Hey guys, I will be moving to Las Vegas in around 2 weeks to start a new job as an Auditor for a hospital. I currently live in Cincinnati where I frequent the Jack poker room around 3 times a week where I mainly play 1-2 nl. Moving to vegas will give me more time to play poker as I do not have to fight traffic. I am also open to networking, hand discussions and joining a poker group. I know vlogs are popular but I would probably be too busy to do it. I am 33 with a bankroll of around 50k. One of my goals is to work my roll up to 55K and use the 5K to take a shot at 2/5(operation uptick style). If I fail then I won't be broke as my income from work will cover my expenses. I am looking forward to moving to town and seeing if I can find some juicy 1/2 and 1/3 games at the start and look to run the bankroll up. Looking forward to hearing from you guys.

With that bankroll you might as well as give 2/5 a shot. You could start at the $500 capped games to ease yourself in to the game. But I wouldn't let the bankroll constrain you if you're interested.

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50 (plus you have a job) is more than enough for a solid 2/5 BR... unless your less than a break even player.

Low limit (1/2-1/3) is fun, but Definitely take some shots at 2/5.

What hospital?

I'll be working at the VA hospital in North Las Vegas. As far as my poker experience goes, I started with 3/6 limit in March of last year to get comfortable then moved to 1/2 NL in September. Went on a roller coaster ride in Sept-Oct then went on a little heater nov-dec making around 3k in those 2 months playing only weekends. I then went on a huge downswing which included a $1400 weekend loss in January. Currently I am on a slight upswing with a few losses here and there. Also the Jack Casino plays smaller as the max buy in is only $200 instead of $300 with a $6 max rake and $1 promo drop.

Sure you won't have to fight traffic? The population of Vegas is twice that of Cincinnati.

yeah... you better start at low limit then and use the insulating properties of a large BR to help you improve your game. Not that the game is difficult, but you will probably experience greater variance and some higher skill level out here... but it's not impossible.

Vegas has grown and it's not a small town anymore in the outlying areas. there is traffic here, just not Los Angeles type traffic.

I will be living in North Las Vegas near the mountains so I will not have to deal with the I-15 traffic both ways. I plan to get a couple workouts in and play poker a couple nights during the week.

Since I will be arriving right smack during the WSOP I might give the Belliago 2/5 game a shot on maybe a Fri or Sat night. I do like the fact that I can call and put my name on the list. Something I couldn't do in Cincy.

If you want to avoid the strip and I-15 from the hospital, you'll be playing 1/2 at Sante Fe, Suncoast or Red Rock casinos. Only the Red Rock Casino has 2/5 regularly.

Plan is to avoid I-15 during rush hour( I assume things start slowing down on the weekday around 7pm?), workout, relax, have dinner then drive to the casino of my choice to get in a session.

I have thought about it and decided to stick with 1/2 with the max buy in of $300 until I build some momentum to take a slight move up to 1/3. Last time I was in town I made the mistake of playing at Flamingo due to trying to get 12 hours for the free roll. Too many of the Nit players trying to grind in hours.

Its been a while since I posted but I finally made it to Vegas a little over a week ago. The drive to work is nice. The drive to the strip coming from the north is alright, only the 215 merge traffic is a small problem so I'm able to get to the strip within 20 mins. As far as poker goes I've just been grinding the 1-2/1-3 with the max buy in of $300. Had some wins and took some losses but overall I am up around $600 after arriving here.

Good to hear you made it out OK and are getting to play on the regular.

A few things:

--Regarding traffic, Las Vegas traffic--even near the Strip--is easy to navigate most of the time if you know the surface streets. Traffic on I-75 near the Kentucky border is something on the level LV rarely sees.

--Red Rock is soft and a great room. $2 hourly comps, nice food court and decent buffet in which to spend those comps. Drink service used to be fantastic as well, but haven't been in a few years.

--Keep on grinding that 1/2 and 1/3 until you are really comfortable. Also, with the WSOP in town you should hit up the Strip or Rio with all that extra money floating around the poker tables down that way. If nothing else, head down there just to check out how busy the big rooms are and to get a sense of the vibe/energy.

--Don't forget to have fun! I was your age when I moved to Vegas in '07 and experienced a busy Spring and Summer of poker. What a rush. The overall scene has shrunk a little since then, but you are still living a dream that millions of others all over the world wish for.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tips and recommendations. I am definitely enjoying myself out here during the WSOP. I played at Red Rock on Sunday and definitely enjoy the room and the break from the strip. I am having my best success at Excalibur which isn't really saying much. I am working on the mlife properties to keep my pearl status for next year (gotta love paid parking).

If you are comfortable and winning at 1/2 and 1/3, you should be fine at 2/5. Last time I was in Vegas 2/5 was very profitable and was not tough at all. (I play a lot of PLO in Vegas and the variance is a killer. I'd stay away from that game! I play it whenever I get to Jack, too, so have not played 2/5 there.)

Welcome to town!

Really good advice for OP.

I would add that you should invest in some good reading/coaching material. It will push you up the learning curve a bit.

Rep Ohio well, mane. Sounds like you're off to a good start!

Did you build the 50k bankroll from working? Pretty impressive if so. GL!


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Thanks for all the feedback. I do have a small library of poker books including the popular Doyle Brunson Super system I like bluffing with that hand from time to time). Been on a little bit of a run grinding out $600 this week. The toughest thing about this is deciding where to play, which I am trying to decide right now. I just have a few more bills to pay from my move then I'm free to run wild.

Ohio has the flavor of a water chestnut

I wanted to provide you guys a quick update. I've been running well with my total profits up to $1300 on the 1/2 and 1/3 games. I am thinking about taking a shot at the 2/5 level before the wsop hype dies down. I've come up with a couple alternatives to 2/5 as well. These are my options for thoughts of moving up.

1. The Belliago 2/5 game with the $500 max.
2. Buying in for the max in the 1/3 game at the Wynn.
3. Buying in for $500 in the uncapped Golden Nugget 1/2 game.

If you guys have any other ideas on getting into games with more $, let me know and I will consider them.

Or play in a 1/3 game with $500 cap like The Orleans

Just an fyi, Sporting Life is a huge Ohio bar here. Massive groups turn out for the games.

This all looks good, but maybe save the GN game for after WSOP? Thoughts?

How much progress have you made towards Pearl at Excalibur or other MGM properties? It's good to have.

Consider checking out CP and PH during the WSOP as well.