Building wealth is very simple

[billryan]

Oh I have knowledge of people like you. Used to see them in the AC casinos a lot before AC's demise. You won't believe what that lifestyle will do to you in a few years.

First you mistakenly say I live at buffets, then when corrected you go on to say you have knowledge of people like me. If that's what you choose to believe, go for it.
By the way, I wasn't offering you tax advice, I was pointing out the stupidity of your whine.
The only tax advice I offer is to get the best tax guy you can afford. A good accountant doesn't cost, it pays.

[Carcounter]

36k budget? Better stick to quarters.

[DaBurglar]

Ok I took a couple days off so I am just now reading the latest on this thread.....first, I do not understand the feud or conflict betwixt billyryan and car counter, so unless someone wants to clarify I am not getting involved or commenting.   I enjoy both of their posts so I dont want to piss either of them off....Second, I asked Ko King to clarify his comments about how supposedly Obama killed or clobbered or abused or whatever, the SBA (small business admin).....I had no idea or clue about what he was talking about, so I asked him to kindly clarify.I like Ko king, I've found his posts on VP to be sincere and passionate as well as insightful....but his Obama comment at first seemed like the usual "Blame Obama" crapola that has been an ongoing affliction since the man was elected back in 2008.Sure enough, ko kings reply to my request to clairify his original statement was even more "cornfusing", and billyryan echoed it by asking if anyone knew what in the hell ko king was referring to in his "clarification/explanation reply"......I still don't know what he is talking about, and I do not believe Obama did anything even remotely as bad or destructive as is being intimated.    The Presidency of barack Obama has been so ridiculously distorted and twisted and mocked that I cannot with any clear conscience listen to criticism any longer.  People who disliked or hated the man are just totally unspooled when it comes to honestly examining his record and what he did and why he did the things he did....its ridiculous......I have said many times Obama was just an average president who I believe WANTED to do good and wanted to help a lot of people, but was both too aloof and also too divisive.......he was not INTENTIONALLY divisive, he just refused to engage the obvious racist opposition that came about when he was elected, and by not engaging and taking it on he actually made it worse.   He was NOT trying to ruin the country or engaging in treason as so many people attempt to portray.....I have no patience for such idiotic malignant trolls.   I never voted for the guy, but there is no doubt he was an intelligent, decent person who is every way imaginable is superior to the hideous jerk now occupying the oval office.Getting back to the topic of this thread, I have yet to see anyone propose or demonstrate a more reliable way of wealth building than saving and putting those savings into good solid vehicles of growth (like the obvious one, real estate or conservative growth funds that are low risk but can still return 5% to 10% per year)......SAVE SAVE SAVE....and then save some more.    Sorry but this means cutting back on casino time, as I am sure most of you know anyway but don't like being reminded.    In the six months since I ceased playing VP in AC I have found myself an nice little lump of cash totaling almost 10 grand (9300 actually).....I just put half of it in my 401K and I now have absolutely ZERO debt in my life, no mortgages, credit cards, no balances of anykind.....its an awesome feeling.

[DaBurglar]

Ok on second pass thru of this thread, i did pick up on the theme of "lifestyle" in places like Vegas, and I guess AC.First, as carcounter already alluded, since AC's "demise" (or more specifically, since nearly half of the casinos that used to populate the city have vanished), I do not believe it is any longer possible to live the "lifestyle" we are talking about in this thread, because the current paucity of casinos in AC means a person trying to do what Billyryan is currently doing is thwarted.    Whats worse in AC, three of the casinos still standing are CET properties, so that essentially means that Harrahs/Ballys/Caesars in AC are essentially one HUGE casino with three "wings".....it makes it impossible to get the value and perks needed to do what billyrayn is trying to do in VEGAS.   Plus AC in general is horrible to customers in so many ways when compared to customer oriented places like Vegas, or even RENO.So, that leaves Vegas (or Reno) to try and do what Billyryan is doing, which is to essentially "live" there in and among the casinos as the focal point of your life with the purpose of at least surviving at minimal expense, to perhaps breaking even or making a small profit.I personally, while I have spent a few extended periods in Vegas, Reno and AC (back in 2011 when it still had 11 to 12 casinos), would never try and just "live" there for the sake of living in the casinos.   I spent one 4 week period in Reno (back in 2006), and on three different occasions (1998, 2001 and 2003) I "lived" in Vegas for 3 to 5 weeks for my former job but I had plenty of time to goof off and experience the city's superficial layer of glitz and glamour and fun......I would never just up and move there and make it my "home".     Don't get me wrong, I am fine with Vegas and what it offers, but it is not a healthy place to live full time.   I would now never spend more than two weeks at a stretch in Vegas, its just too unhealthy.     The ideal time for me is 7, maybe 10 days depending on what NON gaming activities I have to occupy my time.....Its a different story altogether if you were born and raised there and it is in fact your "home", or you have lots of family there....that tends to offset the harmful unhealthy aspects of Vegas.   But just living there in and among the casinos for indefinite periods is not going to end well in my opinion.....I picture the liam neeson movie "A walk among the Tombstones" as living among the casinos of Vegas.I am more amenable to such a lifestyle, however, in RENO, if only because the surrounding climate, and people, are so much nicer and more laid back and less stressful.   Reno and surrounding nearby places like Tahoe are still relatively nice and pollution free, and you have the people who tend to be typical western, cowboy mixed with Pacific Northwest down to earth friendliness and values.   The casinos are smaller and not as numerous so the options and opportunities and action is more limited than Vegas obviously, but I'd be more inclined to spend a month or two in Reno than Vegas.....but thats it....I'd still eventually grow sick of the elements that comprise casino life.

[billryan]

You are forgetting about the numerous casinos in Pennsylvania. I don't know anything about their VP games, but their BJ is infinitely better than ACs. A number of small time BJ pros seem to be thriving there.

[Carcounter]

I didn't want this to be a feud between me and Bill. I thought he was too harsh in his response to my comment on the AMT. I really don't take exception to the fact that I pay a lot of taxes. I'm actually glad that I am healthy, and succesful enough to do it. But I am serious about the unhealthy lifestyle of chasing plays that are worth maybe $10-$15 dollars an hour all over town. I agree with DB on this aspect. I do know several "pros" who worked AC back in the 1990's and up to recession in 2008. I used to see them evry Friday afternoon when I took my weekly visits to AC. At least it was confirmation to me taht I was playiing the best games available at that time. But these folks have seriously aged. I still see some of them today, but not as many. They seem to play the .25 Double Joker progressives at Caesars which are almost always positive. They reset at 99.91%. But the environment there is a mess. Smoky, dirty, food left on machines etc.

[DaBurglar]

Good post carcounter.....Yes Caesars AC is quite sketchy these days with it's environment. Only Harrah's seems to make any effort to keep it's casino clean....The CET management in AC is one of the most short sighted group of execs I have ever seen in ANY industry or business. Add to it the perpetual downturn AC has seen since 2009, and Caesars AC is a place to avoid these days! Just like I been saying for years now, lol!

The thing about Penn casinos is they are spread out and not together, which makes living in and among them very difficult because they are not mutual supporting.

[billryan]

The thing about Penn casinos is they are spread out and not together, which makes living in and among them very difficult because they are not mutual supporting.

   The ones that are doing it disagree. There are more than enough within three hours driving of each other.
Quantity and Quality, as far as BJ goes.

[DaBurglar]

The thing about Penn casinos is they are spread out and not together, which makes living in and among them very difficult because they are not mutual supporting.

   The ones that are doing it disagree. There are more than enough within three hours driving of each other.
Quantity and Quality, as far as BJ goes.I'd need a lot more details and info on these "ones that are doing it", specifically what exactly are they doing, where are they staying, etc.   To my mind, 3 hours distance between spots means doing a lot of things differently than when you reside in Vegas or Reno or AC, where the city and surrounding areas are focused on casinos and living the lifestyle is pretty easy as is taking full advantage of all the amenities and features, etc.    I've never played BJ in Penn casinos so thats a non-issue with me, but I doubt anyone could sustain a casino living arrangement like we are conceptualizing here by simply playing BJ in Penn casinos.....unless you really are ok with losing loads of money!   Because the fact is, if by some chance you end up WINNING a load of money playing BJ in any casino these days, but especially in markets like Pennsylvania or AC, count on either being banned from playing BJ any longer, or the flip side is the casinos will kiss your arse so fervently in an attempt to get their money back (plus get YOUR money) that you'll be overwhelmed by the "special service"....either way it wont last, and unless you start losing eventually to justify what the casino is giving you, it will be discontinued.   count on it......

[billryan]

BJ players, the good ones anyway, don't count on casinos for free rooms or even meals.
Unlike Video Poker,where you hope to break even in the many hours in between royalist, a BJ pro can expect an hourly profit that is easily determined.
When playing with rules A and spreading B with C as a basic bet, one can get an average profit per hour.
Living in NYC, one can hit many PA casinos in three hours of driving, get in a few hours, stay in a motel overnights and do the opposite the next day.
As for the rest, you are making some assumptions that are incorrect.