Hey all,

I'm a 27 year old Aussie that has just resigned from my position as a director in a business I spent the last 5 year building with a good friend. No bad blood, although through the resignation there is some curve balls and emotions are a little charged. Essentially, the decision came down to the fact that I have had a burning desire to play poker for a living, with a 3 year relationship with my significant other, things getting only more and more serious, I figured it's a now or never moment.

First played the game some 10 years ago with friends in high school, since then online and live have both had a run. I had coaching and played a good sample of HUSNG's, which helped my live cash game immensely. HUSNG's wasn't for me though, variance was a fraction too intense for me in that game.

In recent times I have logged 400 hours of live cash game hours, playing part time, for an hourly of $51 per hour. Although it's not a huge amount of time, I feel confident that it's enough to show that I can be profitable at the game where I grind which is my local casino.

I am writing this thread to keep you updated with daily sessions, post hands worth discussing and generally as a journal on my path through this very drastic career change. Any guidance, help or support will be appreciated and look forward to hearing from you all.

Cheers Mac

GAME: $2/3 Live Full Ring
BANKROLL: $10,000

gl m8

sounds like a plan but you need to ask the mods to move this to PG&C
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/17...ls-challenges/
or its gona get locked (ibl)

right you are. I'll move it.

Thanks mate!

Cheers!

Appreciate it.

Thought it might be interesting to share some of the stories and thoughts around telling the people close to me. There was a few people that were incredibly tough to tell about my decision to leave the business which I am a 50% equity holder in. The responses were mostly emotion charged, but some of the more comical thoughts came in my mind. I did think while it was happening that this probably is the same feeling that gay people have when they are "coming out".

Partner
She doesn't understand poker at all, she doesn't understand much to do with gambling in general in fact. The decision couldn't come at a worse time as her 80+ year old grandfather had just pulled her aside to tell her that "He's a gambler, there are three types of people in this world you don't mix with, womanisers, drug addicts and gamblers". The weirdest part of the ear bashing is that he gambles on horse racing every Saturday without fail, go figure?

In the end, my partner ended up understanding that this is a passion that I really need to pursue. At the end of the day we haven't got any children, property, etc together so it really won't effect her at all regardless, in fact it will allow more freedom and ability to spend time together.

Partners Parents
This conversation went a lot better than I imagined it would. They are both quite chilled, so maybe in the end I had played it up in my head a little more than it was ever going to be. Mother's only real thoughts were "make sure you are aware enough to realise if it's not working for you". While her father had a look on his face that said, that's awesome. He then proceeded to ask me questions about hands I had played that night and whether I raised or folded in that spot haha.

Business Partner
This conversation hasn't happened yet, I wrote a letter as I thought it was the best way to get my thoughts all gathered and allow him to see the reasons (poker was one of many reasons). In the end I think that upset him a little, I am sorry for that, certainly wasn't the intention, instead I wanted to have a conversation where emotion wasn't high so logic remained the dominant mindset.

We have been planning to sit down since this happened 5 days ago, with a number of postponements on the meeting (annoying). I think Monday is now locked in though and I look forward to unpacking everything with him and clearing the air.

Business Partners Father
Being a Greek man, he has treated me like one of his own flesh and blood. He also grinds at the same local casino as I do and has for many, many years. This meant it was so hard to tell him my decision for a number of reasons:

1. He had always drilled into me, get business going then plenty of time for cards.
2. His flesh and blood son was the one I would be parting ways with
3. We both are very close
4. He is a mentor to me
5. He will be on the tables with me while we grind together moving forward

He understands but was a little upset I didn't talk to him first before writing the letter. I understand that now, again, I got that wrong in their eyes, at the time I thought it was the right play, guess much like on the felt, in life we sometimes make the wrong call.

Cheers Mac

Sounds like your pumped!! best of luck brah

Yeah man, definitely pumped up, working hard to make this happen for me. Studying, keen to plug as many leaks as I can in my game to optimise this opportunity.

I don't understand why you can't get the business going before you play cards? cards will always be there, 50% in a good company will not

Had a few hands from last night that I would love to get some feedback on:

$2/$3, 7 Handed - Hero QQ in cut-off - $750 stack

Limps around to me and I make it $12, get 3 callers to the flop of K56

Checks to me and I bet $30, get one caller who is very average regular who has a wide limp call range and started hand with $300.

Turn comes 7 and villain then donk leads $45 at me, hero?

$2/$3, 7 Handed - Hero 88 in BB - $700 stack

Early position raise $17, 3 callers before and I make the call, flop comes 776

I then donk lead $35 and have one caller who is in position, a below average reg, heavy gambler, big drinker and loves to bluff, very wide range of hands, started hand with $200. Turn comes A

I check turn and villain bets $75 (half remaining stack), villain?

It's a good question, as I say, there is other issues other than wanting to play cards. Those issues are not laundry I wish to air. I will be working on something else in the business world while I play too, just something with a better structure and less intensive time inside the walls.

sounds reasonable if you want to jump ship, I would suggest for a young man like you to not spend a penny of your bankroll until you get to 2/5 full time. The opportunity cost of not playing there is quite big.

There is a 5/5 game at my local casino, doesn't get up very often, but I need to build my roll a lot more before I head up to that game.

which city are you from? what was your former business?

seems crazy to me to give up the business to grind at the casino, but you said you have other reasons so i guess they must be the real cause.

Brisbane mate, it's a little crazy for sure. But the full story is really only known to a select group of people, they are the predominant issues for sure. Had a creative agency, 4 staff so rather full on decision.

Cheers Mac

best of luck man ill be following

Gl man, im from bris too, gonna play some roulette there tonight. Ill see if i can guess who you are haha

Cheers mate!

Did you have a look around? Haha...

Last night was a solid little session. Played for 4 hours and 38 minutes for a profit of $413. Surprisingly there wasn't any real hands to discuss, I played my "A Game" all night, made some great folds and the bill paying hands played themselves, flopped set 10's with Ace and two clubs on the flop, had JJ and AA both hold up, other than that, nothing to discuss.

GAME: $2/3 Live Full Ring
BANKROLL: $10,413
HOURLY RATE: $89.14 p/h
HOURS LOGGED: 4h 38min

Good luck mate :-) Guessing you are playing Treasury if your in Brisvegas? I'll be up there in early Jan so might see if I can come take some money off your hands :-)

Hey all,

Thought it was worth sharing the thoughts of one of my good mates. I actually hadn't told him, he found out from the only guy I had told (another good mate of ours). He sent me a text which said "U didn't tell me about your first step towards Bilzerian (Daniel Bilzarian) status". Hahaha, so funny the perception of grinding poker

Cheers Mac


Yeah mate, Treasury, playing occasionally in Cairns, Gold Coast and will be doing regular trips to Sydney and Melbourne.

Good luck! I was in Brisbane in 2002 at an Olympic training facility before the world lacrosse games in Perth. I remember there never being a cloud in the sky and visiting an island full of wallabies. Thanks for the flashback.

I will be starting the same challenge at a new casino here in Baltimore, Maryland in the states. I hope to learn more from you and will be making a similar decision as a 50% owner as well.

My decision will be based on time allocation and the happiness I derive from that. Being a co founder in a business might sound like the dream, but reality bites sometimes.

My first subscribe

Did you have a look around? Haha...[/QUOTE]

Yeh had a brief look, saw the same tilting group of people that are always there playing $100 stacks in a 2/4 game lol.

Gl tho, toughest part is going to be surviving their company for days on end!!

Haha, cool man, hopefully can light up a path for you and and show it can be done Yeah people think working in a small business as a partner is all rainbows and lollipops, it ain't!


Yeah, I tend not to play during the day, always the old rock guys with $100 and no action. Nights are the best, those $100 stacks are generally drunk guys that sit down and I quote "I'm here for a good time, not a long time". Probably my favourite line apart from "how much do I need to play".

Cheers Mac

people say that line? haha