Hello,

I'm planning on traveling to the US for the summer (as a Euro wannabe pro) to grind NLH cash games for about 2 months (somewhere during July-September).
For a while now I had my mind set on Vegas, but started hearing that it's actually reg infested and not as profitable as other places might be.

Which place would you recommend for an aspiring pro, looking to grind daily (so need to have games available around the clock)?
Consider maximizing profit as top priority, with quality of life as a close second.

Texas has the most profitable games but will be brutally hot and humid
LA has a lot of games as well, though not as good as Texas and it's more expensive to stay there. It's still hot, but won't be humid and there's ocean/mountains to do stuff if you like the outdoors.

Yeah but it's a wet heat.

Fr though just live here for a few years. It won't get any better but you'll adjust and learn to ignore it.

*Yes this post is in competition for least useful post today.

But since poker is inside and you will need to drive/Uber to get anywhere You will or can be in AC all the time if you wish.

BTW El Paso has the lowest humidity of an city 50K plus in the USA iirc. A bunch of TX is very dry

Well .. the key word is 'Summer'. From May 20th to July 15th(?) you want to be in Vegas during the WSOP where there's an abundance of cash games. I know of a couple of Players who rented houses for this past Series and didn't even play 50% of their anticipated tournament schedule due to the cash games being 'too good to pass up'.

Once you get into July/Aug then you can pick your poison so to speak. FL and TX are the hot beds of poker right now, but games are heating up pretty much everywhere since more and more Players are getting back out into public.

Pretty much every thread like this will say 'go where you want to be first' and then see if the poker is good enough for you.

Poker does tend to slow down during the Summer in smaller markets since lots of Players are out doing other things, especially in the East Coast and Midwest.

It will depend on your time line, but you can get 6 weeks of nothing but poker in Vegas if you just follow the WSOP schedule. GL

Texas is your best bet with SA, Houston and Dallas the best locations to play. Each locale has its strengths — Houston has PLO, Dallas has NLH and the largest room in the state, and SA has a mix of good action. Austin is OK but it doesn’t have the sizable customer base that the other cities have, though that may change with the Polk/Neeme/Owen takeover of the Lodge which will bring in the meetup game “poker tourists”. Another consideration is cost of living and that’s probably a strike against Austin — I cannot speak for comparison of COL in all the cities, though.

Eh, Texas isn't humid once you get an hour west of Houston / Corpus Christi / etc.

That got me interested so I asked Google. Found this one:
https://www.city-data.com/top2/c486.html

No idea if that’s accurate though.

Doesn’t look bad. I don’t know but I wonder if you adjust for elevation and thus atmospheric density, since El Paso is at close to 4000 ft (again iirc), how far up the list they move on #/ft^3 basis.

Only 3 cardrooms in El Paso and probably poorest out of Texas cities listed.
I went to Houston stripmall cardroom when I was there last summer. Only 3-4 tables Friday night and half a table of 1/3 Saturday before 1pm. Everyone demanded to rotate Texas HE and Omaha every hand, go figure, and a few guys buying in for the min. https://goo.gl/maps/BnyH1dSBkHnZ4nR3A Uber will probably cost a lot getting back and forth.
I'd vote Vegas, but never done Atlantic City or Florida. Seminole seems the cheapest cost of living of those options. AC probably a better balance of regs and recs/degens with more money. Always a waitlist in Vegas, but I haven't played enough cash there to know about population.

Actually I opened this thread after hearing of the Polk/Neeme/Owed Lodge thing. I've been following all 3 for years and all play a big part on me getting into poker.

From what the comments in this thread say, given that I prioritize proft and decent quality of life, I should look into Atlantic City, San Antonio, and I guess Vegas remains on the table.
I appriciate the advice on Vegas during WSOP but unfortunately I'm currently a University student and will only be able to travel to the US for summer vacation (so August-Septemper).
I still have one more year left after that before graduation, so this summer is a chance to get a taste of US poker scene and hopefuly make some money for my lost year in school.

Any other advice/input is greatly appriciated!

If Atlantic City, do you plan to live nearby (New York, etc.) or in Atlantic City itself?

Haven't looked into it yet, I'll probably sit down to make up my mind later February (after my midterms). The answer would be as close as possible to the casinos without it being too pricey.

If at all possible rent a car. Otherwise, you will need to use Uber/Lyft, as there is little public transportation.

Texas has the softest games, but they are in "poker clubs", not casinos. Houston is extremely hot and humid in the summer, but there is air conditioning.

If you want to play 2/5 NL, you can play at almost any cardroom with a reasonable amount on players. If you wanted to play higher or some game other than NLHE, your choices would be more limited.

If you want to play in AC, that means Borgata only. You do not want to live really near there as it is dangerous, but the AC suburbs are OK, and the cost of living there is relatively low. AC is not what it used to be for poker. There is more action at Parx and elsewhere in the Philadelphia area than in AC.

You can check out BravoPokerLive for what games and how many tables are playing where. Look after 2000 or so European time. Some legal cardrooms are not listed, and none of the Texas "clubs" are listed.

Also, the places which are considered to have good 2/5NL games generally have deep and wild games. Those games can be profitable whether you play tight or loose, but I would make sure they are you style.

You might also want to travel around play in different locations, see some of the country, and decide what location you like and like the games at.

Will write here to not open a new thread... Need to make visa run from mexico so looking for (practical) options. Atm, LA seems the most interesting to me because I haven't been there (so could visit some tourist places) and there is a direct flight (most other cities are with connecting flight).
Was wondering how are NLHE 5/5-10/20 games there? Are the tables active at all times? Is it possible to have all the action in one casino? Also other advices like area where to stay, which transportation to choose (uber vs public? Traffic jams..?).. Ideally, I would book a hotel close to casino (or in casino like bicycle) so I don't need to take any transporation except for tourist trips.. Would stay around 7 nights. thnx!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Z3EQEGxJc

Just commenting on the OP. This video shows Polk losing like $3K in a 2/5NL session in Texas. The game seems more like a $5/10 with straddles etc. Initially, OP might want to play a less active 2/5 game or maybe start at 1/3, depending on his style, experience, skill, and bankroll.

Hi mate, what is that largest room in Dallas?

I would not plan on Dallas. The local govt is currently trying to shut them down.

Probably want to open your own thread. My experience is outdated, but mid-stakes used to be very reliable at Commerce Casino and iffy elsewhere. Never play low-stakes in the LA area though, as the buy-in structures are ludicrously short (or at least, used to be. It's been a while).

You heard that because it’s true. I’m surprised that Vegas was mentioned a couple of times here.

No one's mentioned Florida...lots of card rooms, specifically Hard Rock Hollywood and Tampa...any comments on action there? I've played some small stakes at smaller card rooms and it's super fishy

Recommend The Lodge in Roundrock, Tx

Roundrock is just ~20 from Center of Austin.

Vegas has the most variety of games. You can play higher stakes, PLO, limit and mixed games, and tournaments there. All of those are available in some other areas, but not all in one place as much. However, it is probably one of the worst places to grind 2/5NL.

Legends, Round Rock, is shown in the video I posted, and probably has great, but wild, 2/5NL games.

I'm only interested in playing NLH, starting at 2/5 probably (could start lower due to proper bankroll management, but I can beat 2/5 at least). Why is Vegas the worst place to grind 2/5?
Other places were described as great but wild, which sounds profitable long run but a torture to play day to day. Would love more info on this please.