[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by airics

here is my thoughts on vegas... if you can handle "NOT gambling", you will be ok... If you catch "the bug", you will have a huge problem... Remember the house always wins in Vegas! anyway... good luck... welcome back.. yada yada yada

True, but it doesn't matter where an addict lives ...he's still an addict. I know of more gambling addicts, and alcoholics, in other states than I do here. When I lived in West Virginia it was still a "dry" state, but I knew a lot more alcoholics there than I have known here. Gamblers also. You can find an illegal games in all the other 49 states within twenty minutes of arrival there. I knew guys that put themselves through college from backroom games in small West Virginia college towns. I had relatives that made good livings running games in West Virginia and Ohio. It was a crime only because the church goin' hypocrites, and the local mobsters didn't want it to be legal, but my uncles weren't the kind of people you'd consider the criminal type.

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by airics

here is my thoughts on vegas... if you can handle "NOT gambling", you will be ok... If you catch "the bug", you will have a huge problem... Remember the house always wins in Vegas!

Yeah, but the key is to gamble against the tourists, not the house.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

Yeah, but the key is to gamble against the tourists, not the house.

Now we're talking pokér. Would you agree that poker is not the gamble that all those other games are, or am I wishful thinking again?

[Robustus]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Now we're talking pokér. Would you agree that poker is not the gamble that all those other games are, or am I wishful thinking again?

Absolutely. The house just rakes 10% (up to ~$4) from every pot. So, on average, you just need to be 10% better than your opponents at a normal poker table to turn a profit.

In short: yes, you can win long-term at poker, and it's because you're competing in a skill game (granted with a high luck factor as well) against other players, not against the house.

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by Robustus

Absolutely. The house just rakes 10% (up to ~$4) from every pot. So, on average, you just need to be 10% better than your opponents at a normal poker table to turn a profit.

Which isn't too difficult, especially at the lower stakes tables. Although I have to admit, I'm on track for my first losing month since I moved here in March. But I've come out ahead in my first two sessions this week and I have four days left to turn that red ink into black.

[Shipresa]

Back from my househunting trip....

I left Vegas for Houston. My husband works in the oil industry, so Vegas wasn't gonna work. As he makes more than I made in Vegas, then we decided to move to Houston.

Jobs aplenty in Vegas. Medical, Tech, Oil/Gas, Universities. Housing prices are similar to Vegas.

The househunting trip was harder than we thought! My plans were McNeil or Paradise Palms.

Well, found many, but so many others are in continency. It was DIFFICULT to find a house for sale - regular style! I think the folks who could sell, aren't (due to low values) and those on the market really aren't (in continengy as short sales, repos or foreclosures.)

Sadly, I saw a lot of distressed properties.

What I see is that the locals are hurting, but the luxury end and investors with $ are buying properties.

Since we are looking for a vacation/second home, we are now looking at the residence condos and they are looking more and more like a decent place to land and still be able to re-sell later when we move permanently to Vegas to retire in 10 years time.

It was nice to drink some beers at Ellis Island, avoid the strip for New Years, walk at Red Rock Canyon on Christmas and play pinball.

I came away disappointed to not find something reasonable (in condition vs. price) but we'll keep looking. At the distressed prices, Vegas housing was on par with Houston ($100/sq ft to $250 sq ft for high rise luxury condos.)

People simply can't walk into Vegas with $100k and buy a mansion. Folks seem to think that. !?