Looking Forward to the 2010 World Series of Poker
The WSOP begins in just about a week and I am finding myself daydreaming about winning that elusive bracelet more and more everyday. Last year was my first true foray to the Series and I found that being an old fart at the age of 34 in the world of the internet kids suits my live game very well. I get the time that I love to take on every decision; the online wunderkids think I am a dinosaur who only raises with the nuts so they snap fold to my 3-bets; and the oldtimers are still playing the same style that they have played for the last 20 years which means I can actually steal their blinds without being 3-bet every time I open. I made a final table last year in one of the $2,000 events and hope to improve on that finish this year with a bracelet.
Just as I do not have internet kid status, I have also not yet achieved balla’ status so my bankroll prohibits me from playing the big buy-in events. Instead my plan is to play pretty much every $1k-$2,500 Hold’em event that I can during the month of June. Some complain that the structure of these smaller buy-in events make them a crapshoot, but the players who enter these tourneys are also much more prone to be on the “wtf are they thinking?” spectrum. So while it is true that I won’t ever get to start with over 150 BBs, it is also true that I will generally have 2-5 players at my table who will have no problem honestly telling me that I am “crazy” for reshoving AKs with 16 BBs because it is just a “drawing hand.” And if the poker gods are not on my side on any given day I can return to my condo and grind the online games.
If I could give you any advice on having a successful Series I would tell you to try and surround yourself with good people, make sure to take some time off, and try to do something active everyday. I found out last year that the day-in and day-out grinding at the Series can take a serious mental toll.
Vegas is just a bizarre world. You are in the middle of the desert in the baking heat of the summer but have to bring a minimum of a hoodie to any casino because they blast the AC. You sit for hours at a time with random people who may or may not be willing to converse. You don’t get to play 300 hands an hour so you have to focus on concentrating at what’s going on at your table. And often when you bust, your friends are still grinding so there is little to do but head to wherever your home in Vegas may be. The monotony of going from my rental place, to the casino, and back to the rental left me fatigued both physically and emotionally. This year I hope to break that monotony by working out every day (my condo this year has a gym and pool), meeting more people from both the PokerPwnage and PocketFives communities and just shooting the shit/hanging out with more people.
If you are making your mecca to Vegas this year, I wish you the best of luck, unless you are sitting at my table.
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chardrian Adrian Dresel-Velasquez is an instructor at PokerPwnage who specializes in Multi-Table Tournament (MTT) play.
