Moving To Vegas To Play Poker

[El Guapo 8]

This thread, like so many before it, is not asking for advice. It's a statement of what someone is going to do, then them justifying why.

[Vtlaxer09 4]

save up another grand then you're rolled for roulette. GL.

[TraptSteve 0]

This thread, like so many before it, is not asking for advice. It's a statement of what someone is going to do, then them justifying why.

Actually, I ignored all the trolling, sarcastic posts (ie ones like yours), and objectively listened to the ones that offered advice.I'm reconsidering moving there now and waiting a few months to save up more money.But thanks for your useless line of text

[empythree 0]

Show me one professional poker player who buys in shortstacked.

I think I read in Barry Greenstein's book that he does buy in at the minimum..... He wouldn't give an explanation why though.

[BaseJester 1]

I think I read in Barry Greenstein's book that he does buy in at the minimum..... He wouldn't give an explanation why though.

Greenstein's Explanation

[dscoot 0]

Def dont buyin for 100 at the 1-2 games. That makes u a super grinder, and u will almost never score big wins playing like this.U def want 100 minimum total to bet with at any given point for your winning hands. So if you got the proper roll, never sit on 70 or 35, unless you are steaming and know yourself well enuff that you shouldnt add more chips. But if u can handle playing with an early loss, U should always top up to at min 100 at the start of each hand.If you dont wanna buy in for 200 per time, buy in for 150, then when u dip to 100-ish add 1 or 2 green chips to your stack ($25)Also dont be ashamed to go to the cheap ass shitty part of the town casinos, cuz the players will be softer there. I also wouldnt recommend playing at the same place all month to get points or qualify for a freeroll, as you will encounter more rounders there who are trying to do the same thing. Also 7am-2pm are usually shitty times and u will only encounter tight grinders then. STay away from all casino gambling, you have your edge at poker, no need to do other shit.

[dscoot 0]

I'm reconsidering moving there now and waiting a few months to save up more money.

why? people are always gonna give you shit on the forums, bc the majority of poker players are assholes who think they can do it but others cant. i took 800 roll to vegas and played 1-2 with it for 6months without replenishing it. using my winnings to pay my student loans and cc debt from the past five years were the only reason i ever ran out of that original roll. most i ever lost in a week was 250. U should be fine, assuming you are a good player and get a side job. Do u have any other billz beside rent and expenses in vegas? If not, go for it. A sick good player at 1-2 can make 25-35$ pr hr, an above average can do 15$, even and average non novice should be able to pull 10/hr at the low limits. ONly tip 1 per hand and dont go crazy on the booze hookers pit strip clubs

[mtdesmoines 3]

1. Is this plausible? I'm 23 years old; worst case senario I move back to Chicago and work at the family business. It is a small starting BR, but then again it won't be my main source of income.

I think if you keep this in perspective as an adventure and don't tilt at all ever, you'll have fun doing it. I don't know if you will realize the poker dream. Run good. You have no other options.

I did this a few years back moving down to AC. I had $12k saved up and moved in with 3 friends. I was broke by the end of the year and had to move back home. But you know what, I would do it all over again if I had the chance. It was loads of fun. The funny thing was I actually won money for the year(a small five figure profit), but it was the spending that I couldnt control. I blew money like it would catch fire if I didnt spend it. I have about 400 dvds to prove it. It sounds easy, but the lifestyle really gets to you. I got in with a group of regulars who showed me the ropes and I loved it. I learned a lot. But it got boring. It became a job just like anything else. There were months that came and went and I didnt see daylight. Literally. I would wake up at about 5pm(winters in Jersey, the sun fades by then), go get some breakfast/dinner(usually at the best place ever created- WAWA), then I would head down and play until about 5am. I did this for about 2 months straight. Then I started to realize I was overspending. I started to play larger to get it back and that would make me play tighter. Not a good combo. I usually eeked out a small profit or broke even and by the end of the year I had spent more then I made and lost it all. I say go for it. Its an awesome experience win or lose. And it made me a much better player because of it. Have fun, good luck, and make sure to post every now and then to let us know how you are doing.

Experience is a good teacher.

I think you're probably better off playing as deep as possible into Vegas 1/2 games since you're a serious player.

I thought this too.

You also assume, in allocating 500 a month for rent, that you're going to sublet or co-rent in a reliable living situation. And knowing the general population of Las Vegas (having lived there a while), that is a giant leap of faith. What's Plan B the first time your roommates flake on rent/bills or ditch you? How much time in resolving this will this take away from your playing time? There is a LOT more to planning something like this than just figuring out how much money you may need and then finding someone to room with.

Maybe the OP will be the flake, thus saving $$ on rent.

This thread, like so many before it, is not asking for advice. It's a statement of what someone is going to do, then them justifying why.

QFT

Also dont be ashamed to go to the cheap ass shitty part of the town casinos, cuz the players will be softer there. I also wouldnt recommend playing at the same place all month to get points or qualify for a freeroll, as you will encounter more rounders there who are trying to do the same thing. Also 7am-2pm are usually shitty times and u will only encounter tight grinders then. STay away from all casino gambling, you have your edge at poker, no need to do other shit.

Not necessarily. And yeah, stay out of the pit.

A sick good player at 1-2 can make 25-35$ pr hr, an above average can do 15$, even and average non novice should be able to pull 10/hr at the low limits. ONly tip 1 per hand and dont go crazy on the booze hookers pit strip clubs

LOLepic thread in progress btw

[OhKeePa 0]

ok...with the current economic situation in the country...and your lack of real buy ins for a 1-2 game...why not just stay in chicago and play online?you can increase your bankroll tenfold... set yourself up nice... new monitor, computer, chair, desk etc...and you also dont have the pressure of finding a job in a new state, away from your family and all that nonsense

[chgocubs99 0]

This thread, like so many before it, is not asking for advice. It's a statement of what someone is going to do, then them justifying why.

Bingo...I wish I never gave any serious replies in this thread...my mistake.

why? people are always gonna give you shit on the forums, bc the majority of poker players are assholes who think they can do it but others cant. i took 800 roll to vegas and played 1-2 with it for 6months without replenishing it. using my winnings to pay my student loans and cc debt from the past five years were the only reason i ever ran out of that original roll. most i ever lost in a week was 250. U should be fine, assuming you are a good player and get a side job. Do u have any other billz beside rent and expenses in vegas? If not, go for it. A sick good player at 1-2 can make 25-35$ pr hr, an above average can do 15$, even and average non novice should be able to pull 10/hr at the low limits. ONly tip 1 per hand and dont go crazy on the booze hookers pit strip clubs

HAHAHAHAHA

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

If they flake, there are weeklong rates for about 200 a week at downtown casinos. Worst case senario I would take refuge there.

Definitely do not do that. I was a private investigator working a job there once, and had to stay in one of those things. The sheets they gave me for the bed had blood stains. Blood stains.

[kngwlsn 0]

As though this thread needs another opinion...I would have to say I agree with OhKeePa on this one. I live in FL, where the MAX buy in is $100, regardless of the stakes, so I am well aware of what it takes to grind in a live cash game on a short buy. You may like the option of the short buy, but I would not recommend it as a rule. My advice would be to play online and get some real money going. You can generate it much faster on the internet, and can always come and go as you please. Trust me, I wanted to be a pro, just like you do. Reality flash...like .01% of the poker population is a "poker star". You need to realize there's nothing wrong with living your life as you do and supplementing your income. If you truly want to take a legit shot at this, you have to be well funded. It is no different from any other business. If you were to start a business selling widgets, would you do so knowing you had to come out booming or you would go out of business in 3 months? No way in hell! Be smart, get some real money together and give yourself the best chance to succeed. By real money, I mean 6 months living expenses and a legit bankroll. Start playing online, save your pennies...do whatever you have to do, but do it right or don't do it at all. You will be eaten alive if you go short. If you had mad enough game to survive short, you wouldn't be going out there so light to begin with...something to feast on.

[antistuff 0]

Though you don't care about the answer to the question and are instead saying this to challenge my "authority" on the subject, I'll do my best to answer anyway.Show me one professional poker player who buys in shortstacked. Does that "prove" anything? When 400 NBA players shoot a jump shot in basically the same manner...well I'm pretty sure they know what they're doing.Optimal online winrate would be probably 8-10ptbb/100 hands played, one-tabling 1/2NL (not that you really care about the numbers). I could do the math and translate that to $$$/hr live, but I won't waste either of our time since neither of us care. I've never seen a graph of someone shortstacking for more than 3ptbb/100. I don't have links, so don't ask. It's simply the product of soaking up information over the course of several years on poker forums, some of which, believe it or not, I actually learn from. If people weren't so stubborn, maybe they would too, instead of passing off some pipe dream fallacy as fact when, in reality, they really have no clue what they are talking about.Pick up on which people know what they are talking about when it comes to serious poker material, and which ones don't. With something as simple and obvious as whether shortstacking is an effective way for an above-average player to maximize winrate, you won't have to look very far.

barry greenstein does. he gave several reasons for why he prefers doing so in his book. we aren't talking about shortstack hit and running here. we are talking about buying into games for 50bbs. but while were on the subject of short stack hit and running, has it ever occurred to you that the graphs you've seen are from people who just wait for good hands and get the money in early? there is a lot more to a good short stack strategy than that, none of which ill discuss publicly, for the same reason all the graphs you've seen are 3ptbb/100.

[Naked_Cowboy 0]

barry greenstein does. he gave several reasons for why he prefers doing so in his book. we aren't talking about shortstack hit and running here. we are talking about buying into games for 50bbs. but while were on the subject of short stack hit and running, has it ever occurred to you that the graphs you've seen are from people who just wait for good hands and get the money in early? there is a lot more to a good short stack strategy than that, none of which ill discuss publicly, for the same reason all the graphs you've seen are 3ptbb/100.

so is it your intent to just nitpick others words or do you plan on actually providing some sort of constructive input here? Great, so we're not talking about hit and running, but you won't explain why your opinion "the fact" that buying into a small stakes live game short is +EV, despite every other regular poster saying you're wrong.

[nosoul 0]

I'm sure at least one person has pointed this out, but you can get some good deals to go to Vegas for a few days or a week, especially in off-peak times. If you're thinking about going out there to make a living at poker, those are the times you need to experience. You're not going to make a year's worth of money during the WSOP. You'll need to be able to make a profit during the slow times as well. Go for a week in early January (2nd week or so) and another week in middle of August. See how you do. If you can't cut it at those times, it's probably best not to move out there.

[TraptSteve 0]

Definitely do not do that. I was a private investigator working a job there once, and had to stay in one of those things. The sheets they gave me for the bed had blood stains. Blood stains.

Grossness. Learning about the Vegas job market has swayed my plans. I'd basically have enough for 2 months living and 10 buy ins at 1-2. Without a steady source of income that is too risky. I'll need to run good initially to have any chance. Even break even results will not work. By the end of the second month I'll be relying on my poker income, as opposed to allowing it build.This is assuming I do not find a job out there. And based on the economy I need to operate around that assumption.So, after considering what everyone had to say (even the smartasses who've seen 100's these topics and consequently didn't bother to post anything constructive), it is better to just stick around Chicago for a bit and save more money.Ftw, I prefer playing on the standard 100bb buyin, but I've played on 50bb enough to know you can win. Obviously you sacrafice value, but you can still win.

[dscoot 0]

HAHAHAHAHA

wtf is so funny? I pulled 28ish at 1-2 for the six months i was there. There werent many but there were a few better 1-2 players out there than me, plus i usually bought in for 150 and my average session length was only 4-5hrs so I'm thinking higher numbers are acheivable sitting with a bigger stack during a longer session. If u cant pull 20/hr at 1-2, you should'nt consider yourself a pro, or ever consider doing it for a living as u ain't that sick a player. You wanna be a top tier player if your gonna be a pro, not a barely above average player, the lifestyle just aint worth it then.

[El Guapo 8]

If you are playing 1-2 NL LIVE you shouldn't really consider your self a pro.

[TraptSteve 0]

If you are playing 1-2 NL LIVE you shouldn't really consider your self a pro.

Explain yourself. You have like 100000 posts and not one of substance.People playing 1-2nl live don't practice BR management?Are they incapable of earning enough income at 1-2NL live to support themselves... therefore not qualfitying as a professional?People can't make records of their session playing 1-2nl live, and use that track their results?That is a pretty bold statement, you should back it up. Otherwise you simply come of as a troll with 10000 posts FWIW.

[nutzbuster 7]

20K poker roll + 30K living roll, + part time job = 6 months of the poker experiment worry free.Less than that stay home, imo...

[El Guapo 8]

Explain yourself. You have like 100000 posts and not one of substance.People playing 1-2nl live don't practice BR management?Are they incapable of earning enough income at 1-2NL live to support themselves... therefore not qualfitying as a professional?People can't make records of their session playing 1-2nl live, and use that track their results?That is a pretty bold statement, you should back it up. Otherwise you simply come of as a troll with 10000 posts FWIW.

Why do my post need to be long and drawn out to be correct? They have been short sweet and to the point, and most of the full time players on here have agreed with me.Why should you not consider a 1/2 NL player a pro? Unless renting a room is a lifestyle you want to live, then that's why. What are you going to make above and beyond your bankroll? year 20-30K? If you play optimally and 5-7 days a week.You are going to be playing one table of drunks and tourists, plus some local retiree's. You will be lucky to see 30 hands an hour.vs. 1/2 online where you can see 400 hands an hour.I would surmise that 2-5 NL live is the lowest that anyone could sustain a living off live, and prob 10/20 Limit. And you are still a serious grinder at these limits.

[dapokerbum 0]

Why do my post need to be long and drawn out to be correct? They have been short sweet and to the point, and most of the full time players on here have agreed with me.Why should you not consider a 1/2 NL player a pro? Unless renting a room is a lifestyle you want to live, then that's why. What are you going to make above and beyond your bankroll? year 20-30K? If you play optimally and 5-7 days a week.You are going to be playing one table of drunks and tourists, plus some local retiree's. You will be lucky to see 30 hands an hour.vs. 1/2 online where you can see 400 hands an hour.I would surmise that 2-5 NL live is the lowest that anyone could sustain a living off live, and prob 10/20 Limit. And you are still a serious grinder at these limits.

Yeah but then you need 12K just to start ...

[TraptSteve 0]

Why do my post need to be long and drawn out to be correct? They have been short sweet and to the point, and most of the full time players on here have agreed with me.Why should you not consider a 1/2 NL player a pro? Unless renting a room is a lifestyle you want to live, then that's why. What are you going to make above and beyond your bankroll? year 20-30K? If you play optimally and 5-7 days a week.You are going to be playing one table of drunks and tourists, plus some local retiree's. You will be lucky to see 30 hands an hour.vs. 1/2 online where you can see 400 hands an hour.I would surmise that 2-5 NL live is the lowest that anyone could sustain a living off live, and prob 10/20 Limit. And you are still a serious grinder at these limits.

From your perspective, 1-2 nl wouldn't be able to cut it. I'm sure a lot of you guys have other commitments in your life that would render 1-2 nl not an option. I agree that outside a young player like myself with no responsibilities, it would be virtually impossible to sustain a decent standard of living. Still 1-2 is a start. Your entry-level position, so to speak. I'm 23 and not trying to support a family. Renting a room for the first year or so is a good option for someone in my position. I don't need 30k to live comfortably for 6 months (lol).

[Poppy_Hillis 11]

Why do my post need to be long and drawn out to be correct? They have been short sweet and to the point, and most of the full time players on here have agreed with me.Why should you not consider a 1/2 NL player a pro? Unless renting a room is a lifestyle you want to live, then that's why. What are you going to make above and beyond your bankroll? year 20-30K? If you play optimally and 5-7 days a week.You are going to be playing one table of drunks and tourists, plus some local retiree's. You will be lucky to see 30 hands an hour.vs. 1/2 online where you can see 400 hands an hour.I would surmise that 2-5 NL live is the lowest that anyone could sustain a living off live, and prob 10/20 Limit. And you are still a serious grinder at these limits.

This.Edit: I was checking out the Kings dancers, and I think I found my soulmate. Lisa. She's short. Thick, powerful legs. She watches The Hills, she likes peeing on herself, which I'm into. Her favorite season is mine, and her favorite city is also mine. Her favorite matchup is Kings v Lakers, so we'll have that playful rivalry thing going. She could be the one.

[kola99 0]

Do you have the right pair of sunglasses?

seriously, how funny was this when u read it. i m still laughing. Classic. i just read it again and laughed.