Hey guys... new here... I'm in the Midwest now (St. Louis) but I've been visiting the Baja for YEARS... TJ to Ensenada and everywhere in-between.

I'm moving down with the fam (gf and son) shortly. I'll be down in May to grind and was hoping you could add me to the Skype chat. Who should I PM w/ username?

Also, would someone mind pointing me in the right direction for getting set up on Stars once I get down there? I hear it's a pain in the ass, but I want to get going right away. Since this thread is 300+ pages now, please no "it's in this thread" responses. I'll get through the entire thread at some point, but I thought asking might be quicker.

Cool to see that there are some likeminded folks down there. Hope I can get together and have a cerveza or several w/ you guys once I arrive. Feel free to PM w/ info or just to say hey.

This thread is 45 pages long and has very good information in it. I'd suggest reading it all, especially if you are moving your family to another country.
Your questions and many others are answered within this thread including how to get set back up on stars, which in my opinion will be the least of your worries when you make the move.
Gl.

Yeah, you're probably right. I read most of it a few months ago, but this ballooned to another hundred or so pages.

In fairness (just so you don't get the wrong idea), I'm not moving my family across the country blind, I'm just looking for the info on poker-related stuff. As far as setting up a bank account, visa types, areas that are cool/areas to avoid, the best private schools for kids, etc. - I'm well-versed in the area.

We went for the first time in 2008, and have been a few times since. We actually wanted to get down here way before now, but the stars are now aligned, and we can make the move.

I'm new here, so there's probably something I'm doing incorrectly/differently (like how to see more responses per page) but I'm seeing around 300 pages (see image), as I mentioned, not 45. Any idea what I'm doing differently on that one?

My 2p2 > edit options > thread display options and change to show 100 posts per page
http://gyazo.com/3f88244cf6dc00203fe280835889565a
http://gyazo.com/12e51926e7176c37029625b310b54026

AFAIK not difficult to get verified with PS anymore, just require passport and possibly a utility bill and lease (might not even need these anymore). Setting up a bank account can be a pain these days as the last I heard Santander and Bancomer weren't opening accounts for poker players; I'd suggest contacting either pokerexpats (website: http://pokerexpats.com/) or Miguel Sedano (rentinginmexico@gmail.com), I have dealt with both numerous times in the 2.5 yrs I've lived here and have had nothing but good experiences with them both.

Good stuff... thanks!

Lots of families live in my complex and tons are visiting here now. If you are interested in La Paloma, they have a webpage and huge meticulously maintained grounds(4 pools and 4 hot tubs, ocean side tennis courts etc). I can get you the best possible deal directly through owners, commission free, 1 br 2 bath start at $500-550, 2br 2bath, $650-800 and 3 br 2-3 bath oceanfront for $1000-1100 depending on the owner, length of stay, and location. Little older complex, but #1 trip advisor by a wide margin and I have yet to have one disconnection in over a year with Telnor here, despite no fiber optic line. Pm me if anyone is interested, although I don't intend to make anything so may not respond with breakneck speed or money motivated ethusiasm.

Are Josh Schindler and Dennis Phillips still playing regularly in the St Louis area? I used to love debating with Josh, smart and funny guy, and Dennis always tried to get me buzzed buying drinks?

I don't know Josh, but I've played many a 5/10 game w/ Dennis. Unfortunately, that's about the highest game we run outside of the occasional (maybe twice a month) 10/20 game in STL.

I'm interested in the complex. You said the key word, "families" - I'm looking for family friendly complexes so I can ease the stress of the move on my son (11) by making it as easy as possible for him to make new friends. Can you PM me? Also, if you have a link or something that'd be stellar.

Follow-up to my post from two days ago (#4447) ...

I re-read the first post (and the attached documents) as well as every post in this thread from a year ago until today, and I am still a little unclear on a couple of things.

If I arrived in late April and got a leased place for six months, should I expect a significant bump in the cost of my rent in and around July and August, or should I receive a relatively low rate throughout since I would be committing to staying several months before and after that peak period?

It sounds like it would be pretty easy to get a leased place there with first month's rent and a deposit roughly equal to the cost of rent or a little less - is that a safe assumption to make?

It appears that PokerStars is not asking for too much lately, and that as long as I send them a copy of my passport and a lease or utility bill in my name, I should expect to regain access pretty quick. Has anybody had success with submitting less than that?

So ... if anybody has a room/place that would fit what I am looking for, please let me know. I would like to pay around $250-$350 in rent, be located in or near downtown, have access to the Internet, laundry facilities and a bed/couch. And a way to regain access to PokerStars, of course. I am tentatively looking to head there on or around April 28, and I would like to get back on PokerStars in time for SCOOP. My long-term plan is to remain in Rosarito through WCOOP and then reassess poker - and my life - in October.

[QUOTE=pokerace37;42712433]
If I arrived in late April and got a leased place for six months, should I expect a significant bump in the cost of my rent in and around July and August, or should I receive a relatively low rate throughout since I would be committing to staying several months before and after that peak period?[QUOTE]

If you are willing to pay first month's rent and damage deposit, and sign a 6 month lease I would laugh if anyone suggested a pay spike for the peak months. I can get you six months for $500 a month with a living room, dining area, full kitchen, 2 bathrooms and 1 large bedroom with Telnor already hooked up at La Paloma.

Cable already included, fully furnished, and the utilities for a month are less than $90 and that is with almost $40 of Telnor's best available service, which has never disconnected while here. They have huge grounds with a full time professional grounds crew, maintenance, and awesome security staff. I frequently walk a mile or two without leaving the complex, 1/2 mile to town is an easy and safe walk on the beach or highway/sidewalk. For $300 or less you will need to find a roommate to live on the beach and close to town, or you can find a more rustic area in town for that price or even less.


I am also not sure why everyone is so dedicated to Pokerstars? The cash games at other sites are much, much softer. Stars is good for their huge volume and game availability, but I hate the site for anything more than cheap mtt's (or SCOOP) or sit and goes. I see people dedicated to their VIP program, when bum hunting at 888 or Party is far less time consuming and more lucrative.

Josh was a regular in St Louis, usually 2-5 or 5-10, talkative, well educated lawyer(represented some other poker pro's also) and Dennis' good friend. Seems like the game levels and player pool were on the decline a few years back, a lot of action moving to Lumiere, but still some decent and fun games.

Thanks for the insight. Although I am leaning toward joining a roommate situation for $250-$350, something like that is definitely tempting.

Just speaking for myself, I am focused on PokerStars because I am a better tournament player than I am at cash games, and I want to play very large multi-table tournaments. Once I get there, I will likely focus my tournament play on PokerStars and spread my cash play to various sites.

I'd plan on 3x rent to get started (1st, last, security).

Is this located in downtown?

About 1/2 mile from downtown/Rosarito Grand Hotel. I generally walk the beach and cross into town wherever I need to go.

hey, does anybody have a room for rent in Rosarito, TJ, or Ensenada? preferably cheaper.

can somebody add me to the rosarito skype chat? my skype is r_eckh

Definitely plan on paying all three if you use a real estate agent, as the last month's rent you pay usually goes directly in their pockets at signing. If you deal directly with owners, generally it is 1st month +DD.

Hey guys.

Tijuana Baja California Mexico.

Rooms available.

I have been posting for the past year that I got some rooms available in Tijuana. I had my friend work on this site that might come in handy if I manage to figure out what the hell I am doing beside renting rooms with this site. However, Some areas seem like are workable and even appraciate any suggestions that anyone might have.

http://cccc77.wix.com/thepokerdome


My skype is. Dmexican


Thanks in advance...

*Please add me to Skype chat "rylan-burch"

Hey guys, I quit my corporate job and have been grinding live here in the DC area for a couple years now (Ctown, Md Live, and home games). I've also been grinding Bovada 1/2 and 2/4 and mtts and sngs for a few months now to regain the feel of online. I'm ready to make the move to somewhere w a better poker market and cheaper cost of living (my house is half a mil, still living like I had a 100k salary and the life vig is maxed). I was looking at moving to Canada until I found this awesome thread. Thanks to all the OGs and trasnpat locals that have helped provide so much information here. I hope to pass it forward soon enough. Ive read the entire thread now and am pretty well caught up on the details.

I'll be moving down as soon as I sell my house (likely middle-end of May) and plan on staying down there until the online well runs dry or I'm so rolled up that I can buy a house and citizenship in Costa.

I think I'd like to move in w a roomate or two when I first go down to ease the transition and help get me into the social network.

My biggest concern at this point is I have the love of my life, a 100 pit/mastiv mix that's making the move with me. He's super super chill (his name is Marley...after Bob) and is well trained and an awesome companion. Do yall know of any problems w having a large BIG headed dog living in these nice condos? He's 6 now and well past chewing **** up and is pretty much a couch potato most the time.

Aside from poker the biggest thing pulling me south of the border is surfing. I grew up in P'cola Fl and have been hurting to live the salt life since I left (came up here for software training job 6 years ago).

Ideally, I'd like to find a roommate or group of friends that are solid grinders and also don't like to miss out on a surf session.

I'm going to hit Miguel up via email today to get a jump on a sentry pass, anything else I can get a jump on, and just to connect. I've got a best friend that lives in San Diego. Im gonna stay w him for the first week or two while I'm checking out spots down there.

Other ish about me. I'm 33, look and act about 25. Drink and chill and love tan women(Im a good looking, still athletic guy). I'm not the wild party animal I used to be and am all about serenity at home and while grinding, but I also dont mind getting down from time to time.

I like outdoor activities and will likely make lots of mountain biking/surf/camping trips north of the border as well as frequent week long trips up to Vegas to grind 2/5 and sometimes 5/10 at Aria. I've got a jeep grand Cherokee and lots of fun sporting toys (boards, snorkeling, fishing stuff) but am thinking to move with the minimum and put all my lifes collections in storage...aside from whatever I can dump off at yard sales and craigslist before I move.

As far as $, Id be down with anything from the cheap side to 800 or so a month depending on proximity to waves, amenities, and whatever is going to make my buddy Marley the happiest.

I mentioned earlier I'm a solid reg (despite not having posted/replied on 2+2), but I'm always always always looking to improve my game. That said, living w a suberb player(s) and having a strong social network is going to be high on my list of things I'd like to have.

Sounds like if you want to be super close to surfing that you should live in Club Marena. Don't know what their pet policy is though.

If you don't have any kind of a job still in the states you will probably get denied for a sentri pass.

Ah, didn't know that about the sentri pass. I'll check it out just in case though.

Anyone here live in Club Marena or know someone that does?

The surf breaks and condos look awesome! I'll have a car but will mostly prefer to walk about to do errands and food stuff. How far is this location in proximity to the "city" stuff?

I just pulled up their website and most the places listed are on the higher end of price range mostly around or above 1500. Is that typical for this location or just likely a marked up "advertised price". I did see a note on one of their super baller 3 bed room set ups that pets are allowed, but hopefully that can be negotiated for others if they have a problem with it.

i used to live at club marena, great great spot to be if youre looking to surf a lot... bout a 5-8 min drive into the heart of "town" , bout a 3 minute walk to the best fish taco stand in baja / a local convenience store , if you have a car can access most restaurants etc close to there easily , little further drive to the nearest bigger supermarket but nothing too bad , some good local smaller markets/places nearby too, pretty good spot

also the people that lived under us / around us had dogs fwiw

Sounds pretty solid, any issues with internet or "gringo traps"?

I'm a couple months out yet and will be able to stage my dog and belongings in San Diego until I pull the trigger on a lease.

Does it sound likely that I'll find someone already established there looking for a roommate, or should I look at getting a 2 bedroom and finding a roommate... or are 1 bedrooms reasonable?

I'm guessing this type of thing might be more efficient over the group skype chat if that's still active.

To me, it's sounded like Miguel has been a great help with setting up accounts and dealing in general with the locals.

I'm curious though, because I have time to search around and negotiate a bit, and because of the low occupancy rates, and the fact that I'm willing to pay cash upfront for whatever number of months I'm willing to commit to, if I'd be better off hunting for a condo on my own.

I suppose the ideal situation would be to meet someone who's already got a sweet deal and move in to there.

kreeping_death,

Yeah, Club Marena is the best for lots of reasons, surfing being #1. You can definitely have a big dog as the complex is pet friendly with a huge, grassy, fenced in dog park. Tons of people here in the complex have dogs (we've got 4), so you would just have to make sure that the specific landlord is cool with it.

Also, the wave at Club Marena is a bit mushy at times, especially in the winter months. The south swells that hit in the summer and Fall are punchier. It's still the best all-around wave as it's protected from the wind, catches the most swell, and you can check the surf literally from your bed. If it's a mushy swell, you can just drive to another break that is packing more punch (Popotla, Baja Malibu, etc.).

Awesome info, thank you so much!

When you say mushy, do you think I could get by with a fish? I've got a funshape and a 9' poxy that I can basically stand up on a ripple, but not sure if I'll have room for whole quiver. If fish would do it, I might put the larger boards in storage here. I could bring them and keep w my buddy in san diego, but since I'm only bringing what I can fit in/on my jeep and I have to leave room for the dog to be comfy as well, not sure if it would be worth the space.

Do you ever go hood and gloves in winter or would a 3/2 and booties be enough? I've got a spring suit, full suit, 2 mil top, vest, gloves, boots, hood. Should I just bring it all?

3/2 with booties and you're good all year round. Please leave your hat and gloves at home lol.

Fish would definitely be good enough since the size is usually decent and offsets any softness. 3/2 w/booties will be good enough (I use 4/3, booties, no gloves, no hood). The coldest it gets is maybe 55 in the winter, and the warmest in the summer is maybe 68? It's always a few degrees colder than San Diego since there's a cold current that comes through Northern Baja. Unfortunately, the spring suit and 2 mil top might not get much use, but then again I'm a b**tch!