hey all,

just another "i'm fed up with my job, i just want to live the baller poker life" thread. Super lame to even post but i feel this helps me get out my thoughts and feelings going forward with this endeavor.

I have been playing for almost 10 years, grew up in Nevada, been around the game and lifestyle for some time. I have had a few spurts during college where i used poker as my sole income. This was 2004-2006 time, moneymaker bombastic.

Poker has definitely been a supplemental income to me for the past 5 years or so. I have always had terrible bankroll management. Often spent my winnings very quickly on clubs, drugs, and hookers. I have experienced more highs and lows than i can count. Now i am in a new frame of mind, i have been working very hard at a dead end job for the past 3 years, completely fed up and tired of pretending that i dont want to commit to my dream of becoming a complete degenerate.

So here i go, I will be taking 10K to Vegas this weekend with the intention of running like god at 5/10, then i will be flying to a new destination every 2 weeks (i figure this is a good cool off amount of time), mostly Vegas and La since i am currently residing in Az. My goal is to run it up to 50K by December and give the big Fung Gu to my boss and peace out. Worse comes to worse i still have my dead end job to provide plenty of day dream time in the future.

F U in advance to future trolls, and wish me luck.

You will almost certainly go broke playing 5-10 with only 10k. I'd play 1-2, 1-3 and possibly mix some 2-5.

Bankroll management is key if you want to take the game seriously.

Best of luck.

I just don't know why every 2+2 who starts these threads insist on not following bankroll management.

I swear to god you could have a bankroll of $60k and you'd insist on jumping straight to the 25/50nl where the average buy-in is $8k

If you are serious about "going pro" then for the love of god follow basic bankroll management. Assuming you are actually a winning player at 2/5nl and 5/10nl, then you should be playing 2/5nl until your roll gets to $30k. Then when you get to $30k transition to 5/10nl.

Poker is not bingo and its not a slot machine. If you are a winning player, you will make money. If you are decent, then you can grind $10k to $30k in 4 months easy. And all the while covering your living expenses.

But if you jump into 5/10nl that's only ten buy-ins. That is ridiculously short. Hell, $10k for 2/5nl is already pushing the edge of being short BRM wise. 5/10nl is just flat out ******ed.

Seriously, start with 2/5nl and truth be told you should probably be playing 60% 1/2nl and 40% 2/5nl until you get in the hang of playing daily and then transition to 2/5nl...

1/2nl in Vegas is literally like sitting at the table and letting the donks give you their money.

Anyways, I just can't stress BRM enough. 2+2 is littered with threads of noobs wanting to turn pro but at the same time refusing to follow basic bankroll management.

I feel BRM is extremely vital to becoming a successful poker player. I lived in vegas on and off for 12 years and sustained myself at 2/5 with a <10K roll for many years. I have taken shots at 5/10 NL and 5/10 PLO games.

I have shown success in 5/10 although only in the past 2 years or so have i been able to beat the game.

I have always spent money to quickly, something that has humbled me in recent years.

I feel confident enough to give an all or nothing go at building a thick roll quickly. If i can get to 30-50K that does not mean i will jump up to 10/20 or 25/50, i probably would select deeper 5/10's.

1/2 is impossible for me to play, i enjoy the game to much to make that sacrifice. 1/2 literally makes me want to pull my eyes out. 2/5 is almost at that point.

I do want to take it seriously this time, i really do, but i refuse to grind 1/2 and i will stick to deeper 2/5's and low buy in 5/10's. If i run it up in Vegas this weekend i will attempt to be more selective with my games during the next trip.

WHy on Earth would you want an unnecessary cost every 2 weeks.

pick a location, Vegas or LA and stay there. No need to burn $500 every two weeks on unnecessary travel. THat sounds more like fantasy then you being serious.

Grinding out a living player poker is not fun. If you are fantasizing about being a big time baller and playing 5/10nl for 5hrs a day, banking $2k/day, then hitting up the strip club every night you've got a rude awakening coming your way.

There are casinos in Arizona. In fact, Arizona has decent poker, not Vegas quality, but definitely enough to where you can grind out a living playing poker.

In any event, you need to read more threads around here, its not all peaches and cream. I wish you the best of luck, but your mindset and plan just seem all kinds of wrong.

Great point. Vegas is where my family is, i can get away saving on room and board. I do have freinds in LA as well so both locations grant me savings in that respect.

I WILL NOT BE SPEWING MY MONEY ON STRIPCLUBS OR DRUGS. I have been involved with NA programs for a few years now as well, since i have had serious problems with impulse before.

I dont do drugs anymore nor have desire to spend my money on strippers or clubs. I actually despise those places now. Another reason why i think it will work this time is that i am out of Vegas. Commuting will serve me much better to avoid constant reminding of the lifestyle.

As for flying to new destinations, I figured i could fly to softer markets, grind for 3-4 days and come home. This would be a 500$ expense for sure, however i really did feel i could sustain, Some trips would be negative, but i considered it a "buisness expense". Oh well maybe i will just stick to Vegas and LA in the mean Time.

Az Card rooms blow. I live to far from casino arizona which is the only place i would consider grinding.

Why? Serious question?

Back in the day, I had an aversion to 1/2nl because I just felt it was beneath me. I felt that "real poker" started at 2/5nl.

However, having busted out several times and having been forced to grind up a roll from $500 with 5NL online I learned the hard way that "real poker" has nothing to do with the limit you are playing.

My third eye opened and I was humbled and it went an incredibly long way to transforming and improving my game.

The Chris Ferguson challenge also went a long way for me getting the right mindset. I mean, if a big time pro can grind out 5NL and take it seriously then so could I.

If you are serious about doing this, then you need to play wherever you'd have the biggest support system. If you have family in Vegas, then play there. If you have close friends in LA that would be supportive then play there.

Lastly, get over your reservations about 1/2nl and 2/5nl.

I remember a little while ago I was going through an awful downswing, lost $8k in 2 weeks. I was still rolled for 2/5nl but dropped down to 1/3nl for 2 weeks to calm down and reestablish my game. It worked wonders and I bounced back...

Anyways, I want you to do well, but I think you just aren't planning this right or have the right mindset. There's no need to put undo pressure on yourself. And don't let your ego lead you down the wrong path.

Money is money, poker is poker. There is no shame in playing 2/5nl or even playing 1/2nl or 2/3nl. Hell, sometimes when I'm in Vegas and I'm tired, I play 1/2nl because its just so relaxing. Just sit back and let the donks pay me $200, $400, or even $1k over the course of a session playing the easiest brain dead poker on earth. I mean, what's bad about that?

I'm not trying to be a dick here, just trying to help. I'm sure you really want to make this work and that desire is probably revving you up into full battle mode where you are all like AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH



But you don't want to jump into this like that. You want to be like uuummmmmmmm



Once upon a time I made the mistake of "Going Big or Going busto" and sad to say I went busto. Looking back on my experience, there was no need for me to had gone busto if I just had more Zen.

In the grand scheme of your poker career, is playing a couple of weeks of 1/2nl and a few weeks of 2/5nl really that big a deal?

Seriously? You'd rather risk burning through $10K in a week of runbad at 5/10nl than play 1/2nl and 2/5nl for a month?

Unless you can scrounge up $10k faster than a month, that just doesn't make any sense man.

In any event, good luck, wish you the best and don't worry, i'm off my soap box and into lurker mode. I'll be subscribing and following your trials, so good luck.

^^^ real talk.


I think that was a really well put.

My greatest problem is the lack of control of my impulse. Gambling of any sort ignities my impulse circuits. Practicing

However, i am kind of enacting my all or nothing option. I am still in a position that if i go "poker-bankroll" busto i have a job, i dont have to worry about draining my savings.

Basically i am taking a shot at inflating my bankroll early, enough that i can begin sustaining an equilibrium of cash flow, enough to cover bills, rent, and expenses. Then can begin to practice BRM at 2/5.

How did this turn out?

Following. Want to see how the results were?

Op hasn't logged in for over 2 years. Still curious though