Moving to Vegas? Part 2

Part 2 of 2 A Whole New World, or Is It?

In the last Article, we described how it is very difficult to make it as a solo machine AP unless one is either extremely well-bankrolled, or has tremendous connections.  For this Article, we're going to highlight some other aspects of living in Vegas that should be considered before taking the plunge.

As With Anything Else, AP May Become Monotonous:

If you're thinking of moving out to Las Vegas to become a full-time AP, then chances are that you have a job as you are reading this.  In my experience, there are not very many people who walked into a job, absolutely hated it on day one, and lasted longer than a month.  With that said, it seems like the daily rigors and tediousness of traditional full-time employment are not for you.

Remember, when you go to Vegas now (even if you engage in AP) it is essentially a vacation.  Being a full-time AP is not just work, it is occasionally very difficult work with often excruciating hours.  I can actually speak from experience a little on this one as I have worked on team plays (bottom of the totem pole) and am working on one right now.  

If you do the smart thing and work with a team so you have access to the bigger plays, then you're going to have someone to answer to while you're doing that.  Even if you invest in the team financially, (I haven't) then there's still going to be a pecking order and you'll have to go where you're told to go and do what you're told to do.  It is true that you can do the smaller plays by yourself and essentially make your own hours, but for the big stuff, you're going to essentially be working for someone.

You Had Better REALLY Love It:

If you only think you are going to enjoy AP, then you had better take some time to reconsider.  One of the most difficult aspects of full-time AP is that you are essentially taking yourself completely out of the workforce as far as non-gamblers (read: potential employers) are concerned.  

Furthermore, many plays take a substantial amount of time to even do.  When you're not on some big promotion-type play, for example, are you going to be grinding it out on a +EV VP game?  If so, then know that doing so will result in a substantial number of hours of repetitively playing the same game.  The best thing I could recommend if you are working now (and can find a positive play) is to take twelve hours every day for a week and just spend it either scouting or playing VP in a casino.

If you can't handle that, then you're not ready to move.

You Must Be Extremely Self-Motivated:

Finally, it is extremely important that you be a very self-motivated person.  While it is true, to an extent, that you can take whatever days you want to off, every day that you are spending doing something other than being in the trenches is costing you money.  It's really much easier to go into work every day when you know you will lose your job if you don't, but as a full-time AP, if you're not working for someone, then you are your own motivator.

I definitely know from experience that it is really easy to fall into a lethargic pattern given the right opportunity.  After all, the plays will still be there tomorrow, or the next day, or maybe over the weekend, or late next week...

The main takeaway I want any potential full-time AP to get from these two Articles is that Advantage Play is basically no different than having a full-time job, and in this one, you might even work more hours!

The way that you are going to perform depends on your connections, your level of motivation, how dedicated you are and how much you either do or do not enjoy what you are doing.  It is true that you can be a little bit more liberal with respect to your schedule, and if you absolutely need a few days off, then you can probably take them...but at the end of the day, you're doing a job.

Also, if you're not working for someone directly, then unlike other jobs, there is a chance that you're not even going to get paid!  It is not at all unusual to have losing days, weeks or even months.  (Depending on what you are playing)  For that reason, as well as the reason of tenure at your current place of employment, you're sacrificing a ton of job security to not just stay where you are now.

If there is one thing that is absolutely true, it is that the machines/tables do not care at all how long you have been an Advantage Player.

One last thing worthy of note is the heat! I remember walking out of The D into a seemingly impenetrable wall of heat the likes of which I had never felt in my life.  I took a cab up to Cannery casino and later on walked from Cannery to the gas station immediately across the street to buy a few bottles of water.  By the time I arrived at the gas station, which couldn't have been more than two minutes later, my shirt was stuck to my chest and back I was sweating so profusely.  

By the time I walked from the gas station back across the road, I had officially sweated so much that I felt like I needed another shower.  At this point, there wasn't even a dry spot on my gray T-Shirt to be found!  I felt like I had traversed the entirety of the Sahara by the time I got back and spent the next hour being miserable before I could finally cool down.

That was in April.

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Posted by Mission146

Comments

odiousgambit Nov 19, 2015

Ummm, did you quit your job and move to Vegas?

DRich Nov 19, 2015

Thanks Mission. In the future I would suggest on the second part of an article to include a link to the first part.

Please keep up the great writing.

Mission146 Nov 19, 2015

OG,

I did not, and actually, I'm not as much on a team play now as I was at one point this year. That said, with my work schedule, then doing said play, then tending to the kids, then going back to work...Rinse...Repeat...for a bit of time there, I think I got a bit of insight as to what playing full time might feel like.

DRich,

My mistake, I should have, and thanks for the compliment!

ukaserex Feb 05, 2016

I arrived in Vegas in mid-December, 1997 with 6k.

It only lasted me 9 months and the bankroll was gone.

In that time I had only 23k in jackpots, not paid for one meal or even a night in a hotel. Only gas for those times when I just got stir crazy and wanted to walk around Hoover Dam or visit Carson City (and later, Reno, Lake Tahoe and San Francisco).

Fun at times, and as you stated, sometimes very tedious and tiring. It definitely is not for everyone. (and I had never heard the term AP before - until I came to this site a few months ago. I was just really lucky hitting a Royal on my first day, and again a week later. And, 6/9 JoB was much more easily found then. )

Mission146 Feb 05, 2016

Still, nine months on 6k is certainly a quite respectable run at it!