Hello 2+2ers, this is River_Rat92 (Ray) coming at you from Las Vegas, NV.

Im currently 22 years young and ready to start changing not only my poker but my life habits also. This thread is to start a blog about my "SHOT" at Las Vegas poker and the challenges that may come. I'm currently employed with a very good job serving at a AYCE* Sushi place making around 30k a year or so. So with money wise i will always have a profitable income, not just a dumb-ass trying to take a shot with $1200 hoping everything will work out (no pun intended).

***I want to begin this thread on telling you exactly how i came about to living in Las Vegas, Starting with exactly how i started with poker!**

When i was 20 i moved from Michigan to Florida with my 3 friends on search of a new life and a chance to see if i had what it takes to live on my own. It worked out well for 2 years before i decided to move away, I didn't feel like my life was headed anywhere really but the amount of things i ended up learning was amazing. 5 Months before deciding this, i lost my keys at the hottest club spot in Daytona Beach and had no idea what to do in the morning considering i had just bought the vehicle and was low on cash. I couldn't find them regardless of all the attempts of finding them. So i decided i would call a locksmith and get a new one made. While getting the key made with this "guy" i ended up helping him program the key by a little bit of just reading the car manual! He then ends up asking me if i enjoyed "POKER" and if i would be willing to learn it. I told him i didn't play much but i knew the concept of the game. He then ends up telling me about "The Daytona Beach Dog Track and Poker Room". I told him id check it out and see what i thought. You guessed it! Instantly hooked. Starting with the 2/4 limit game and worked my way up to destroying the 1/2 tables with a solid bankroll. Around July of 2014, i contacted my cousin Matt who lived in Las Vegas, and started talking about moving out there with him. At the end of the conversation i ended up saying "if your lease ends when my lease ends ill come out there, you got my word out it". Next day he calls me and What do you know "THE EXACT SAME TIME". I thought it was a meant to be and starting planning the move for September and guess what? IM HERE.


Long story short i have since been grinding with almost no bankroll and at the time a ****ty job. I have now found a new job making a lot more money, and have a decent bankroll now to back myself up. I hope you guys are interested in my journey and will keep posted as much as i can.


POKER GOALS

1. Reach a Bankroll suitable for 1/2
2. Put in 15-20 hours a week (I have a Job)
3. Learn table selection better/ Need to know when to stop

LIFE GOALS

1. Workout 3-5 Days a week
2. Eating healthy while keeping a good diet
3. Gain 10-15 pounds
4. Meeting new friends
5. Continue playing golf, not only to keep sane but to help with my patience in general (For poker plus other)
6. Keep this blog going and updates every week!

$ BANKROLL: $800 and growing $

I'm really making this blog to help me commit to a healthy lifestyle and also to talk about the game i enjoy! Would love some responses so hit me with what ever you want.

Also, if i left anything out that you would like to ask or thought i left out. let me know!

Suggestions on future posts are also very appreciated!

Good luck man

Let the adventures begin

Sub'd glgl

Looking forward to your poker posts. Since you were crushing the $1/2nl game back home, I'm sure you'll do well in Vegas. It sounds like you have realistic expectations and something other than poker in your life.

Have fun and good luck!

Can you give us the long story of how you went from "working your way up and destroying the 1/2 tables with a solid bankroll" in Florida to "grinding with almost no bankroll" in Vegas?

[x] Family paid expenses in FL so all manies went to his lifestyle/bankroll

[x] Now supports himself in Vegas and family doesn't pay for life so money goes more towards expenses and liferoll instead of bankroll.

If it's different than that, then it's a story worth reading, maybe.

EDIT: I've changed my mind on the above statement - but want to allow OP a chance to have me eating some good ol' fashioned crow, so I won't delete I'll just add this note that I don't stand by my original thought.

I worked serving and grinding up about a 3k roll working and playing poker in florida before i moved out to las vegas.

My family does not back me up with any money, and when i moved to vegas i drove out here. thats 2200 miles, fixes on my vehicle before i came out, and hotel stays during the trip. When i got out here i had a job transfer but was way from where i stay in vegas, so all my money was dumping into the 1/2 tables and bills (couldnt handle the swings with such a low roll out here).

(Also, I had a queen size bed attached to my Ford explorer 2 door sport and tugged a 600 lb sport bike making gas ridiculous lol)

all in all i ended up having little to no money when i got out here. Now with my current job im making enough money that built up my bankroll to start the 1/2 grind. (making around 2k-2.5k a month).

The start of the grind *DAY ONE*


I will post updates on tonight session! I enjoy playing at the Red Rock Btw.

Red rock session went alright!

I sat down with acouple regs at first and say some nits checking down nut flush so i requested a table change about -31 off the start. (Bought in for 150)

Hit a Fish table with first hand i saw was a 15 raise K 3 and hit his magical trips lol. So i started to play aggressive and beat them post flop. very swingy and ended up hitting a Set to a guys 2 pair push, so was about + 100 or so. Played another hour or so and end up cashing out at around +80 cause i wanted to get my workout in mainly today.

$ BANKROLL: $ 880 $

(GOD VEGAS HAS HOTT WOMEN EVERY CORNER U TURN BTW)
P.S. LOVE IT

sub'd for the hott women pics

Love your efforts and your hustle.

You got the make up of someone who will be more than OK out there.

Gogogo and prepare for wsop it's a blast even if you're not playing bracelet events

Im mad excited for wsop, hopefully will play in an event there! if not a cash game will do!

At what point would you consider quitting your job?

We sure had fun lol

He shouldnt be even thinking bout quiting his job

I dont plan on quiting my job, my career field is hospitality and i enjoy every aspect of it. and i make more then any 1/2 live poker player can make without the aneurysms that come along with it lmao.

Dont get me wrong if i a big tourny GTD i might travel the circuit for a couple years but i have no intentions on making poker full time. I feel as it would be way to much stress and i have enough of that! hah

Hope you like the thread thou and can follow me. I want to be apart of the community and hopefully can meet some friends along the way!

P.S. if you play alot around the strip throw me a message i always like to sit down and talk about some poker considering everyone i know just thinks im a degenerate gambler. dont have much friends other then co workers

What side of town you live?
What job did you transfer out here?
What sushi place do you work at?

Not trying to piss on you here, but more of a reality check.

$800 isn't really a bankroll as much as it is a day's worth of buy-ins. Your adventure will come to a screeching halt as soon as you hit anything that resembles variance.

If you really want to grow your "bankroll" at least give yourself a fighting chance at it - buying in short at a room with a promo drop and cheap comps (Red Rock) is not the way to make that happen. You should be down at Venetian in the 1/2, no promo drop, good games, great comp values, etc, etc.

The odds of you never experiencing a drop of $800, even in the short-run, are not very high. This will most likely not end well.

I heard Olive Garden is going down... slowly but surely.

Oh, stop it! Didn't you hear the part about his job? If he does have a bad run he can just pick up a few more shifts a week for a while (super easy to do as most servers are lazy and/or extreme partiers who are always hungover or too busy drinking to want to work all the time), and BOOM, bankroll replenished.

Also, Venetian 1/2 is the worst, a bunch of nitty grinders and scared money buying in short. Promo drop often means better action. And who cares about comps, Red Rock has a Fatburger iirc. Delicious and economical.

Do your thing, OP! Good luck!

The "replenished bankroll" only works in theory. If it did work, the OP might have more than $800 to start with, right? Given income & life expenses, bankrolls don't grow as often as one would think/like.

I make roughly 500+ a week, so my bankroll is constantly building.
a good couple of weeks and i could be at atleast 3k+ without problem.

I get were your coming from considering i have been on a lower bankroll playing with scared money losing it all and waiting weeks before i could buy in again.
This time ill be buying in for 150 only one time per session and leaving unless tables are juicy. This thread is honestly just to keep posted of my poker, get advice, and also keep a routine going for myself.

And to your last comment, This is my "POKER BANKROLL" Not my life roll( i have plenty of money just not that can be used to gamble with).

I Have a house that i pay for, im not dependent on hotel rooms for stay. im not your typical grinder, i have bills that i pay on time, and sleep in a nice bed every night.

i feel you have me confused with some of these other guys trying to sleep in there cars to save a buck, i dont need that i have money.

My Bills :
House Rent - 375
Phone Bill - 45
Car Insurance - 80
Utility's - 100

Bills = 600

i work 5 days a week
Tips per day 80-140.
with Hourly i make 50 per day.

low balling 130 X 5 = $650 a week

650 X 4 = 2600 a month. that's 2k in what ever the **** i please

I like your style Rat, please keep us posted! Pics don't hurt either