Hi Marketplace this is my first time seeking a stake of any kind in my poker career. My name is Mike Luka I live in North East PA, I'm 26 and will be taking a shot at chasing my dream of playing professional giving the current hand life has dealt me.

Background: I started playing home games with friends in the early 2000's and online the summer of 2003 when I turned 18. I had no idea what I was doing in my early online days and was just another one of the rec fish with a big dream during the poker boom. I played live for the first time at Caesars in Atlantic City taking bus day trips in the spring of 2007. At the time I was working seasonally summer and winter which gave me the free time to do this. I was playing 1/2 severely under rolled and lost a few thousand that summer, which at the time, was a ton of money to me but I was determined to become a winning live player. I worked that summer and started taking poker more seriously reading books and watching strat videos. I was mass tabling the micros on Stars and FTP winning at 10NL FR and slightly losing to break even after rake back at 25NL. I started receiving comp room offers so when work ended that fall I started going back to AC at least twice a month for 2 night stays and was now starting to win back the losses I accrued that spring.

It was at this time that my job offered me a year round position which put a halt to my AC trips and I soon took a much better job offer commuting to NYC as an operating engineer apprentice. All the while I continued mass tabling on Stars and FTP with the same results. In the summer of 2010 poker rooms had opened locally for me in PA. I began playing as much 1/2 as I could in between jobs and while working with very good results. I finally landed what was supposed to be the start of my career as an engineer with thoughts of finally getting a mortgage and buying my first house until politics of my industry on top of the economic situation that has lead me to being laid off on Dec 31st. My experience in the real work force has dragged me through the highest of highs, thinking I finally made it, to the lowest of lows, having the rug pull out from under me.

I've told myself that everything happens for a reason and maybe this is life telling me to take a shot at my dream of playing poker for a living so that is the mindset that I am going into 2012. I've amassed a nice chunk of money throughout the years to allow me to take this shot and if my dream fails I will be going back into the same field of work. I've been tracking my live play on Poker Journal since poker came to PA but lost all my data in August due to my iPhone crashing. I've started tracking since then and here are my results at mostly 1/2NL with some 2/5NL towards the end.

My results were somewhere between 3500-4000 over 600+ hours prior to losing my data from July 2010 - August 2011.


Recent downswing I attribute much to my mental instability with my life situation thinking I had a career to knowing I'm out of work on the 31st. I decided to take a break from the live scene in December and work on my game until I can rededicate myself to the game after my layoff.




Borgata Winter Poker Open 2012 Package

Events:
1. 500K GRTD Deep Stack NLHE (Re-Entry) 2-day: 1/18-/1/19 - $500+60
8. 100K GRTD Deep Stack NLHE (Re-Entry) 2-day: 1/22-1/23 $400+50
16. 100K GRTD Big Stack NLHE (Re-Entry) 1-day: 1/25 - $270+30
26. 100K GRTD Big Stack NLHE (Re-Entry) 1-day: 2/1 - $200+30

Totals Package Price: $1540 + Markup (1540 x 1.15) = $1771
Price:
$18 1%
$89 5%
$177 10%
$266 15%
$355 20%
(Price per share and payouts are rounded up to the nearest dollar)


I'm looking to sell up to 40-60% of my overall action with a mark up of 1.15 to help cover some expenses. Shares will be for the value of all events. All shares sold must be paid for in full prior to start of Event 1. Investors will be responsible for whatever taxes on winnings is incurred. All payments will be arranged starting 2/2/12. In the event that something catastrophic happens where I can not play any events all shares will be refunded.

Payments can be made via Paypal (email: mikeluka@gmail.com), BOA Transfer, cash in hand at the Borgata on the 17th-18th or cash in hand arranged anytime from now until I leave for the Borgata at Sands Poker Room in Bethlehem, PA or Mount Airy Poker Room in Mount Pocono, PA.

If I do not sell at least 35% I will remove Event 8 from the package and redistribute the share value accordingly:

Events 1, 16 & 26
Totals Package Price: $1090 + Markup (1090 x 1.15) = $1253.5
$13 1%
$63 5%
$126 10%
$188 15%
$251 20%
(Price per share and payouts are rounded up to the nearest dollar)

I will provide live updates during each event via my Twitter http://twitter.com/mike_luka.

Due to lack of interest I am confirming going with the latter package.

I'm looking to sell up to 40-60% of my overall action with a mark up of 1.15 to help cover some expenses. Shares will be for the value of all events. All shares sold must be paid for in full prior to start of Event 1. Investors will be responsible for whatever taxes on winnings is incurred. All payments will be arranged starting 2/2/12. In the event that something catastrophic happens where I can not play any events all shares will be refunded.

Payments can be made via Paypal (email: mikeluka@gmail.com), BOA Transfer, cash in hand at the Borgata on the 17th-18th or cash in hand arranged anytime from now until I leave for the Borgata at Sands Poker Room in Bethlehem, PA or Mount Airy Poker Room in Mount Pocono, PA.

Events 1, 16 & 26
Totals Package Price: $1090 + Markup (1090 x 1.15) = $1253.5
$13 1%
$63 5%
$126 10%
$188 15%
$251 20%
(Price per share and payouts are rounded up to the nearest dollar)

I will provide live updates during each event via my Twitter http://twitter.com/mike_luka.

Res 3% Cash at the B.

List:
Turb0Licious - res 3% (cash at B)
ashipsomewhere - res 5% (cash locally)

Only one week away! Bump for interest.

List:
Turb0Licious - res 3% (cash at B)
ashipsomewhere - res 20% (cash locally)

Looking to sell up to 25% more.

res 2% cash at borg PM me

List:
Turb0Licious - res 3% (cash at B)
ashipsomewhere - res 20% (cash locally)
wed0318 - res 2% (cash at B)

List:
Turb0Licious - bookd 3% (cash at B) *Waiting
ashipsomewhere - booked 16% (cash locally) *PAID
wed0318 - booked 2% (cash at B) *Waiting

Would still like to sell 20-30% and will be closing this thread Tuesday morning. Two days to go!

Just checked into The B. Will be closing this package at 2am EST. 20-30% still available, above list is still accurate.

List:
Turb0Licious - bookd 3% (cash at B) *Waiting
ashipsomewhere - booked 16% (cash locally) *PAID
werd0318 - booked 2% (cash at B) *PAID

10% 84/5

Busted Event 1 right before dinner break all in hu against an open limper on flop of 1086r w/ 109 less than 20bbs ran into JJ and didn't improve.

List:
Turb0Licious - bookd 3% (cash at B) *PAID
ashipsomewhere - booked 16% (cash locally) *PAID
werd0318 - booked 2% (cash at B) *PAID

Package closed lets hope for some better results in Events 16 & 26.

Knocked out event 16 lost a flip, opened Js10s 2.5x MP1 BUT 3bets 1850 we flat flop Jx7s4s we check vil bets 2K we raise to 6k he shoves we snap and brick against QQ. 1 more event to go.

Busted event 26 yesterday after first break after being crippled right before the break getting it in with top two to be rivered by a flush. Got it in good shortly after break w/ top and middle lost to rivered flush. Better luck next time.

Oh well, yes better luck next time... You must have thought you were back at MA with those pesty flush drawers...