Moving to LA to play pro @ commerce? (long)

[Heisenb3rg]

Hey B&M regs, I dont know if you guys read my posts but am a frequent poster on the 2+2 shorthanded forums and multitable 5/10-15/30 stars 6-max online for a living..
I have obtained a healthy winrate at these games just under 2BB/100 over 150k hands for the time ive been pro, so I have the tools to beat moderatly tough limit games.
Only reason I havent moved up is my relativly low bankroll and fear of variance.

I visited commerce for 2 weeks at the end of august and absolutly fell in love with the place.
Way better than any casino ive been to in so many ways..
I mostly played the 20/40 and 40/80, and these games were much softer than my local 20/40, which is much softer than the stars 10/20..

Ive been getting into a rut online with lack of motivation.. I find it very hard to put in hours anymore, because im spending so much time just alone on a computer which drains me psychologically.

I really need to move to a place where they spread soft 30/60+ games on a frequent basis so I can mix up playing online and live to keep me interested in this game.

LA sounds like the perfect canditate..

What im asking is for people who live in LA and play at the commerce professionally to share their experiences.
Compare it to other places?
How is the cost of living there (Im talking numbers, I know its high)?
Are the games getting tougher?
How do the 100/200 games compare to stars 10/20 SH?
Anyone moved from Canada to the states to play poker before?

Any insights at all would be really apreciated...
This applies to playing live pro in general as opposed to online.. So if you moved to vegas and now play live there.. Id be interested in your experiences as well..

Thanks!

[*TT*]

Heisenb3rg -

You should PM Andy Fox/PJ/Mike L/Donkey/Ryno, etc for some insight as well, its good to make friends with your 2+2 peers in real life. a few brief notes (not a lit of time to post a long thread, sorry)

1) Your going to crush the games in LA, no questions asked.
2) Playing live after playing online for so long is often a liberating experience.
3) Downswings live suck. I mean the really suck. Any bad feeling you ever had about swinging down online will be magnified because its so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
4) I am playing on a short bankroll now just like you are, in fact its so short that I stopped playing at my former limits live (40/80 to 60/120 average) and now only play lower-mid limit games live in the 8/16-15/30 range. I realized I cannot mentally fade the variance as well as I could playing 5/10 - 10/20 short handed online, so I re-routed my money to play online and kept only 100 or so BB for live games. every one is different, find the perfect balance for yourself - dont quit playing online!

5) LA taxes suck, they are very high. The realestate rental market is stable, but you wont find the quality of housing you are used to for similar prices. Driving in LA makes me want to slit my wrists. Groceries are expensive, but the wine is cheep and plentiful because its made in-state. Everyone in LA is a celeb, works in the industry, is sleeping with someone in the industry, or is a star-f**ker... you can choose to embrace that mentality or allow it to slowly get under your skin.

My advice - give it a shot for 3 months. Also consider playing in some bigger games if you can handle the swings and have the extra bank to make it happen, you will do just fine in 100/200 with your skill set.

[HOWMANY]

[ QUOTE ]

3) Downswings live suck. I mean the really suck. Any bad feeling you ever had about swinging down online will be magnified because its so hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.


[/ QUOTE ]

The longest I ever broke even online was 50k hands at 5/10 a long time ago. I thought it was the worst thing ever. I was very wrong.

Honestly you'll be making about the same live or online I assume and LA is like the worst place ever. I only play live because I'm a bad player and find online to be boring beyond words.

*edit*
I think TT is really understating how bad it is driving in LA. Keep in mind that I am only driving the freeway to and from San Diego/LA and never drive around town. I still want to murder everything in sight when I park at Commerce or get home.

[jkiddy07]

Playing live blows. Its nice to play every now and then, and I do agree that playing online is psychologically taxing, but having commerce's green felt finger nails, dozens and dozens of idiots roaming around, looking at the faces of people that are true degenerate gamblers is pretty taxing too. You also have to deal with all of the caricatures there, but live games are ridiculously soft, so I guess it can be worth it. I do like your approach of mixing b&r and online.

[HOWMANY]

Just be obsessive like me and wash your hands every hour or so.

[todd1007]

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Just be obsessive like me and wash your hands every hour or so.

[/ QUOTE ]

i stopped getting runny noses when i started doing this.
it is unbelievable how dirty the chips are. also, some casinos do not wash the glassware that well, so i always use a straw

[Rick Nebiolo]

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Just be obsessive like me and wash your hands every hour or so.

[/ QUOTE ]

i stopped getting runny noses when i started doing this.
it is unbelievable how dirty the chips are. also, some casinos do not wash the glassware that well, so i always use a straw

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I think you build up resistance to every possible germ playing poker in LA. I've lived here since 1989 and haven't had a fever once.

~ Rick

[The B]

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I do like your approach of mixing b&r and online.

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best of luck....enjoy LA and post TR's

[BK1248]

How are the 100-200/ 200-400 games on the weekend?
How many and do they have some fish?

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
How are the 100-200/ 200-400 games on the weekend?
How many and do they have some fish?

[/ QUOTE ]

Fish = wealthy LA locals. They exist, good game selection is important.