Long time lurker. I decided to create an account to ask a question.

I have the very fortunate opportunity of doing whatever I want for 2 months. I choose poker. A little background: modestly winning rec player since 2005. The game has transformed lately from a hobby into something I take very seriously. I have a 7k bankroll (that's poker specific. Living expenses are separate and covered).

Best case scenario, I find poker profitable to keep playing full time. Worst case, I bust my roll and go back to "normal" life.

My question is, where is the best place for me to go? 1/2, 1/3, 2/5NL with a lot of action. Vegas seems like the obvious answer, but are there any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance

LA and FL have come up often in discussion, but 1/2-1/3 is, like, everywhere, so why tie yourself down to one place?

1/3 and under is Vegas by far higher stakes probably Maryland Cali

"It depends". Are you able to travel on a whim with no family to consider? I assume lodging expenses aren't already furnished. Assuming both of the above are true, your current location will dictate some of this. I am in the mid south, so I can only answer what I would do.

1. Look up valueplace. They are a motel chain that rents by the week for 200-300 per week, depending on location. If anyone knows of other similar chains, please reply with them.

So, places I would research are:
Winstar on the tx/ok border
St. Louis. Lumeire is rumored to have the loosest action.
Jacksonville, fl
Other areas of fl
New Orleans is off my list due to cost of lodging.
New casinos in ohio - cleveland, I think.

For other options, get bravo poker live and check out how many games and game types. Look on tues afternoon or some other non-peak time. Everyone has a few tables during peak hours, but you cannot play just the premium hours.

I assure you, grinding gets old, tedious, annoying, frustrating, and living in hotel rooms takes away any sense of "normal". Two months isn't long enough to truly appreciate what the "lifestyle" is like. Give it about six months and the reality sets in hard. It becomes a job, and you can get depressed to the point of just not wanting to go to work.

Trying to see whether you can make it as a poker pro by playing 1/2 is like seeing whether you can be successful in business by working as a burger flipper at McDonald's.

It's a great story to say that you worked your way up to the top from the bottom. But most people at the bottom don't end up on top, and thinking about people at the top who have started at the bottom is a variant of the base rate fallacy.

Two months? $7k? Consider it an extended vacation. See 5 National Parks, visit all your friends in distant cities, and stop by a casino once in a while to play poker. IMO.

This is the winning answer. Mastering the game itself is just a small part of being successful at playing for a living. Poker is a cruel mistress. Unless you are strong enough or have the support to avoid the significant leaks of drugs, alcohol, whores or shear boredom of playing, you're going to fail. Your best bet to start is to live where you are now and play. Next best choice is to live where the temptations are the least. If you're thinking that's a boring location, then you already have an indication you shouldn't be playing for a living.

I second and third the above posts. Go somewhere you'd likely have fun that also has poker available and let poker be the spice of your vacation.

The best thing I've ever learned about poker is that I don't want to spend all my time doing it.

(Edit) I just realized I said 'doing it' rather than playing it, and that's perfectly apt. Like the old saying goes, it's a hard way to make an easy living, and I don't know anybody who plays all the time that thrives on the lifestyle. It's called a grind for a reason.

Why on earth would anyone want to live in MD?

Maryland isn't that bad...it's got beaches, mountains and cities all within a 2-3 hours. and 4 good seasons.

Dc/philly/nyc are also 1-4 hours away

There is live poker with steady 1/2, 1/3, 2/5, 2/2 plo pretty much 24/7 and reasonably priced housing.

Maryland is solid like that pal im from NOVA been there a decent amount

What do you mean solid?


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I think it is a decent place to live probably top 10 areas even if you dont play poker. depends what you want though i guess

Vegas

go somewhere you like and have fun. play whatever stakes they have for 5 hours a day and get a feel for it. then decide if you want to progress.

I'd like to just answer the guys question and not give a bunch of advice he didn't ask for. Sorry guys, but this is starting to sound like a TripAdvisor Forum. He wants to play poker for two months, and says his living expenses are covered.

"1/2, 1/3, 2/5NL with a lot of action. Vegas seems like the obvious answer, but are there any other suggestions?".....Yeah Vegas is the obvious answer, with non-stop games at Venetian , Bellagio, Aria and tons of other places to pick spots at. But, depending on the time of year, like December to April, I'd also recommend South Florida- anywhere on the axis of I-95 from Palm Beach Kennel Club all the way down thru Pompano Park, HRock Seminole and Gulfstream Park. A winter wonderland of $100bills. And nice weather.

Los Angeles isn't all that its cracked up to be. The Commerce is like a cattle car. The Bicycle is not all that busy all the time. And you really want to play at least a $500 minimum B.I. at those two places to play for any decent stack sizes. Geographically, the rooms are very spread out when you include Hustler and Hawaiian Gardens.

Foxwoods/Mohegan is limited to those two rooms. Now, on a weekend you will have some 125+ tables in action between the two, but its the location. And I'm a New England transplant. Same feelings for Atlantic City- The Borgata is fabulous, and all the others totaled on the weekend will give you adequate game selection, but not every day.

I feel you need to total table selection to maximize your skills, and keep the villains second-guessing you, not the other way around. So I hope to see you at the Venetian or Palm Beach Kennel Club

I'd like to thank everyone for the replies. Especially the poster above. Like I said, I've lurked on this website for quite some time so I knew the "1/2 is like flipping cheeseburgers, 7k's sure to go busto, etc" was coming. That's why I prefaced saying day to day expenses were not to be considered. I'm very fortunate that my "day job" essentially runs itself at this point.

Sounds like vegas is the obvious answer that I thought it was. Thanks again for the replies, and I'll keep checking for updates. If/when this happens I'll prob do a detailed TR

Try Portland. Several venues around town with very very low rake, reasonable cost of living, much more pleasant and civilized than Vegas. You're SOL if you want bigger games though.

7k gives you 14 $ 500 buyins. anyone that goes through that in live games is a losing player. that aint no variance buddy. with 7k if you are a good enough player you are not going broke ever as it builds. sure maybe if you spent it down to 7k all the time you may get bit. but not if you let it grow.

This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid. I asked for suggestions as to where people have found good games and you go off on a brm tangent. Shocker you have 10k posts.

FYI, I disagree that a 14 bi downswing in a lifetime "ain't no variance buddy"

For someone who claims to have lurked for a long time but still posts hay halp me find 1/2 NL games, you sure do have quite the attitude.

You're misreading everything he said.

Basically, play 2/5, and if you bust 7k right off the bat, it's dam* unlikely it was a bad run. 7k should soon become 10k, etc., and you're more and more unlikely to bust.

so I knew the "1/2 is like flipping cheeseburgers, 7k's sure to go busto, etc" was coming.

the above quote was what i was referring to. it wasn't directed at you personally although you may get value from it if you think about it.

check my post #14, it was a nice one.

LMAO, the sheer entertainment value of 2+2 makes coming here worthwhile. We have a rank amateur without a clue lecturing Ray Zee... priceless

For God's sake please don't go to Portland.
The easiest 1/2, 1/3 & 2/5 games in the world are in Las Vegas. There is no need to keep checking this thread for suggestions just head to Vegas, profit & thank me later.

ROTFLMAO... stop, yer killin' me