P
pogreshilly
Enthusiast
Silver Level
I'm planning a trip to the closest bricks and mortar cardroom to here, about an hour and a half's drive away on the canada/U.S. border. Since I have almost no bricks and mortar experience, this will be just to get in some playing time and explore the local community.
I already know that most of the tables open at around 1:00 p.m. and plan to arrive there on a Monday. I'll be playing $1/$2 no limit hold 'em with a bankroll of only $500. If my money lasts past day's end I plan to get a cheap motel or flophouse room and return the next day. (Please note that my accomodations, food, and transportation costs come out of money *separate* from the bankroll.) That will continue to go on as long as my bankroll holds up, or until Friday afternoon comes and it's time to head home to avoid the insanely busy weekend crowds at the poker room and surrounding casino.
I also plan to spend some time wandering outside the tourist areas of the town in which the cardroom is located to get a feel for how the locals live. I already know the surrounding community is relatively poor and, should I ever be able to turn pro out of that cardroom, finding a place to live nearby won't be expensive. In past trips to the novelty-games casino I've walked around and found things such as $1.50 draft beer on scuzzy-looking patios where low-income regulars gather. There is also a small nearby town populated mostly by white trash where a regular feature of room rental ads in the local paper is "mjf" ("mj friendly").
If anyone here has taken this kind of seat-of-the-pants poker vacation before, I'd appreciate your describing your experience and any pitfalls I should avoid or benefits I should try to make use of. And if you haven't done this kind of thing but have advice to offer, I'm all ears.
I already know that most of the tables open at around 1:00 p.m. and plan to arrive there on a Monday. I'll be playing $1/$2 no limit hold 'em with a bankroll of only $500. If my money lasts past day's end I plan to get a cheap motel or flophouse room and return the next day. (Please note that my accomodations, food, and transportation costs come out of money *separate* from the bankroll.) That will continue to go on as long as my bankroll holds up, or until Friday afternoon comes and it's time to head home to avoid the insanely busy weekend crowds at the poker room and surrounding casino.
I also plan to spend some time wandering outside the tourist areas of the town in which the cardroom is located to get a feel for how the locals live. I already know the surrounding community is relatively poor and, should I ever be able to turn pro out of that cardroom, finding a place to live nearby won't be expensive. In past trips to the novelty-games casino I've walked around and found things such as $1.50 draft beer on scuzzy-looking patios where low-income regulars gather. There is also a small nearby town populated mostly by white trash where a regular feature of room rental ads in the local paper is "mjf" ("mj friendly").
If anyone here has taken this kind of seat-of-the-pants poker vacation before, I'd appreciate your describing your experience and any pitfalls I should avoid or benefits I should try to make use of. And if you haven't done this kind of thing but have advice to offer, I'm all ears.