Life on the Road

[houyi]

Hi all,

When I first joined the forum, I was thinking about quitting my job in finance to AP full time. I eventually decided against that and have been simply playing part time the past year. I had a good year APing (high 5 figures) and with my lucrative day job I've got a bankroll well in the 6 figures. By the end of this year I should know whether I'm on the road to upper management at my firm. I'm not exactly sure if I even want to be, but if I am not I need to decide what I will be doing. I'd like to revisit the possibility at least of playing full time. So, for the traveling full timers here, a few questions:

1) What kind of vehicle do you recommend? I'd like something comfortable if I need to crash where there's not a decent hotel in sight, but something about the most logical choice for that (hippie van) rubs me the wrong way for some reason (maybe it's just my generation?).

2) Fitness is important to me. How do you stay in shape? Nationwide gym membership (any suggestions)? YMCA?

3) How long do you generally stay in a "region" before moving on? Or is that highly dependent on a region's specific heat level?

I would greatly appreciate any thoughtful advice.

[BJGenius007]

You don't need gym membership. I run 3 or 4 miles almost every day. I found Boardwalk and Strip are suitable places to run. A lot of joggers on the Strip in the early morning, and all day in Boardwalk. In places other than AC and LV, you can pay $5 to $20 to use the gym in most hotels.

[Dieter]

1) SUV, crossover, or station wagon, fold-flat rear seats, air mattress & sleeping bags. Hope not to use them. As your ride gets smaller, moving your luggage into nooks and crannies so you can sleep in the back gets trickier. Pay the $8 to shower at the next truck stop in the morning, so you don't look quite so much like you slept in your car (unless looking like you sleep in your car is part of your cover).

[RWM]

I think you would be better off buying a Prius. You will spend 1/3 on gas what you would with a bigger vehicle, and that can pay for extra hotel rooms which is a LOT safer than sleeping in your vehicle with your bankroll.

[moo321]

I won't tell you not to do it. But I worry that it would get boring really fast. I honestly think the biggest benefit of playing on a team is having people to hang out with. You can make a lot of money in this business, but it sounds like you're making a lot of money now.

Full-time play doesn't lend itself to having a family, either. So think about what you want to do in the next 5-10 years. If you'd like to get married and have a family, don't go full-time. You'll have a huge gap in your resume if you want to get a "straight" job, and being a "road warrior" professional gambler is really hard with kids.

I think you would be better off buying a Prius. You will spend 1/3 on gas what you would with a bigger vehicle, and that can pay for extra hotel rooms which is a LOT safer than sleeping in your vehicle with your bankroll.

They have a lot more room than you think (my friend could fit a full-size standup bass in his). They also run a long time, and retain resale value very well.

[Casino Kid]

How tall are you houyi? In any case, when you're looking for a new car tell the salesman you'll be sleeping in it from time to time, fold down the seat and see how comfortably you can fit. Dieter's advice is spot on although I'd add that "air mattress" should really be a Therm-a-Rest style blow up sleeping pad. Those are surprisingly comfortable to sleep on - you can get them a couple inches thick and they're wide enough for you to fit on and narrow enough to fit along the back of the backseat that you've folded down.

As for working out, you can do a lot of exercises with resistance bands if you're wanting to do anaerobic stuff and they don't take up much space at all. But sure, you can do a search for Anytime or 24 Hour Fitness (~$40/month) and see what kind of coverage they have in the areas you're planning on hitting. If nothing else you can shower there whenever you need so even if you never work out it may pay for itself just for that.

[hitthat16]

I lived in my car for a week and let me tell you, it's not fun and it got to my psyche. I'm the kind of person that needs a "home".

On one of the nights a cop tapped on my window. I told him I was just taking a quick nap because I started to feel drowsy while driving. I felt like a total bum.

To each their own though. That's just my two cents.

[houyi]

Some good responses here, so thank you everyone who took the time.

I won't tell you not to do it. But I worry that it would get boring really fast. I honestly think the biggest benefit of playing on a team is having people to hang out with. You can make a lot of money in this business, but it sounds like you're making a lot of money now.

Full-time play doesn't lend itself to having a family, either. So think about what you want to do in the next 5-10 years. If you'd like to get married and have a family, don't go full-time. You'll have a huge gap in your resume if you want to get a "straight" job, and being a "road warrior" professional gambler is really hard with kids.




They have a lot more room than you think (my friend could fit a full-size standup bass in his). They also run a long time, and retain resale value very well.

I certainly do alright for myself, Moo (though big city living and rent prices still make me feel under-compensated at times), but if you've never worked in a similar position as mine you can't imagine how boring life can be. I pull off 80-100 hr weeks on a not-that-unusual basis, and much of that time is spent explaining things to upper management which range from risk analysis to (I kid you not) how to hide cells in Microsoft Excel. The day-to-day grind of answering to people who logically do not have the proper skillsets to deal with today's world of finance but still outweigh you on every level because they were born in a time of low competition and limited technology is quite difficult to deal with. And you kind of have to suck up to these people to advance, because if you don't, you can be assured your colleagues will. This alone makes me yearn for something where my skill and ambition is tied to my results.

The family issue is certainly something I've considered. But at the risk of sounding like one of those whiny "men's rights" activists, I truly believe that millennials are screwed when it comes to marriage, at least in the States and probably most of the Western world. Divorce is laughably easy and statistically probable, women (and often men, to be fair) my age seem lazy and narcissistic, and when children are involved the courts will almost always favor the woman. Plus at my income, it's extremely likely that I'd get hosed financially in a divorce. I honestly can't see marriage as a rational decision for successful men in my generation.

How tall are you houyi? In any case, when you're looking for a new car tell the salesman you'll be sleeping in it from time to time, fold down the seat and see how comfortably you can fit. Dieter's advice is spot on although I'd add that "air mattress" should really be a Therm-a-Rest style blow up sleeping pad. Those are surprisingly comfortable to sleep on - you can get them a couple inches thick and they're wide enough for you to fit on and narrow enough to fit along the back of the backseat that you've folded down.

As for working out, you can do a lot of exercises with resistance bands if you're wanting to do anaerobic stuff and they don't take up much space at all. But sure, you can do a search for Anytime or 24 Hour Fitness (~$40/month) and see what kind of coverage they have in the areas you're planning on hitting. If nothing else you can shower there whenever you need so even if you never work out it may pay for itself just for that.

I'm on the shorter side of average, around 5'9/175 cm. I'm really not overly concerned with sleeping in the car. I was dirt poor growing up and slept on the floor of the kitchen until I was around 16. The Avalanche actually sounds pretty comfy, but then again you guys make some good points about the Prius gas millage savings (though I guess that could be partly mitigated through tax deductions when I file as a "pro gambler," yet another headache in this scheme). I'm thinking the gym is a good idea because I'm pretty big into weight training and I don't know how I could get/keep the look I want without weights (that being said, I'm far from creative in terms of working out, so feel free to correct me there). The hiking sounds like a good idea regardless, though.

I lived in my car for a week and let me tell you, it's not fun and it got to my psyche. I'm the kind of person that needs a "home".

On one of the nights a cop tapped on my window. I told him I was just taking a quick nap because I started to feel drowsy while driving. I felt like a total bum.

To each their own though. That's just my two cents.

It was only for a little more than a week, but a road trip I took with my friend where we just slept in his old Honda was one of the best experiences of my life. I could see how it could get old fast, though. I actually kind of like the idea of feeling like a bum. It feels more real than my current lifestyle. Dealing with the security issues/cop hassling is definitely a concern though.

[ZeeBabar]

My advice is to simply take a 3-4 month vacation, play full time for 90 days and see how it goes before changing you career. The grass always looks greener on the other side.

[houyi]

My advice is to simply take a 3-4 month vacation, play full time for 90 days and see how it goes before changing you career. The grass always looks greener on the other side.

It's kind of impossible to just take a 3-4 month vacation in my line of work. That would be the same as changing my career.

[Three]

My advice is to simply take a 3-4 month vacation,

If I were at a job I could take a 3-4 month vacation I wouldn't feel very good about my job security. Usually after a couple days off I like the employers to really miss my ability to get things done efficiently. That is job security. Then ask for a raise. Kind of my own boss now. Nobody can really cover for me.

[Orangechip2]

play full time for 90 days and see how it goes before changing you career. The grass always looks greener on the other side.

Not sure my workplace would be ok with me quitting for 90 days and then returning

[ZeeBabar]

Not sure my workplace would be ok with me quitting for 90 days and then returning

what is the longest stretch where you played 6 hours daily? You just have to do it on a stretch for a month and see if you can handle it, if you can make as much in a month as you would in your job. Don't base it on "I made more in a week playing BJ than I did in a month of work". Do it every day for a month. Take your vacation, head to Las Vegas and play.

Most make money on their first few days and then the tiredness, the grind, affects you around the end of 4-6 days and result in loss/variance hitting you. Try to get the max time you can from your work ("my mom, who lives in Henderson, NV is terminally ill, expected to last 2 weeks") and then head out!!!!