Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

I moved to Thailand to play poker for six months. I start playing about 8.00am (9.00pm Est) and play until 2.00pm (3.00am Est) maybe a bit later at weekends.

This is a vast improvement from at home where I would start at 10.00pm and play until 4.00am+.

The cost of living is very cheap in Thailand (though high quality accomodation is not as cheap as everything else). It is hot all year round (day and night) and has beautiful beaches. The people are very friendly and for foreigners it is quite safe. Cheap flights internally and to other parts of Asia.

Gambling is illegal in Thailand as I believe Internet gambling is in the US. However a lot of things are illegal here that are below the sight of the police. The risk of playing internet poker in a private place is very low (plocal police wouldn't understand what you were doing). If you are gambling in reality then there is a risk but goes on behind close doors or when there are funerals.

You can get consecutive 2 month visas in your home country and just do a border run (or take a short holiday - I'm just back from Angor Wat in Cambodia) every 2 months.

I was in Queensland last year so I would agree with those sentiments. Maybe next year I'll do just that spend a few months there playing but New Zealand does kick ass big time too. (And I still have to get to Egypt!).

Always be folding

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

Come here to Brazil, it's nice.

Also, check out islands on the carribean, would be so good to play poker from the laptop at the oceanside (every pokerplayer's dream)

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

hey, why don't you not be a jerkface and pay your taxes

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

You guys are chasing a pipe dream. The 80k exemption is on earned income, gambling winnings are considered unearned income by the IRS. So you are SOL.

Either way you are going to be filing fraudulent tax returns, you might as well skip the airfare and just do it here from the comfort of your own home.

Alternatively, I would just advise paying your taxes in full.

Nigel

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

Is the cost of living much lower in Brazil?
Which city(ies) would you recommend?

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

I think you are forgetting about those who file as a 'professional gambler' because they are playing full-time with the intention of making an income.

This is filing a Schedule C like any other small-business owner would do.

This is VERY different from some grandma who wins $80k on a couple of slot-machine pulls.


This thread shows why it is a good idea to consult a professional about this stuff.

Hopefully you can get someone who can help you out in figuring what you need to do in the other countries too (as far as occasionally leaving and coming back...what taxes you might owe over there, etc).

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

I don't think the IRS is going to allow to you claim your professional internet gambling income as "foreign earned income", since it's the exact same income you are earning here in the United States.

Furthermore, there are no services being rendered overseas in exchange for this income. The whole thing was set-up so you don't have to pay taxes twice, and that's only on the first 80k, after that they don't even care. They'll double tax you.

I have a hard time believing they are going to allow Internet gamblers a free ride on 80k, just because they decide to sit on a beach in Phuket for 11 months out of the year.

This seems like a 1 way ticket to some serious IRS penalties.

Nigel

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

And yes, what you said. Hire a professional.

But my guess is 1% of us are paying our taxes.

Nigel

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

seems to work okay for others...including hilger i believe.


it's something i may consier doing at some point but i would look to an expert first.

Re: Best Place to Live To Play Poker
 

You mean 1% of poker-players around 2+2?

I doubt it. We've had about a zillion thread about this and it seems there are plenty of players around here who realize that the extra money they are making would be too easy to detect and that they better pay SOMETHING on it to avoid IRS scrutiny (or at least try to avoid it).


This was my 2nd year paying taxes on gambling income and my first filing as a 'professional'.

Actually, come to think of it, I'm a couple days late paying my estimated quarterly taxes too. Crap....gotta go write a check.