Whatsup guys...

I'll try to keep this to the point. I turned 21 about two weeks ago and am a junior in college. I've been playing live poker since I was 16, sneaking into casinos with a beautiful South Carolina fake ID. Through the past few years, I've saved up a roll of a little bit over 30k, playing mostly 2-5. Poker has always been my part-time/summer job.

I plan to take the spring semester off of school and take a shot in the higher variance sense of the word, meaning I'll be playing mostly 5-10 and adjusting as necessary. I love this game more than anything and owe it to myself to finally dedicate some time. Also, I have AP credits from high school and plan to graduate college on time barring a lightning strike or a million dollar WSOP score... Some people study abroad, I'm taking a semester off to grind in Vegas and saving a semester of tuition while I'm at it.

So starting January 1st, I'll be in Las Vegas as long as my finances and skill level allows. For those of you who want to tell me how bad of an idea this is, go express your general misery at the world in other ways. I don't care.

So my plan is to play both 2-5 and 5-10 at the Aria and Bellagio depending on games and times, adjusting as necessary. Any tips as to which games to play and when? How's the Bellagio 5-10 game in January/February?

On another note, if anyone needs a roommate or wants to talk hands with me while I'm there let me know. I'm looking for like-minded individuals trying to rise up the poker ranks. I don't know anyone in town and would love to meet some people. I'm fairly outgoing, love sports and outdoor activities, and down to do pretty much whatever. PM me. I'll keep posting.

And if this all goes to ****...at least I tried. I'm too young to be cynical.

If you haven't yet, try watching poker Vlogger's Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme (they are both on youtube). They are both 2/5 - 5/10 grinders in Vegas. It might give you an initial sense of things.

Good luck!

Get your degree first, then try and go grind for a living. If need be, it will be much easier to get a job with school already done.

You will thank me later.

Actually, it will be a lost easier to finish school before you go off and have a great time playing poker. It will be hard to go back to the school grind after having done the poker grind.

How big is your bankroll? I'd stay away from the 5-10 games if I were you.

Reading is Fundamental. The OP stated that he has a $30,000 bankroll.

OP, you should definitely do this. You're just taking a semester off. You plan to graduate. Worst comes to worst, you just head back home early. This is the time to have some fun in your life and try out the poker lifestyle. You won't have those pangs of regret 5 years after you start working thinking, "I wonder if I could have made it as a poker pro."

My suggestion is to start out the first couple weeks at 1/2 and 2/5 before moving up to 5/10 just to get your bearings on the game in LV.

Good luck

No, he said he has saved up a $30k "roll." I would interpret that to be a liferoll, not necessarily a bankroll. So he's going to need some of that for nine-months of living expenses in LV, plus he'll want to make sure he still has enough for college expenses in the fall.

OK but what's the rush? Why now? Why not finish the Spring semester and then move to Vegas for the summer, during WSOP season when the games are juicy and there are no classes? Then he could decide at the end of the summer whether to go back to school or keep grinding in the Fall.

dh - take this with the old grain of salt....I went to work in the oilfield in 1978 and I'm still in it to this day.

Skool is important for sure....but if your going to do something like this Vegas shot in your life....I would tell you now is the time....Almost guaranteed you will meet a sweet juicy young gal who will set the hooks deep in you ....and 40 year later you will be an OMC wanna be....wondering when your deep into the bottle of Dirty Bird.....What if......

As to college degree - yes very important....but as a counterpoint to that....All I have is a 2 year degree in Petroleum Tech from East Texas.....
Recommend you get a 4 year degree....

But know this - their is men making 7 figures a year w/o the 4 year degree.....know what I'm saying.... But I will say this.... There is 168 hours in 7 days.... I have been awake and working 150 of them more times than I care to remember.

So do it. No regrets hombre... Get the pokerzzzzzz out of your system....

There is plenty of time for working 7 GD days a week for 15 ish hours aday.....Also be advised with all the new GD smart phones you can't have a GD shower w/o the FN phone going off.....But I do make Net 4+ figures a day for every MF GD day of the year, i.e 365 days plus major oil mega corp benefits.... but I pay the GD price...working in shiite hole 3rd world places 10 months per year.... 7 days per week...the college boys come to me to get shiite done and save their educated skool assezzzzz.......But it took me a hard GD lifetime to get to this point....

Go to Vegas and live life hombre....

You have decades to be working so GD much you really do not not know what day it is....believe it or not...sometimes I lose track of what year it is....when you've been offshore for 100 days straight....

Easy decision. Follow your gut and No Regrets.... Vegas Baby !

PS....
In my case - I met that gal who gut hooked me in 1979 and that was it.....work, babies, life....No real regrets.... but what if.............No real regrests....Ms. gamboolgal is my life and reason I live....

Get your young asszzzz to Vegas and Rip and Snort..... Hookers and Blow....pushing the edge....and being a real LAG...

I am planning on playing the Seniors at WSOP in 2018 and a bunch of other tournaments and cash games... as my better half Ms. gamboolgal has it all booked....... I'll be gambooling and looking to putting all the Reg's and the younsters on total tilt...because I come to play and have fun.... I don't give a ratzzz assszzz about the money..... my enjoyment is busting the wanna be pro's.....ha......yes I'm that guy....but I can catch a run of cards and ruin your world.....fun stuff

Looking forward to your posts hombre....

So like I said, I'm planning to go back to school after this. It's a short-term passion project. 30k is my poker bankroll, unrelated to funds for school that will NOT be risked during this time period. And again, I still plan to graduate on time as I have credits from high school. So spending no more time in school and saving a semester of tuition.

But think of this as a given. The decision to play has already been made. That's not what this is about. The plan to do so is certainly in need of optimization, and that's why I'm here.

So anyone who has any info on Vegas games and the lifestyle, much appreciated. Any info related to the decision to play in the beginning, your too late.

Have you been tracking the number of tables running per week per local on Bravo? I'd suggest you consider LA area. Better games with worse players...

OP, I'm a 24 yr old full time 2/5 vegas grinder . I also have a degree that I finished before I moved here a year and half ago .

Feel free to PM questions I feel that might be best

I kept seeing the same grinders during the WSOP and was disappointed in the 2/5 games.

Danny,

Glad to hear that you're rolling up a stake and taking a shot while you can. I'm a born and raised Vegas native and would be more than happy to help any way that I can. I'm currently focused on grinding online WSOP.com and live 2/5NL when schedule allows.

Please join my Discord server and we can chat directly: https://discord.gg/ZDmzPE

The options for 5/10 are limited. My recommendation is to not get mentally locked into playing in specific locations.

If you are serious about this, I would say to ignore the lifestyle. No booze, weed, or casual sex for the first three months you are in Vegas to establish that having fun is not your priority. If you don't have the discipline to do that, I would question your long-term prospects in poker.

Mmmmmm not so sure the benefit of going celebate.

This formula hasn't been working very well for Trooper.

Consider the possibility that he is maximizing his potential and that boozing and whoring would make him worse off than he is now.

I think it's okay as long as you have the discipline to go back to school even if you run good over the few months in Vegas. If you run bad, it's not what you thought, etc, it will be easy to go back to school. It's when you run good is when you will be tempted to go full time pro.

I realize that you are making that statement for humorous effect, but poker has never been the number one priority for Trooper. It is currently third, and has never been higher than second. For Trooper, poker is part of his life, but OP needs to make it his whole life, until he goes to school.

Hope this thread goes better than the last one:

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/1...03/?highlight=

If nothing else, there is the rake.

Or this one... Hate it when they stop posting overnight.

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/1...vegas-1688966/

Playing low stakes live for a living is not fun/wont give you financial satisfaction. Try beating online and building a bigger roll/taking shots at higher live games with whales is my advice.

Living in las vegas can be hard if you are not able to get ahold of your spending habits. So be careful. Ace on the river is an old book but i would read it if i were you get to know the pit managers/tip them and try to get in the better games regularly.

Good luck!

"I just said, 'Good luck'." -Bob Dylan

Assume you have a results tracker...Keep us posted. Should be an interesting adventure.