n00b need advice from Californians

queenwithatrey · #1 03-27-2005, 02:53 AM

Hi, I found this site from watching the Live at the Bike broadcast. I live in Florida and the poker here is too small to bother with.

So I watch LATB and see the 20/40 game with a bunch of guys playing all kinds of trash. It looks like a Party .5/1 game.

Anyway, I have no commitments here, I am just about to get my A.S. degree, and I have around $2k saved. I read all about how games in California are so soft and they have all limits and what-not. Can you guys post some thoughts about the pros and cons of making a big move like that? Thanks.

BoxTree · #2 03-27-2005, 03:05 AM

Shouldn't you be moving to San Francisco with a handle like that? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

touchfaith · #3 03-27-2005, 03:07 AM

That's LA (LA Land), not California. [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

DiamondDave · #4 03-28-2005, 04:47 AM

Do not sit in a 20/40 game until you have a suitable bankroll. $2k is not nearly enough.

queenwithatrey · #5 03-28-2005, 04:54 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Do not sit in a 20/40 game until you have a suitable bankroll. $2k is not nearly enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wasn't talking about necessarily going right into a 20/40 game. It was just the level that was on LATB that I was watching. I am interested in it for the fact that it has all limits from 1/2 on up and a lot of craptastic players.

ceyoung · #6 03-28-2005, 04:57 AM

moving cross country to play 1/2 holdem is -EV

queenwithatrey · #7 03-28-2005, 04:59 AM

Hee hee, yeah, but I'm looking at starting at 5/10 perhaps and working my way up. Can't do that in Florida.

ShawnHoo · #8 03-28-2005, 05:16 AM

I'm no pro, but I do well in the 15/30 and 20/40 games out here.

You'll see absolutely horrendous play at these levels in LA. Not surprisingly, the variance can be wicked as a result.

Build up your roll online and then take a couple of trips out here to see how you like the non-poker aspects of our fair city.

Guthrie · #9 03-28-2005, 10:01 AM

Two grand won't cover the deposit and first month's rent on an apartment in Los Angeles. It will cost a lot more money to register your car, especially the first time. If you pick the wrong zip code to live in, even just across the street, your car insurance could quadruple. A traffic ticket is $271. But if you can pick up a couple of full-time jobs to cover your nut, then yes, poker in southern California is great. The Bike was my home casino when I lived there, but I also liked the Commerce.

sternroolz · #10 03-30-2005, 10:35 AM

$2K?

Are you f-ing nuts?

If you make $2K a week in LA, you cannot really afford a mortgage on current house prices.

LA rent for a studio or small one bedroom:
Skid row $300/month
South Central $500-600/month
Note that the above two options are useless as you WILL get robbed.
Blue collar area: $700-900/month
Run down, but nice or trendy area: $900-1200/month
Nice area: $1100+/month

Oh yeah, you cannot consistently make enough at any limit lower than $15-30 to even consider living off your winnings. I find it of note that this type post has been answered in the past with general consensus being that you need to play $40-80 or better to make a decent living in Los Angeles.

Poker for most of us is a fun past time, and maybe a source of a few extra dollars.