Moving to Vegas Checklist (Part I)
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 9:16PM Here I am breaking from studying and losing focus REALLY fast.
I'm officially moving out of Baltimore city December 15th, which is a very big first step. After that I plan to commute to work from home a month or two. This way I can save some more money before I take off to Vegas. I have really been working on getting myself in a mindset to move out alone. If my one friend falls through, I still have to do it alone. This is scary to think about at first, but I simply have to be ok with doing this move alone. This is about my future and getting myself in a position to be my own man again, and persue my passions everyday. Whether my friend decides to go or not should not factor into play. It really shouldn't matter.
Anyways I have so many things to get in order before I leave. Just thinking of a few right now (some much smaller than others):
1) Fix your car.
The check engine light is still on. This should cost around $300-450 to fix. You don't want to be driving across country and have a vehicle breakdown. Bad enough you will have to worry about having a MENTAL one.
2) Replace your windshield wipers.
They make an awful screech whenever used in the rain. You may encounter some rain when driving across the country, so you should probably change them soon. Also, buy an extra pair while you are at it in case something happens.
3) Extra brake-lights.
Your break lights go out frequently. Didn't think about this before, but would make sense to pick up a few extra.
4) Get your oil changed and check your tire air pressure.
More minor things that could turn into a big problem
5) Plan to divide into three bank accounts.
One account will be a fixed $5,000 to start. This account will only be used to pay rent the first six months. You should have an additional $5,000 to deposit into this account after the first six months (if things are going well enough to stay 6 more months).
The second account will be your bankroll. I'm hoping to have a $10,000 minimum in this bank account to start. Playing 200NL this would be 50 full buy ins. However, I plan to be buying in for about $150 at first as part of my strategy to play solid poker. This would give me around 66 buy-ins, which should be plenty.
The third account should be for everyday spending. This includes food, gas, groceries, going out, a horrible date, or etc. I plan to have about $5000 in this account.
6) Your savings account does not exist.
This account will not be touched. It basically doesn't exist. If Vegas doesn't work out you will never be broke. I can't imagine losing everything from the accounts mentioned above. I'd have to be a pretty shitty poker player, and have even shittier bankroll management skills. You haven't been playing the last 4 years for no reason.
7) Buy a lap-top.
This is going to be incredibly necessary especially since writing will be very important when you are on your own away. You haven't needed a lap-top the past two years because you are always at a desktop. You are either at work, where you are on a desktop with internet access the entire day. Or at your place a few miles away, which also has a P.C and internet access.
8) Buy an Iphone or new Ipod.
The internet access from anywhere will be important, and the maps alone will be of great help.
9) Get into a 100% mindset that you are moving out alone.
This way it will not matter whether the friend falls through or not. It should be irrelevant.
10) Figure out if you are going to:
A. Get a "job"
and
B. If you get a job, determine if you want to get something more serious (aka 9-5 through a staffing company), or something with much less stress during the week. The first option would give you more safety, but only allow you to play poker seriously on the weekends. The point of the second option would be as much about balance and meeting people.
Right now I'm aiming towards "feeling things out", and getting a "job" if necessary. I want to commit as much time to poker as possible, and I don't want to be distracted. Much of the week could go towards studying the game and writing. The money sessions would probably be Thursday Night to Sunday Afternoon.
11) Have 100% confidence in yourself.
I know I can do this. This is not a fling. It is important to stay focused and not question myself.
12) Don't get to attached or involved with any girls during the next month or so.
She's only going to distract you from your goals and passions. Please don't be stupid enough to fall into this trap-door situation. You haven't the past year, but you have always had a terrible luck with timing in your life. These upcoming months should be spent saying good-bye to friends and family, and also seriously getting your shit in order.
The last month when you have gone out with someone you have been really honest which has been great. Basically:
"Yeah I'm actually moving to Vegas soon."
Then they of course think you are a degenerate fuck-up so most girls around instantly write you off at this point. Which is fine, best to not waste time with people like this. Always great when people judge something they know nothing about.
Remember you don't want to be married with kids at 27. You want to go after your dreams and be your own man again. Besides, there will be plenty of terrible girls to ruin your life no matter what city or state you live in. That is pretty much the only thing in life that is guarantee.
13) Set a date that you must move to Vegas by.
I am aiming for April 1st at the latest. This would mean two months living at the parents house and saving money. This strategy should equate to saving at least $2000-$2750 more dollars ($2750 if you are smart; $2000 if you have a little to much fun.
14) Look up your ex girlfriend that once fucked you over.
Better yet show up at her door and thank her in person. Make sure you thank that bitch for accidentally giving you the ability to go after your passions. The past experience has helped mold you into the strong person you are today. Remember how miserable and dead-end your life would be if you were still stuck with that heartless whore.
15) Thank your corporation.
For clearly showing you everything you stand against and don't ever want to be a part of.
16) Buy a digital camera.
You don't need a camera that will allow you to become a professional photographer, but you really should have one. This will be an experience to cherish and remember the rest of your life, no matter what happens.
17) Don't forget about your friends.
They were always there for you and nothing has changed. Don't forget to spend time with them during the upcoming months.
18) Put forth a serious effort to try to make your parents understand, and hate you somewhat less.
To them it is their moral duty to try to strongly discourage you from something they don't understand. But you can at least alleviate the situation and assure them you have a plan. Besides your older brother is already filthy rich, at least one of you "made it". Every family has the asshole fuck-up right?
19) You should be looking at rental opportunities everyday and really comparing things logically.
Getting the place lined up is MUCH more important than getting a "JOB" lined up. Based on your past results and skills you know you should be able to average what you are making at your corporate job now, even just starting out.
20) Finalize the design on this site, and link up with fellow poker bloggers.
Hell start linking up even if the design isn't top notch. Hopefully some people have been in this situation before, and can maybe even reach out and provide some great input. What you're planning seems crazy to many people, but it has been done thousands of times before.
21) Get back to studying for your Real Estate classes NOW.
You don't want to fail and have wasted a month taking classes. HIT SAVE AND CLOSE AND END THIS BLOG POST.
CLICK!
Reader Comments (15)
Good Luck! I would love to make it as a poker player but with a family, that is not realistic. Anyway, it is good to see you blogging again. Are you still playing on Stars? I used to see you there and played at some of the same tables.
good luck - tilt control is the most important factor you will need to monitor, followed closely by making sure you don't lose your poker winnings in the casino pit or sports book.
playing as a pro is not easy, and the games in Vegas aren't as good as they were 5 years ago, but they are still certainly beatable.
GL !!! would join ya but its tax free england for me all the way :) Linked ya up so make sure u update often, especially when u hit vegas it might just keep you sane !
Luc,
Thanks. Yah I don't have a family to worry about (wife or kids or anything). That is definitely something I took into consideration, it's impossible to do once I'm "tied down". I feel like this is the only time I'm going to be able to do this. I took off from Pokerstars and online in general a few months, but I still have my account on there with a few grand bankroll. I was actually 4 tabling 50NL last night about 3 hours. I remember you, are you still on stars? What limits?
Dynamite,
Thanks for the input. The last thing I'm worried about is losing winnings to a sports book or casino pit. I'm very good about staying strictly on the poker tables live, it is my only interest. I don't mind sitting at a table 8 hours until I accomplish what I need to. I understand being a pro isn't easy, this will be the battle of my life. Though it seemed pretty beatable when I visited Vegas over the summer. However, I have a lot to fight for and I won't go down easy.
Animal,
Thanks so much for the link-up. I plan to update often, especially as the date gets closer. Can't argue with tax-free.
fascinating mate, admire ya balls and good luck in your search for life satisfaction and happiness
alot of us come over for the WSOP in June so who knows we may even meet
Great post. I wish you the very best of luck and hope that you achieve all that you set out to do.
Looking forward to your updates...
Best of luck - I can totally empathise with you on wanting to escape the corporate b/shit - I had to go through a similar process halfway through this year and although it's really hard explaining your reasons to others (family etc), it's definitely personally rewarding to be living a free life.
Keep the blog updated as I have you linked and I'll keep reading up on your progress
Great post - but:
Don't bother with burning your bridges with your corporation as you never know you may need to go back to work one day and the spectacular exit is never worth it.
Don't go and "thank" the ex - you're obviously still hurting and trust me she's not going to swoon and come running back to you because you've got your life together and want to pursue it. She will only see it as a "pipe dream" as she didn't understand it in the first place so won't be impressed - rather most likely glad that she's not with you. It just ain't worth it - if you;re doing this to impress her you're doing it for the wrong reasons.
James
The feedback has been incredible so far, thank you for those who linked me. Please forgive me if I don't update a week or so while I try to link up with a few more people in my spare time. I think this is a good starting post and don't want the first entry someone views to be about a low-stakes few hour poker session or something else random.
James,
Good points; agree and agree. I can be an extremely sarcastic person sometimes. The "checklist" included some issues that were not black and white, things that were going through my mind at the time I was writing. Yes I will be “thanking” my corporation, but would never burn bridges or make a huge scene when I leave. Though making a scene would be QUITE funny from the humor and story produced alone. Once I escape I never see myself returning to this corporation, but that is beside the point. It's just a good idea to be respectful, even if no one around you is.
I set goals for myself, not to "impress" anyone, much less completely uproot my life to impress a random girl I dated a year ago. It is far beyond anyone running back to me, that chapter is forever closed. I would laugh at her even if she wanted to come back, the damage is done. I would never actually waste the time to go thank her, but to myself I should be thanking her. Without that experience I would have been more confused with regards to what is important to me at this point in my life. Serious relationship with a typical needy person who is pretty much looking for marriage, I've been there and done that.
BH,
Hope everything has been working out. Did you uproot to pursue poker?
teamdobb,
Sounds good, I definitely plan to be settled in Vegas by then. Would love to catch up for a drink, will be strange not really knowing anyone for the first time in my life. I usually don’t have trouble meeting people, but this situation is obviously different.
The number one flaw I see in nearly every person's game is not knowing when to stand up. If you are playing for a living, you need to know when to get the hell away from the table.
I personally found that my attention span was unable to handle more than a 3-hour session, so my personal limits were three hours or until I doubled up, whichever came first. The bottom limit was 2 buyins for any given session, 4 buyins for any given day.
The best of days were when I would double up within the first 30 minutes. Away I went to the next casino to hopefully repeat.
I wish you luck.
You can also check out pokergrump.blogspot.com - he moved to Vegas to become a poker dealer and ended up playing for a living instead.
--S
Good luck to you, baglife. Look forward to reading more.
all linked up mate.
good luck with it.
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Hey, I can't agree with you more on the ex-gf thing. I'd love to show up on her door someday as well.
Also, I may go into real estate as well, I'm getting pushed hard by my parents to do that if poker doesn't work out SOON.
As far as a shortstacking backup plan, I will most likely switch to single table turbo SNGs.
I look forward to following your progress!
SS,
Was surprised to see a new comment back here haha. Yeah as for the ex thing I was just being stupid; what's done is done (though I do wish her the worst. I realized the best "revenge" is getting myself in a position to pursue my passions and be happy with what I am working towards everyday).
I passed my Real Estate courses, but I never took the state exam. I can take it anytime for a $70 fee. Real Estate is a decent back-up plan, especially if you know somebody who is well connected in the business. My parents and pretty much everyone in my life really pushed me into getting a "real job" after I graduated 2 years back or so. Looking back it was the right move. I wanted to play poker full time back then as well, but didn't have the bankroll and honestly I probably wasn't good enough. Now I have a decent bankroll to pursue poker at least.
-bag