Hey guys, was just curious if people could share their thoughts or ideas on how to make the commute to the casino everyday more pleasant or if I just need to suck it up buttercup. I play live fulltime and its 110 miles round trip to my casino and some days I just dread the drive up and back. Although the distance isnt too crazy in relation to what others may be doing just curious if others have ideas to make it better.

I currently listen to pod casts (any recommedations appreciated) sometimes watch vlogs.

appreciate any input!

What if instead of 5 8-hour sessions you did 1 40-hour session?

1 40-hr session is a bit much but i would definitely consider 3 12s if feasible. or ask the casino if they will comp you a room on a weekday.

110 miles round trip? So like 55 miles one way? Can you drive it in about an hour?

If so don’t move to LA because spending an hour on the road might not get you from one side of LA to the other.

Maybe just try to listen to some good music? Audiobooks? Etc. Idk that doesn’t sound so bad for me. But I am ok at tolerating long drives

I assume no way to move closer? If you are a pro and can’t move I’d def look into hotel or Airbnb a night or two a week.

That was my thought.

Depending on where you live and your car, cost for gas, depreciation etc. for the roundtrip might be half of what you have to pay for a room overnight. If you add your hourly rate to that, assuming the roundtrip takes you roughly 2.5 hours on average, staying there might actually save you money.

Whatever you choose to do while driving, the most important thing to do while driving is to, well, to drive. Use those powers of observation you've honed at the poker table and apply them to driving - with minimal distractions.

The rooms at MGM are like $300 a night on a cheap night ahah I called some hotels close by and tried to bargain a bulk deal to no avail.

audio books is a clutch idea, thank you.

wife wont move lol I just didnt want hotels to eat into my profits, although it would technically be a write off maybe.

I would spend a bit more. Its about $20-30 in gas/maintenance for a round trip whereas a room would probably run $125 unless I got the absolute worst room for maybe $75

I would consider a motorcycle. Save $$ on gas, and can make the ride more interesting, unless you are stuck in traffic the whole 55 miles.

I'm lucky in that I can ride 360+ days a year, if the heat don't kill me.

If you're single play a session, sleep in your car, then play another session.

A camping mat and a sleeping bag in a hatchback and the back seats down should give you a good night's sleep. Daytime might be an issue though.

Not sure what your hourly is but if the extra 90 allowed you to play may extra hours including the next morning when you’re already there it’s prob worth it. Not to mention quality of life, safety of avoiding late drives etc. or you can do two nights spend three days there and get in like 40 hrs in theee days etc.

On the subject of lodging have you looked at local airbnb’s? I find them to sometimes be cheaper than the hotel rooms.

yeah im thinking about doing this occasionally soon when it warms up a little.

made $47/h at 1/3 last year, definitely great points to consider.

ive never done bnbs but make sense I could probably find some for a little cheaper and potentially a little safer than hotel room?

Definitely check the airbnb, especially if they privately book reservations .. not part of a 'website'. I'm sure they would love to have some steady, non-demanding, business to fill in the gaps during the week when they more than likely don't sell out. (How would the wife feel about the over-nights?)

Podcasts and 'listening' to YouTube is my thing .. can't stand commercials on the radio anymore.

Is 55 miles = to 55 minutes? That's really not too bad for most working a steady schedule. Is there only one route? I have 3-4 I can take to mix things up.

From the poker side of things, I'm assuming you can pretty much just sit down in a game and work your 'shift'? Are there days/times that would make the commute faster or result in better games and keep things 'different' while you fill your weekly quota.

(Not an accountant) .. But I don't think that 'regular' travel expenses to/from your 'home' casino are deductible if they press you on it. Perhaps is you had to stay due to weather or an event/tournament, then a room could be considered an expense. Not sure the trick for poker, but when I was a salesman I would stop by the first gas station and buy a pencil, which is considered an office supply. Once you make a purchase for 'the company' your miles become deductible! And no, brewed coffee is not an office supply .. and I think water/snacks are a no-go as well since you have to purchase something that is directly related to 'the job'. Maybe if you bought a scratch off to start your gambling day the rest of your day's travels would be a solid deduction? GL

Just to be clear, people are referring to Airbnb not BnB. The latter might obviously be an option, too.

Regarding safety, hotels usually have at least one employee working overnight. BnBs usually have the host (family) living in the house. With Airbnb there's obviously a very wide spectrum of possibilities but in most cases there's no support person around.

If there's somewhere safe to park, buy or lease a small camper van / mobile home and sleep in it.

Outside of poker, you can also go on some road trip vacations with your wife.

She may even go with you to some of your poker trips.

If you choose to go this route, I would suggest that once you have what you need, spend a Friday, or Saturday night in your car while it's parked at home. See if you can actually get some proper rest and consider what you may want, or need in the morning.

It makes me wonder, can you make a cup of coffee in a car?

Anyone whos done some car sleeping, did you put up anything in the windshield to block people from looking in and seeing you asleep in the back? My side windows are all tinted pretty dark.

Seriously, we're suggesting he sleep in his car? Sorry, that's a little too degen for my taste.

I drive 40 minutes both ways every day without any issues. Sometimes with light traffic early in the morning I can do it in 36 minutes, with heavier traffic 50 minutes. I have a portable bose speaker that plays my pandora radio and youtube music via bluetooth from my phone, keeps me pumped and amped and in good spirits to listen to my favorite beats. I do not watch videos, that would be a no-no while driving.

I'm wondering how long it will take for the word to get around to the wrong people that a winning poker pro is sleeping in his car. I wouldn't risk it here, let alone in the U.S.

Sensibly converted from a safety point of view vans, are called "Stealth Vans". By coincidence a friend of mine has one and I saw it a couple of hours ago. It is like a mobile home / caravan inside.

His is a large plain white Ford Transit van with no side windows or back windows, so while he is parked on a regular road, or in a car park, it just looks like a regular tradesman's white van. This is clearly better for security and can also sometimes avoid parking charges because it doesn't look like it's for leisure at all, but does look like a workman is doing some work nearby.

So that's how you do it, you don't give your sleep in vehicle a nice paint job, windows, or anything at all that brings any attention to it, you just stay under the radar.

True. Traffic is bad day or night, weekdays or weekends.

Just get a reflective sunscreen. They're made to block out the sun to keep your car cool while it's parked, but it also keeps people from peeking in.

there's gotta be backstory here, you started off playing there full time and never moved closer or you previously lived closer and moved further away?

i'm deeply confused how you even began playing full time under that sort of commute