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Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life.

03-26-2012 , 05:58 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BestmidwestGF
Thanks for the information! I am finishing my degree in Marketing/Management. However, I am attending an art school, so it is much more creativity-driven and we work a lot with the Adobe programs. My degree could lead to a job in marketing, advertising, event planning, management (although not my first choice), you name it. As long as I'm doing something where I can use my skills that I've learned, I will be fine. I also have experience interning with Hearst Magazine Corp and love to write. Not happy to hear that the job market sucks in Vegas, but I'm still searching!
I think your best shot is being a casino host, especially if you are attractive. If I recall correctly, casinos look for people with marketing degrees. I think you could earn more than $36k a year, but I am not sure.

What is the benefits situation? OP, I don't think you can be on her insurance until you are married. I am assuming your on dad's right now, but will he keep you on if you move to Vegas?

Speaking of parents, do both set of parents support this decision? You are not married yet and something like this will either break or make you as a couple. There is a lot of temptation to do stupid stuff in Vegas. How long have you two been together?

OP, without a degree, you are going to be hard pressed to find a job making $20 an hour. If you had to, you may be able to get a job at the casino working as a security guard or something. If GF can get a job at casino, she can help with connections or whatev.

I think it is doable, but $36k a year is not a lot of money. My GF (now wife) and I made that kind of money right out of college and it was tough. I supplemented my income by coaching soccer and umpiring baseball. You may have to do something like that to help build your roll. Heck, I still ref soccer to help with my roll and I have a job making about triple what I started out at.

I have more advice if you decide to move out there, but this is all for now. It got kind of long.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by guitarizt
I grew up in west michigan and moved for the same reasons you and inside mentioned. I've been in vegas 2 years and I love it here.
Haha, we're from the Upper Peninsula. It's beautiful, there's just nothing here.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:38 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by A_C_Slater
Why is renting out your house not an option? Where in Michigan are you?
I just didn't want to deal with the BS of renting. I never really even considered it, but I'm definitely going to look into it.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ICEwataNveins
your young and you have plenty to grind 1-2 and you could def get by. now is the time to take a shot and if you fall on your a$$ then you at least have a backup plan and time on your side. my advice would be get to 2-5 as fast as possible. the caliber of play is still pretty low but your hourly will be much higher. gl sir and i applaud you for taking a shot and not grinding your life away at a job that makes you unhappy
Thank-you. If poker goes THAT bad in the beginning I will just have to scope out a job to smooth it out. Thank-you though!
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:44 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bef99hwk
I thought people were making what the OP is making now an hour at best at 1/2? If you're getting benefits, then I wouldn't quit it. It's going to be a pretty rough grind while she looks for a job+you playing poker. I enjoy these stories, but ugh. You don't have a degree/haven't started, so if you're going to do it, do it now and go to school at same time part time or something. She will prolly get pissed off when she is out working and you're staying at casino late making 15-20 hr in long run. I don't know what your plans are poker wise/bankroll tho. GL.
I receive no benefits at all. I pay my own health insurance, etc. She's been with me from the start with poker. She knows I love it and enjoy doing it and I would like to think she understands the downsides better than most non poker players. She's incredibly supportive and will definitely be a huge asset to me playing. She would care (as she should) if I wasn't trying. She doesn't want to see me go to work everyday doing something I don't enjoy. I'm lucky to have the chance to be with her and experience it all with her.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:45 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by imakeposts
What a lol comment.. Id love to hear you back this up
I have no say in this, but I know I trust your opinion more than the other guys. No offense, other guy.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:47 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by PokerZombie
Get with a property management company and get your house rented. If you can't rent it out tha t$800/month is going to eat you up. Even if it doesn't rent for the full amount of your mortgage get at least $600 for it. It shouldn't be too hard really if it isn't a ****hole.

If you can get your house rented I am all for this, if you have that extra $800.month burden I really think you will be SoL. It adds up bro.
I'm going to look into renting it out. We live in an incredibly small and dead area.

Quote:
Originally Posted by PokerZombie
Have you explained to your girlfriend that you aren't moving to vegas to go to clubs every night? That you aren't goingt o be partying and on E every day? Make sure she knows you will be PLAYING on friday and saturday nights when she wants to go out. Huge super important convo for you two to have.
This paragraph really doesn't apply to us. It's not exactly our thing. Thanks though.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:54 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewLiveFish
The absolute hardest thing to do is to play poker 40+hrs/wk for a living. Until you've played day after day for weeks on end, you have no idea how draining live poker can be. Unless you've just picked up poker in the last 4 months, you've never played enough of a sustained period of time to see if you can stick with it. On-line is so much easier because you can take a 1 hour break at home to eat dinner with your gf or just chill. You can't do that if you're a 1/2 hr drive from your home.
I think playing poker for 40+ hours a week is a lot easier than getting up and going to a job you don't enjoy for 60 hours. 50, even 60 hours a week isn't really that much. It's more about setting somewhat of a schedule and sticking to it/finding what works the best. After doing something you don't enjoy for a long period of time. Doing something you enjoy is just that much easier. Thank-you though. I seriously appreciate the insight.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NewLiveFish
My suggestion is this. Have a heart to heart with your dad. Explain what you want to do. Ask him to let you have a "sabbatical" for two months where you play locally for 40+ hours a week. Create a log of your time playing and your actual win rate. "20ish" simply means you aren't recording your actual results. That means writing every result down, including the times when you tilt and donked off 3 BIs that you know you "shouldn't" have. If after the 2 months you're eager to keep playing and have the results, then go for it. If not, then you don't have to go crawling back.

If I was your dad, I'd rather you do this than to just run off. If he says no, then you've lost nothing compared to your existing plan. It is cliche, but a correct one. Most people who are smart enough to win at poker are capable of earning more money doing almost anything else.
I actually did track all of my results. And it's actually 22.41/hr, I just didn't have my phone near. This is also with only 50% winning sessions. I really didn't run very well over the sample. And I did take a 2 week vacation to just play poker. I loved every minute of it. Again I very much appreciate the advice though. I am listening to every ounce of it.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 07:56 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MangoPort
Can't you fly down to Vegas for a week and see how this goes?

For the record I'm against this idea. Prepare to take over your dad's business and expand it. Then fly down to Vegas a couple of times a year on vacation.
This would be great if I actually enjoyed the business.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:02 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by KenoVictoryLap
What is it about Las Vegas that you think will improve your life? Serious question. Because:

If you are working 60+ hours a week when will you find time to do all the things that Vegas has to offer such that living there will be an improvement over the life you live now?

If you have to work 60+ hours a week I'm gonna go and ahead and assume you won't be swimming in cash Scrooge McDuck style and therefore won't be able to afford to do much that is super awesome anyway.

Also, here is some random life advice from a stranger on the internet -- life is as interesting or as boring as you make it. If you are really bored in small town MI, you probably aren't taking advantage of what is there. Moving to Vegas won't change that. It's not as if you buy/rent a house in Vegas and you magically become imbued with fun time ability. You'll have to seek out the fun times there too. And if seeking out fun things isn't something you do, you won't suddenly start doing it because you live in Vegas.
It's not about "fun" it's about satisfaction and doing something I enjoy everyday. I can't do that here and I don't enjoy what I do 60 hrs every week. I'm happy here, I would be happy anywhere I went. Vegas seems like the right place. If it's not, we will move on from there. I, personally don't want to live a life that is the easiest. I want a challenge, and I want pressure. I have always had an easy life (I guess I set myself up for an "easy" life) I now realize easy =/ best for me. Thank-you though, again I really appreciate the insight.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:03 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BradleyT
Once you're out there consider getting coaching from NPA Ed Miller. Doing that should help you be able to move up to $2/$5 which is where the "money" is at. And of course his recent book on hand reading is a must-have and his new book coming out will be also.
I've actually read his hand-reading book. It's really really good. I used to love his videos on stoxpoker. I think one of his videos was the first ones I had ever seen. Thanks man! Don't you post in the Potawotomi thread too?
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BestmidwestGF
Thanks for the information! I am finishing my degree in Marketing/Management. However, I am attending an art school, so it is much more creativity-driven and we work a lot with the Adobe programs. My degree could lead to a job in marketing, advertising, event planning, management (although not my first choice), you name it. As long as I'm doing something where I can use my skills that I've learned, I will be fine. I also have experience interning with Hearst Magazine Corp and love to write. Not happy to hear that the job market sucks in Vegas, but I'm still searching!
Boom! She's here
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:05 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by dozer
Why Vegas? There are poker-playing opportunities in CA, FL, IL, IN, LA, MA, MI (Detroit), MS, etc. If you're moving to Vegas just for the poker, you could probably find games just as nitty during the week anywhere else in the country (and in the case of FL, without income tax, just like NV).
I was there a few times when I was younger. I guess it just feels right and has the most options. I wouldn't mind California either. My gf isn't a huge fan of Ca. though.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buster the Clown
I find it very hard to believe that you can't rent your house out while you're gone. I'm from Mi. also, and between myself and my father we rent 7 houses and never have trouble finding renters.
I honestly know NOTHING about renting. It just scares the **** out of me that people might trash the place. Maybe I could chat with you about it on Skype or something, if that's cool with you?
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:09 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaosReigns
If you guys want a roommate, you might check with this guy.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/10...appen-1185195/
Haha, seems like a good guy. May not be the most reliable roommate, he could do chores and stuff for rent.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:15 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Brice
What is the benefits situation? OP, I don't think you can be on her insurance until you are married. I am assuming your on dad's right now, but will he keep you on if you move to Vegas?
I have my own insurance. I'll keep that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Brice
Speaking of parents, do both set of parents support this decision? You are not married yet and something like this will either break or make you as a couple. There is a lot of temptation to do stupid stuff in Vegas. How long have you two been together?
Both sets support any decision we make. We are adults, aren't we? We're a strong couple, I don't think the temptations of Vegas will do us in. 4 years.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Brice
OP, without a degree, you are going to be hard pressed to find a job making $20 an hour. If you had to, you may be able to get a job at the casino working as a security guard or something. If GF can get a job at casino, she can help with connections or whatev.
If poker goes that ****ty in the beginning, then yes I'll have to get a job. That's a bridge I'll have to cross at the time. There's really nothing I can do about that now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Brice
I think it is doable, but $36k a year is not a lot of money. My GF (now wife) and I made that kind of money right out of college and it was tough. I supplemented my income by coaching soccer and umpiring baseball. You may have to do something like that to help build your roll. Heck, I still ref soccer to help with my roll and I have a job making about triple what I started out at.

I have more advice if you decide to move out there, but this is all for now. It got kind of long.
I appreciate your help. I appreciate everyone's help here. Thanks a ton!
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:16 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BradleyT
As long as your win rate is after some set over set losses then you should be fine.

Does your girl like poker? You guys could probably whore promotions for a combined $3K a week (provided she's a winning player).
Do not let this intrigue you. You will make up miserable daily.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 08:33 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BestMidWest
Haha, we're from the Upper Peninsula. It's beautiful, there's just nothing here.
Where at? I was born and raised in Escanaba and have some family in Munising.

Yes I post in the poto thread...heading there to play in 3, 2, 1....
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 09:08 PM
OP, Don't know if the proposed move is right or wrong for you, but it seems like you're keeping an open and teachable attitude. That goes a long way in life.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 09:11 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BradleyT
Where at? I was born and raised in Escanaba and have some family in Munising.

Yes I post in the poto thread...heading there to play in 3, 2, 1....
Stephenson. That's awesome! I'll be playing there this Sunday I'm pretty sure.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 10:09 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by mofliedlice
Do not let this intrigue you. You will make up miserable daily.
Why? Just interested. Thanks
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-26-2012 , 10:09 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by marktelefono
OP, Don't know if the proposed move is right or wrong for you, but it seems like you're keeping an open and teachable attitude. That goes a long way in life.
Thank-you, this means a lot. Again I can't stress enough how much we appreciate all of the comments.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-27-2012 , 02:25 AM
It seems like you have a decent enough head on your shoulders and like it was said earlier you seem open to good advice. So I think at the very least you won't get into major trouble.

But my read is that you two are putting yourselves in a situation to fail.

- Y'all are moving to a new city with no jobs lined up. (Technically poker would be a job but it is far from guaranteed income.)
- Y'all are moving to a city where finding a job will be more difficult than in any other city in America. It would be naive to expect that there would be jobs available, much less good jobs.
- If she does manage to get a job, your GF will probably not be ok with taking her fancy degree and having to apply it towards a position at McDonalds.
- Y'all will have the very large burden of paying a mortgage and monthly rent.
- Y'all will be scraping by financially. This will always, always lead to stress and unhappiness.
- You have no experience playing poker for 3 months straight as a job. Therefore you don't truly know if you can sustain your $22/hr win-rate long-term of if you'll even enjoy grinding poker 40-60hrs/week.

I totally understand wanting to leave your small town. My job enables me to spend lots of time in small towns across the country. I've realized that there's very little opportunity for success in most small towns. And I totally understand wanting to do something you love. But do it in a way that will set you up for success. It's ok to take risks, but always make sure they're +EV risks. I don't see how moving to Vegas is a +EV risk for you.

Here's what I would do, but I'm just a guy on the Internet:

- Don't move until you can sell the house or get it rented out so you won't have that $800/month burden.
- Move to a town where your awesome driven GF will find a job that allows her to grow and thrive instead of being forced to work some s*** job she's overqualified for.
- Go to a place where you can get a part-time job and play poker part-time so you can evaluate how great playing poker for a living really is.
- Make sure you have enough money saved to be able to weather any storm that could potentially come your way.

Last edited by GEAUX UL; 03-27-2012 at 02:31 AM.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-27-2012 , 03:18 AM
with 100K+ i would risk it otherwise pretty bad idea imo.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote
03-27-2012 , 06:26 AM
You have some chance. The 1/2 games are still beatable for ~20/hr, in the long run. If you're really good (I have no idea how well you play, although I will pointlessly mention that maybe 1/50 of the people who move here to play for a living make it, by my anecdotal observation). None of us know how good you are (you prob don't know how good you are, tbh), so none of us can weigh in on that.

You will not win playing 60 hours a week. 30 hours a week is a lot for a real pro (though it's nothing for a degen poseur pro). You can play 60 hours a week for a week, so don't tell me you played that much one week and were fine. One week of 60 hours isn't a test, it's a vacation. In the 10th week in a row of 60 hours each, you'll be sick.

Very cool that your GF posts here. Sign that at least your relationship is good, and that's the most important thing.

IF your dad will take you back if you go back, then why not try? But bear in mind that very few people make it at 1/2, and fewer still at 2/5, and fewer still at 5/10, and that there isn't enough action higher than 5/10 to think about. 5/10 is the peak, really, unless you blow up your BR by winning a major tourney and get deluded about your ability and play superstakes until you're busto and borrowing. So really, understand that you're entering a job with a max level of growth at 5/10. That's it, there's really no future higher than that. At 5/10 you'll earn a nice living, if you're in the 1/1000 players good enough to sustain that limit.

Here's what will happen: you'll play a lot and win until you play a lot and lose, or you'll just go straight to the play a lot and lose.

After you hit the losing streak, then you'll learn, bear down, toughen up, tighten up, and learn to beat the life (beating the game is only half the battle). Or you'll quit.

About the car and no A/C: in the summer, cars get so hot it takes 10 minutes for the A/C to cool them off anyway. I live about 10 minutes from the casinos. I don't bother turning my A/C on, it's pointless. Same thing for going to the store or out to eat. I just roll down the windows and drive and sweat a bit. Maybe some cars cool off faster than that, but mine doesn't.
Our move to Las Vegas to get the F*** out of a small town and boring life. Quote

      
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