Hi everyone, I'm a former online player from the U.S. who quit poker after Black Friday. Before that I'd been playing about 8 months and was averaging about $25/hour mass-tabling SNGs mostly.
I'm in Texas now and ironically this is about the worst place to be in the world to play Texas Hold 'Em. I used to live in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon) and would love to get back there for the climate, more laid-back atmosphere, and general higher quality of life. I've thought about Portland/Seattle but it seems like Vancouver is a much better option and I'd honestly rather live in Canada anyway.
I have a few questions:
1) I know the cost of living in some parts of Vancouver is super high. Is there anywhere decent I could live for less than $1000 / month?
2) About how much could a decent online player make in the cash games and tournaments in Vancouver? When I was in the U.S. I considered $25/hour plenty due to the lower cost of living. Then again in Canada my medical bills wouldn't be as obscene (uninsured I pay about 12k a year for 3 meds and I don't even have serious health problems) so maybe that would counterbalance the higher cost of living.
3) How do the online games compare now since Black Friday? I'd like to play a mix of live and online games.
4) This is the part that really worries me. I imagine it's pretty difficult to immigrate to Canada as a poker player, so I'm wondering, how do other people do it? Are there other options for living/playing there long term that don't involve citizenship? I'd love to become a Canadian citizen but it seems like this might be very difficult. Will one of you consider marrying me so I can get citizenship?