker! Long ago I went to a casino near Bellingham .. nice people and area. Interesting Walmart parking lot at the time .. Lots of Canadian RVs putting in their 3 days so they could take more across the border!

1) Typically non-alcoholic drinks are free from the waitress, but possibly a charge if you just go up to the bar ... they want you to be actively gambling.
2) 50% off food would be a dream spot in most rooms, enjoy if available!

3) When I'm in a new room I just 'sit back' and observe for at least 30-60 minutes to get a feel for how things work. There are usually plenty of regs around to watch ... just like at the zoo!
4) Taking chips off the table to tip or pay for food is usually just fine. Taking half your stack off the table to pay for a massage, not so much.

5) Rooms will typically allow you to call in up to an hour ahead of your arrival. This will help you be towards the top of the list, if any, when you arrive. Go to the website for that casino and see if there's a Poker Room tab to review or at least get the direct phone number to the Poker Desk.

6) You are not a hostage at the table! Some rooms would like you to wait around if you are the 'third man walking' in order to keep 'most' of the Players at the table. Typically you can be away from the table until you miss three Big Blinds. Depending on the game that could be a pretty long time. Lots of players will go play BJ/Craps/Slots for 15-20 minutes to take a break from the poker.

7) If you miss a Big Blind you will have to 'post' when you come back. Lots of Players will time their return when they are the BB anyway.
8) If you pick up or cash out you typically can get right back into the game (not necessarily the same seat/table) as long as you return with your current chip stack. If you want to take a major amount of chips off the table (go South) then you typically have to wait 2 hours in order to sit down with 'table stakes' again.

You should understand the poker itself, so it may be to your advantage to actually look like a newbie at the table and ask a bunch of these 'newbie' questions. But typically I will ask the Floor most of my questions. The regs will know you are new anyway, so if it feels like a reg filled table it wont matter who you get your information from. GL

Don't be embarrassed to tell the dealer you are new . Sure a few DBs at the table may try to take some advantage of you. Other players will actually be willing to help you. By telling the dealer this , he/she will deal with your mistakes, slowness , and basic questioning better. Certain dealers will be better at this than others. Give it a shot. You will learn quickly how things work and how different live is from online!

Along these lines, there really isn't any point in trying to disguise that you are inexperienced in live play. From the way that you hesitate in following action and counting the pot, to the way you stack your chips and place your bets, most of the experienced players have already figure out that you are new within the first orbit.

Better to just acknowledge it and have fun with it. Yes, you will be targeted, but this could actually work to your favor.

One other piece of advice, it may be a good idea, if your casino offers it, to start off in a daily, low buy in tournament. This will let you get used to how action at a table works without risking much money.

Go to an empty table. Ask the dealer for any house rules you should be aware of before playing. Everyone has a first time so they are used to giving you the rundown of what you need to know with a minimum of fuzz.
If you play tournament arrive a bit early. Dealers will be at the tables before the tournament starts so you have plenty of time to chat.
Best bet would be to check out their website. Place I go to has free food and (non-alcoholic) drinks, which is nice (at least when I bust out of tournaments I got a good meal out of it ).

The #1 piece of advice to live rookies ---vocalize your bets before you do them: "I raise". "I call", "I am all in", etc.

Do that and your actions will never be misinterpreted and/or you will never screw up your intentions.