I DO NOT Wanna try to turn pro.....but

DONTUSETHIS · #1 11-09-2004, 11:55 AM

Here is our life situation. Me and a couple of my friends have just graduated from college in Alabama. I have a plan to go to law school in two years. I do not have anything to do as far as major life plans or things to accomplish in this time except for saving money for school. We all have average jobs for college grads in this area 25-35k. We were thinking about trying to move to one of the big "gambling towns" ( where gambing is legal) and get a similar job in one of these towns and hang out for a couple of years before I come back to law school. I am not trying to make poker a full time career, but I would like to be able to play a lot and see what happens. I figure if I have a couple of years with nothing to do, I can find a place that is a lot more exciting to be in than alabama. This may sound like a spur of the moment thought and with no research and that is beacuase that is exactly what it is. I am wanting opinions and advice and where would be a good place to go to try this. I want two things out of where ever we go, a place where I can find a job of similar salary and where there would be some good poker around the 10-20 or 15-30 level. I have a poker bankroll seperate from my regular money. We are winning onling players at up to the 10-20 level and have played for a couple of years each and seriously for a year or so now. We have some live experience at these limits also. This not really about trying to go make a fortune playing poker as much as it is going somewhere wehere i can play and have a good time and play break even poker for a couple of years. I welcome everybodys thoughts and opinions.

bicyclekick · #2 11-09-2004, 12:00 PM

you didn't state any poker experiance in this thread, that would help.

Paluka · #3 11-09-2004, 12:05 PM

It seems to me that you would want to find a job that gives you a greater chance of being accepted to a better law school.

DONTUSETHIS · #4 11-09-2004, 12:23 PM

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It seems to me that you would want to find a job that gives you a greater chance of being accepted to a better law school.

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I would not move until after the all the work was done for school such as tests and acceptance. Then I would just have about a year to kill before school started. I guess i phrased it wrote it wrong in the orginal article. It is would , however be possbile to do both as far as that goes.

kiemo · #5 11-09-2004, 01:13 PM

I would give serious consideration to learning how to use paragraphs before attending law school.

Of course I would say the same to someone who is just getting out the 6th grade and looking to make that big jump to 7th.

Blarg · #6 11-09-2004, 01:20 PM

There's no state tax in Nevada. That makes your effective earnings go up quite a bit, compared to what you take home in a high-tax state like California. No idea what Alabama is like on state taxes.

However, if you're planning on going to a state law school, where residency can substantially cut the costs, you have to keep that in mind too. In some states, you can be a resident for the purposes of tuition after a single year, but in some states it takes longer.

Frankly, I'd say yes to the moving just to get a change of life and scenery going. You've just spent the last four years of your life in college, probably the same college right? And was it anywhere near where you grew up?

If so, it would be nice to see a very different place. Travel is broadening, they say, and it can be, even if you're just living somewhere different and working, not sight-seeing and slacking off. Seriously, some of the smartest people I've bumped into, in big cities, have been extremely provincial -- and I do mean extremely -- at the same time they think they know it all, just because they've never seen any other way to think and live but the ways they're comfortable with. They may think they've seen it all, but they've seen it all(maybe) only within the small context of the comfortable familiarity of the places and people they've always known. Big fish, small pond. Going somewhere else, they may flounder and be shocked by how different people think from what they're used to, and how so many of their old routines fall flat and even seem counter-productive.

Scary thought, maybe, to flounder and have to learn new social rules and bump into people who don't share your assumptions about politics, money, race, religion, what's fun, whatever. Way too scary for lots of people. But it's great to go through that, especially while you're young, and the people who know it all the most are the ones who could most profit by living someplace different for a while and getting a taste of the broader world out there. It can easily make for a much more interesting, well-rounded person.

So, regardless of poker, I'd say just living someplace different is really good for anyone. Especially for a guy, maybe. We're expected to be sure-footed and quick to adapt, and uncomplaining about it. Lots of experience can be a tough, but a really great way to build up the ability to take all of what life throws at you, and who knows, maybe do it with a little grace and confidence. No matter how smart you are, experience can do an awful lot of good for you, and sometimes in a pretty short amount of time. You're young yet. This is a perfect time to build up some new perspectives before you settle down for good. Better to reap the rewards of experience than inexperience, when you do.

I don't know, but Vegas might be fun. Lord knows you'll be able to see all the gambling you want to see, all night long, and participate in it too. Maybe you'll see enough to burn it out of your system for good, or maybe you'll go out of your mind with it and become a degenerate addict, who knows. But you'll definitely get plenty of exposure to it.

CheckFold · #7 11-09-2004, 01:27 PM

I'm assuming you're looking for options other than Vegas, so I'd recommend Phoenix or Philadelphia. Both would offer many employment opportunities with all the night life and such with a cost of living much more affordable than places like NYC or anywhere in California.

AustinDoug · #8 11-09-2004, 01:29 PM

Yes, you need to take residency into account when making this decision. If you're going to go to law school in Alabama, you might have substantially higher tuition if you move out of state.

Also, I recommend you attend law school in the same state where you intend to practice. Obviously, the law is different from state to state and there isn't any sense in learning the laws of a state in which you are not going to practice.

Also, keep in mind that law schools closely scrutinize your work history since graduation. You are looking for an equivalent position in a different town -- that's fine. However, do not accept a lesser position just to move to a poker town.

StogeyMike · #9 11-09-2004, 01:38 PM

Do it.

You have your whole life to settle down and conform - this is the time of your life when you should explore and take risks. You'll probably have a blast, and if it doesn't work out you have really lost nothing because you have so much time on your side.

Ultimately we regret NOT doing things much, much more than we regret anything we have done. Don't let this be one of those times.

Mike

PS I'm mid-40s, wife and kid, 6 figure job in NYC, very responsible lifestyle - just in case you have doubts about the credibility of my advice.

alittle · #10 11-10-2004, 03:45 PM

Don't know how important your "resume" is for law school admission, but living in Vegas probably doesn't rank very highly. I'd be afraid of getting sucked into the culture and never leaving also, but maybe that's me.

What about Memphis and playing in Tunica? It would seem to me that spending your year or so in a neighboring state would seem pretty normal, you would be somewhat close to home, and I think there is plenty of action there.