Hey BikeKing, just browsing 2+2 and came across your blog. You seem like a nice kid and so far doing things the right way playing professionally. I want to offer a little bit of my time (and personal contact) to help you out.

A little bit about myself...been playing professionally in Vegas for the last 15 yrs, all online until Black Friday when I transitioned to ft live 3 years ago. I used to make $5/$10 nl videos for Cardrunners until BF. I've supported a family through poker and have bought 2 homes here in Vegas, exclusively through poker. I have plenty of hrs at stakes ranging from 1/3 to 5/10 in Vegas and have done well. I also play summer tournaments and have cashed in 10 of my last 18 events over the last 2 summers (mostly Wsop events, inc the main event).

Finally, I'm in Andrew Neeme's famed poker group chat, and probably considered the coach of the group. Shoot me a pm and I'd be more than happy to meet you after the main event. Gl on your endeavors.

Wow very cool man, ty for the insight will shoot you a PM for sure.

As far as what I've found most difficult about playing in Vegas, keeping an effort to always remain on the grind and be out playing I think is one, it's much different than living with only one or two rooms and you have to drive out to go play a session when games are running 24/7 and it can be easy to say "Oh I'll play later, I'll make this time up this weekend" etc. I feel. Keeping track of finances hasn't been a struggle but I think it's an important aspect as if you're careless in Vegas a lot of tiny things can add up really quickly so just making sure to be frugal in everything I think is pretty important. Other than that not too many challenges that I've really had a tough time with. I would say having a really good support group of both players worse than you, same and better than you is really important. I've been blessed in having a really good variety of players with a wide range of knowledge and experience that have really been vital to me being out here whether that is simply sending each other hands every day or other things as it relates to poker life.

New Vlog will be up shortly uploading it now.

Also, I'll be meeting the polarizing William Kassouf for dinner tonight and he will be on the VLOG, any questions you guys feel like I should ask go ahead and offer some suggestions, already have a basic idea of the structure.

BikeKing if I recall from your vids you play the 11 pm tourney at TI. If so how many runners do they generally get? What does the payout look like usually for the 11 pm $77 tourney? Thanks

Just posting so I can follow this log. Great story and great work so far man

Normally around 30 people or so I'd say is the average. After level 6 structure is horrendous but it's a daily big surprise. Normally min cash is around $200 and first place around $900 give or take. Given the bad structure it's not uncommon for chops to be done. Normally 4 paid, sometimes there's chops for more, just giving the average numbers.

good luck man!

I'm moving there August 2017, can we talk or get some insight where can find cheap rent housing?

Thanks

What's cheap for you may not be cheap for others. What do you consider cheap?

Well while I'm waiting for the latest Vlog to render and upload I guess I can post some more updates.

The series was a moderate success, not huge wins in either tournaments or cash games, the summer started out on a pretty sick heater in both and then took a nice nosdive back regressing towards the mean and averaged out by the end. I really didn't put in the volume I wanted to this Summer honestly, especially towards the later part of the series when I had a lot of friends come into town for the main. The amount of games running at all hours was sort of overwhelming to me it was so crazy to have everything going everywhere all the time, I knew the WSOP was popular but I had no idea how busy poker got here. The huge amount games was nice but I found you still had to table select just as much really, a lot of bad players come into town but some solid ones as well, just because 40 games are going doesn't necessarily mean all the tables are great.

I started a podcast with my friend and fellow 2p2'er Spike McAwesome, it's titled Seat Open In Sin City, covering the latest happenings in the Vegas poker scene and will include interviews with players, floor staff, dealers, etc. I'm a big podcast listener and there wasn't really one that covered Vegas specifically and since a lot of people think of Vegas when they think of Poker I think there's at least a small niche in the market for it. Spike has taken up the burden of editing and rendering them so it's not too much of a commitment for time. We had Pure Aggression on out last podcast, looking to get the other people like Neeme, Owen, etc. on. Here's the link: https://soundcloud.com/user-826011957

Vlogger's game was a lot of fun even though I played like crap in it. It was really good enviorment and nice atmosphere, Charles maintained a range the whole night of ATC and was a lot of fun to play with, I played pretty bad the hands I got were probably fine for the four hours we played but I really succumbed to a fear of "4k viewers don't screw up in a big pot." and then once I won a huge pot against Boski it was added to "OK you're up $1100 don't screw it up." I was also very distracted with my phone texting my friends about the game. I think if we did it again I would be much more comfortable and play a lot better, Hello7027, Neeme, PokerKraut, Rayz and myself all seemed to really enjoy the game and thought it went well, Charles Owen and Boski seemed kind of indifferent, Owen even called it "the tightest game he'd ever played in" not really sure why he was so upset about it he organized 95% of it and 4/9 players in the game don't even regularly play above $1/$3, although Hello7027 didn't seem to really nit it up, but he also doesn't rely on poker solely. So looking back I should have played a lot better and probably cost myself at least a few hundred in equity by misplaying hands and not playing them, but I didn't come into the game with an attitude like Charles just really looking to mix it up and splash around not scared to run triple barrel bluffs on a whim etc. Losing 2k to him or others in the game who play higher doesn't effect their bankrolls as significantly as mine, if the game were say 5 turbo sit n go's of $100, that would have been a lot of fun without risking a lot.

I came to Vegas as you'll see in my OP with a little over 20k, slightly under 40k now which is below my goal (this is counting some recent car expenses that were around 2k) but having put in hardly any volume in Febuary and then having it taper off towards the end of the series I put this entirely on myself and just not putting in the volume I need to. Thankfully I'm a huge life nit and really keep my expenses as minimal as possible, any way I can save a few bucks usually I'll do it, and Dnegs told me that was one of the biggest things he sees guys struggle with. Actually I have some news that will come out in my next VLOG about this.

I don't consider success in life as having your 401k and 9-5 job with the house and the picket fence. After all I left a job in the aviation industry holding multiple credentials and an active security clearance, a sustainable six figure income was pretty easily attainable, but even though I did enjoy aviation work, it didn't afford me the freedom of lifestyle I have now and really just the freedom of striving to make the most out of every day, there's a lot more of mixing up the daily routine as opposed to simply going to work for someone else. I like risk taking, I like living life to the maximum potential, I'm not really sure where I'll be 50 years down the road but I know it's not going to be in some nursing home or hospital bed surviving on medication. Too many people in this world are "survivors", they'll get safe on base but unless someone else has a hit they're not going to risk stealing a base and getting tagged out. Okay maybe a bad analogy and maybe I'm just rambling while this vlog takes 40 days and 40 nights to render, but I think you see my point. Live life according to your passions, not someone else's.

I'm really happy that I came to Vegas. At this point, I've connected myself with a good church and found a nice circle of friends both in and out of poker who have been very accepting and friendly and really my made transition here very smooth. 8 months in and not broke, who would have thunk. XD

You're doing it right

I didn't really see Owen play very many hands in the vlogger's game, at least not in the first part. Maybe he contributed to the nittiness he noticed? I haven't seen the second part of it.

Thanks for the update. I enjoyed it.

Well if you've been keeping up my my latest Vlog you'll already know the announcement about me living out of my car for the last four months. I set aside a few hours today to write up an article for PokerNews about it, while it's pending approval I'll go ahead and it post it here hopefully it will make for an interesting read. (I do repeat some of the things I've already mentioned ITT, but that's because it's an article so bear with me XD)

*tap *tap. I raised my head off the back seat of my 2004 Toyota Prius to see a man in a hoodie standing right beside my car at 5 AM. The dark tint and sunshade prevented him from seeing me inside. The first thought that popped into my mind was "Oh it's parking garage security telling me I have to move." But there was no identifying uniform or badge visible, when the man proceeded to go around to each door rocking the car back and forth attempting to open a door I rapidly came to the conclusion he was not a security figure of any kind. Slowly and carefully, I reached under my driver seat where I kept my security figure, a Glock 9 millimeter pistol. Check the magazine, full. Check the chamber, empty. I decided to keep it that way barring the situation did not escalate further. I remained laid down in the back seat when a car door shut nearby. Peering out from the rear window I could see a black car parked right beside me, and the man who had just been testing the security of my door locks sitting there. "Oh good, he can't get in and is leaving." Letting out a sigh relief while simultaneously realizing I had been holding my breath, I decided to keep the firearm in hand until I saw the car actually depart. 5 minutes passed. Then 10. And then 30. He was just sitting in his car, sometimes with the door open. A few times he would get out of his car and once again try the doors and the trunk in case they had unlocked while he was waiting. Glancing at my watch it had been nearly a full two hours since the would be intruder tapped on the window, finally, I heard the car next to me crank to life and exit the parking garage. I finally sat up, replaced the pistol back in the secure case underneath the seat, shook my head and shrugged. "Just one of those things I deal with being homeless I guess."

I've been living life as a professional poker player for 8 months now, for 4 of those I've called my car "home." Are things really that bad? Am I losing at the tables and under-rolled? As surprising as it may sound, I'm living this lifestyle by choice. When I first arrived in Vegas I had a house to live in with a roommate I had known since high school. It was a large 3 bedroom 3 bath residence and for two bachelors it also came with a higher than average rent but for such comfortable accommodations, I was willing to pay it. My roommate's occupation was with the air force and he was scheduled to be deployed overseas. One night he talked with me saying he was uncomfortable leaving the house with someone living off an unsteady income. I offered many options, even paying the three months that would be gone up front, however, a mutual agreement could not be found. We had signed a month to month contract when I moved in and I only had a matter of days to seek out new living arrangements. I nearly moved in with a couple different people but for one reason or another the deals ended up falling out. Moving day came with no place to move into. I reserved a storage unit in town and made the necessary trips back and forth until the majority of my possessions occupied a six by twelve-foot unit. I kept a couple suitcases with the necessary clothing and toiletry items I would need along with the non-perishable food items for a very condensed pantry and spent my first night sleeping in my car.

The next day was mostly spent online at the library researching on if and how living out of your car was going to be sustainable. While a van or something that provides more room is preferred, a Prius was one of the few smaller vehicles that were recommended. The major factor being the gas engine will only run for a few minutes at a time with the A/C running so it's possible to keep the car running overnight for a few bucks a night. I keep a small cooler with items that needed to kept cold and having it stocked with ice was fairly easy as most hotels had an ice machine available. My gym membership was valid at several locations around town all of which contained showers and lockers as an amenity. Suddenly I had an even better reason to keep up with my gym routine knocking out fitness and hygiene in one. I had never been to a laundromat in my life, but I was soon making a weekly trip to one and proved to be a great time to catch up on the poker podcasts I listen to. I had imagined receiving mail was going to be a big complication, however via some quick research, I found I was able to rent a mail box which also provided me with a physical address and not just a P.O. box for 15 bucks a month.

Things such as rake and living expenses are the killers for low-limit players such as myself. Bart Hanson had this to say on low-limit games "if you're Phil Ivey, you can't beat them because the rake is too high." I interviewed Negreanu in one of my VLOGS on YouTube and he seemed to be in agreement with this. "The most important aspects...cost and expenses." When I asked what tips he had for someone like me. "If you want to move up and build a bankroll, the best way to do that is to lower expenses. I know some guys, who were probably the best players in the game, but they have to buy thirty thousand dollar watches...you're never going to have any money if you keep doing stupid stuff like that." Living out of your car may not be exactly what he was referring to, but my overhead is kept to a minimum doing so.

I don't subscribe to the worldview that success in life is having a solid career with a 401k, white picket fence, and 2.3 kids. I left the aviation industry holding multiple licenses along with a security clearance to pursue poker. While I still like aviation, I love poker. Poker affords me the opportunity to live a lifestyle without being tied down to anything or working a set schedule to make someone else money. Live life according to your passions, not society's, that's the worldview I have. If living in Alaska fighting off wolves and hoping you prepared well enough to survive Winter, go for it. If you find your passion at a desk job in a cubicle, go for it. The world is full of people simply "surviving" and drudging through the day to day grind, whatever passion they held in life lies buried deep somewhere in the past. As Mike Mcdermott put it: "If you're too careful, your whole life can become a f***ing grind." I live a happy and content life doing what I love, despite the fact of living in a car.

I knew this lifestyle was possible and I'm not totally unique in doing this either. Carlos Welch a poker pro has a similar story and lived in his van for years grinding small stakes sit-n-go's and tournaments online. A couple years ago CNN Money did a story on Faraz Jaka an American pro with currently over five million in live winnings who also chose to live homelessly. I have a solid hourly and a bankroll over 100 buy-ins for the games I normally play in and am considering a transition to moving up in stakes. But when you have so few expenses and are beating the games at a decent rate there's not a great need to move up right away. I exercise a very conservative bankroll management and really strive to account for every dollar I spend. If I wanted to go back into aviation I could use a more aggressive line and take the "I'll either make it or I won't" attitude, but I have no plans to work for someone else again. "You don't gamble, you grind it out." Even as a primary cash game player, nobody is immune to striking the wrong side of variance for an extended period of time. An awful week this past summer which chopped out 5% of my roll had me take a few days off. But the World Series was still going on, over 150 games were running around the clock, what was I going to do not play? Play scared of getting in big pots because I might lose? Can't hack it as a pro if that's your attitude, focus on playing your "A" game and hit that felt.

If you're wondering about the story before I chose to live homeless, you can find it here.

In extremely recent news as of today, I had a friend of mine call me up today saying he has a house here in Vegas that he has some bunkbeds in the bedrooms set up and lets people use it as a "crash pad" for very cheap rent as well as having a couple of actual rooms. This could prove to be nice option if it's not going to cost much more than running the car at night, a storage unit and a mailbox rental. I'm going to go over there in the next couple of days and check it out so we'll see.

Have you seen this chick's youtube channel? She's got the living in a car thing figured out:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFA...3BJvZsO58N8fXA

Yeah she had some awesome tips and pointers I came across her channel awhile ago. Ty.

Sent from my LG-LS777 using Tapatalk

Good post, Bikeking! Takes some onions too do what you are doing, especially considering the brush with danger you described in the post above. I will be following along.

Best of luck to you!

Nice article. Does posting it here hurt your chances of the magazine picking it up? Do they usually want original content not posted in other places or publications?

Just read alot of your posts and this is a pretty solid story. A lot of people fantasize about moving to Vegas and going bro so its cool that you actually did. I guess living out of a car cant be the worst thing in the world, everything is still possible with transportation and a spot to put ****. Hopefully everything worked out and you have a room now. Good luck man!

I don't think it should hurt the chances of it, usually the review process is fairly quick about 24 hours or so. Awhile ago PokerNews adopted this new format similar to that of BuzzFeed for creating more content. A majority of the content Buzzfeed puts out is not written by actual employees, but by other people who like writing and submit articles, if BuzzFeed thinks it's an article worth publishing, they will, and PokerNews does the same thing although they still have quite a few writers they pay for articles. In reality, I think I should probably write more articles for them it would probably help with the channel popularity and it's something I'm good at and enjoy, I would just need to schedule appropriately as they do take time to compose.

Maybe you got lucky ? The increased odds of a violent death probably tip the scales against living homeless in a car should one have the choice:

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/...at-wrong-time/

"Staats, 27, and Hippie, 19, were out burglarizing vehicles when they came across Gandler, Hippie told detectives. “Did you see that?” Hippie recalls Staats telling her. “The guy is sleeping in his car.”

That’s when Staats made a U-turn and parked next to Gandler, the report says. Staats, a .40-caliber gun in hand, knocked on Gandler’s window.

Hippie said she heard Gandler’s plea moments before a shot rang out, striking him in the torso, according to the Clark County coroner’s office. Gandler’s car, with its window shattered, rolled onto a parking median."

Meh, Bikeking's Glock-fu sounds strong to me. Since the bad guy can't see inside and OP can see outside, including the bad guy's .40, my guess is the bullets would be coming OUT through the window, not in.

My guess is that's a coin flip where nobody wins.

Why get so pot-committed by voluntary homelessness that you would ever have to take it ?

I thought the "shrug" and talking to himself were a nice dramatic touch. Very "Catcher in the Rye"ish.

Hope real life doesn't bite him in some future encounter.

Look, you can be attacked almost any place at almost any time. Greg Raymer was attacked in a hallway of a Vegas hotel. If you're ready to defend yourself, as Greg was and OP seems to be, you're ready. If you're not it doesn't matter where you are, mansion or Miata.

@bikeking19: keep in touch, let us know how the crash pad works for you.

Do you get paid anything for the articles? $10 or $25 just for the content? If you don't get paid, do you still own the rights to the article afterwards? If you get a small payment, do you give up the rights to the article?

Even for free, writing could help build your brand, get exposure for the channel, and maybe it turns into something bigger if it goes well. I enjoy the articles and I life your story.