When Black Friday struck, US poker pros had two options:
1) Move to another country like Canada, Costa Rica or Mexico, where players are free to grind on any online poker site they choose.
2) Stay in the US and continue grinding in live cash games and on smaller, unregulated poker sites that still serve Americans.
As for the latter option, legalization has opened up regulated online poker markets in Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada. But this only covers about 4% of the US population right now. Of course, moving to another country has had its drawbacks for pros too, namely the disconnect that they feel amid a new place and culture. But one large group of poker pros in Playa del Carmen, Mexico have found a way to beat culture shock and loneliness. And as you’ll see below, they’re living an enviable lifestyle while doing so.
Shaun Deeb starts the party
Located on the beautiful eastern shore of the Yucatán Peninsula, Playa del Carmen has long been a huge draw for tourists who look to bask in warm weather and swim in crystal-blue waters. Given that a large number of English-speaking tourists visit this destination on an annual basis, it seemed like a perfect spot for US online poker expats.
Unfortunately, like many other poker safe havens around the world, players moved here in small groups and were largely spread apart. But as Business Insider explained, famed poker pro Shaun Deeb changed all of this. Coming off of four victories in the 2012 PokerStars SCOOP, he invited lots of pros to a bar called Coco Maya, where they all bonded over alcohol and women. Ever since then, the 150 players living in Playa have developed into a semi-connected fraternity group.
Drinking, Women and Winning
Many of the pros in Playa are single and range from their mid to late 20’s. So partying and chasing women has become something of a daily ritual. It doesn’t hurt that a number of the women in the beach town are foreigners on vacation. As 28-year-old Matt Block told Business Insider, these ladies are “actively looking to make bad decisions.”
Block has managed to find plenty of women who’ve made ‘bad decisions,’ as he hooked up with a half dozen girls in his first month in Playa del Carmen. “It sounds cliche, but when it comes to women here, it’s pretty limitless,” he stated. Eventually, though, Block calmed down after realizing that his sexual conquests were keeping him away from the virtual felt too much.
Still, there are other players who basically go out to the Playa bars every night. In the case of Gus Voelzel, who’s been in Playa since 2011, clubs normally don’t make he and his friends wait in line or pay the cover charge. Many bars have started to recognize what Voelzel is willing to spend in their establishments. And for a guy who aims to make around $1,000 an hour playing poker, dropping money on the relatively cheap nightlife scene of Playa isn’t a big deal.
Work Hours
While the poker-player lifestyle in Playa del Carmen sounds like a dream to many young guys, there’s definitely some work involved too. Seth Davies, one of Voelzel’s roommates, commonly multi-tables anywhere from 10 – 16 tables, for 4 – 8 hours a day. His goal is to be up early in the morning, shake off his hangover and catch Central European fish who, due to a seven-hour time difference, are just getting off of work.
Voelzel puts in a nice volume too. As the Business Insider writer, Noah Davis, made note of, the poker pro plays up to 16 tables simultaneously. Voelzel played about 1,200 hands of online poker in just the hour and a half that Davis watched him.
Of course, this is simply a normal day at work for the poker pros living in Playa del Carmen. And until the party stops, or the US features more regulated markets, it looks like these players will stay put for a while.