I qualified for the Main Event via the Mega Satelite on stars, but I'm not so sure if I want to go anymore. I don't doubt my own poker abilites, I know how to play nearly all formats of NL Holdem and ajust my game against different level of opponents and styles. I wouldn't consider myself a great player by any stetch of the imagination, but I know I'm a solid and long term winning player, regardless of whether me or an opponent got lucky during a paticular hand, I always try to reflect on if I played the hand in the right way or if my opponent played it in a way that would cause him to lose more money against me in the long run.

I live in the UK where flights are obviously going to be a lot more expensive than a domenstic flight in the US. The cost of a return flight for 2 weeks in vegas varies from $600-$1200. Getting the cheapest flight would require an 8 hour drive down to London. Also I'm a little bit worried how the hotel arrangement that stars are offering will work. They say they will give you accomodation for 8 nights and extend it if you're still in the tourney. So what happens when I get knocked out in the early phases? I will effectively have nowhere to sleep for a week since I'm not able to go home. While I would hope to make friends while I'm there and maybe meet up with some people on this site, thats far guaranteed to happen, so I'm effectively there on my own in a place that I don't know my way around. While it would be great to cash and get that PCA package as well as some other minor perks. 4 out of 5 times I don't expect to and it might feel like 12k plus maybe a little more down the drain. I currently have about a 5k roll online. Grinding that up to 17k could take many months, possibly a year to do. I don't know if it would be better to take 5k out and leave 12k online to play with. I currently have about 5k in the bank, pretty much all of it comes from poker winnings over the last couple of years, I prefer to treat it with care and not flounder it. I would only be prepared to spend 1k of it while I'm in Vegas, but is it really possible to make that last for 2 weeks? I'm not a party animal, I'm somebody who would prefer to eat out, goto the cinema and see the Cirque de Soleil.

Then again it was my ambition to play in the event by 2012. Something I could accomplish 2 years earlier than expected, and the whole Vegas experience might turn out to be a lot of fun for me. It would be great for me to proclaim on TV that I turned $10 into $10m in 2 years. Based on other testimonies the Main Event seems like an incredibly +Ev tourney to play in and being a UK citizen means I can dodge any taxation on potential winnings, the only question I would ask myself is whether I can maintain my concentration for a tournament of this length.

Has anyone got advice for a first timer on there own in Vegas who doesn't have much in the way of money to spend?
And finally Should I stay or should I go?

Depends on a few things. Would you be playing in the WSOP with more of a tourist mentality i.e playing to say you've played in it or would you be playing in it thinking you seriously had a shot? OBV if you're 5k up you're no fool when it comes to poker.

I guess you just have to weigh up how much you really want to play it and whether you think that the 7k addition to your BR is going to make a difference in how much/fast you can be making money now. Maybe if you think you're good enough the extra $$ might mean you're playing in the WSOP next year or the year after.

If it were me, and i could take the time off work, I'd go any day of the week. You never know what is going to happen in the next few years and who's to say that you won't bust out the extra cash that you'd have by cashing in the prize? Worst case scenario is you get to spend a week in vegas on holidays. Thats not exactly a bad case.

i went to vegas from UK a couple of years ago on my own for 10 nights. i met some great people ands enjoyed it 2 bits. i will say 10 nights was a little 2 much but still i would play if i was you.make your dreams come true

AceJax I will try to help but just a quick question, what name do you play under at stars or any site for that matter and how come your P5 page shows no scores? I am not being nosy I just wanted to have some kind of idea what kind of earner you were so I could maybe justify this monumental mistake you are contemplating.
Let me make things easy for you man if you do really have this package then it sounds like you have a 17k bankroll and you are asking us whether you should risk 70% of this on one tournament. and for some reason you chose to tell people how much money you have in the bank too, so it sounds like your life roll (poker+bank)=22k and you are asking whether it's ok to risk 55% of this on one tourney, come on man seriously your post was well written so I'm assuming you are intelligent enough to realize there is no question here really. It also sounds like your attitude of Vegas is more of a vacation attitude than a grinding attitude which is what is necessary to be successful out there. Yes you are right the ME is a +EV tournament as far as structure goes, but this would be a HOF -EV if you were to play.
GL in what u decide man just my opinion

This is really an easy one. You're not rolled for the tournament and you're terrified money with that percentage of your roll, so don't play.

I'd leave 8k of the 12k package in your roll and spend the other 4 on a trip to Vegas. Play the WSOP 1k the weekend before the main, a couple Venetian deepstacks or other tournaments in that range, go to the pocketfives party and meet other people, see Vegas, get comfortable, and that way when you qualify again next year with your substantially bigger roll you'll be ready to come back out and give it a whirl... best of luck.

 

Originally Posted by zander

This is really an easy one. You're not rolled for the tournament and you're terrified money with that percentage of your roll, so don't play.

I'd leave 8k of the 12k package in your roll and spend the other 4 on a trip to Vegas. Play the WSOP 1k the weekend before the main, a couple Venetian deepstacks or other tournaments in that range, go to the pocketfives party and meet other people, see Vegas, get comfortable, and that way when you qualify again next year with your substantially bigger roll you'll be ready to come back out and give it a whirl... best of luck.

Zander ur preachin on BR management but still suggest he plays a 1k.

IMO OP, u should take the 12k in cash, go to vegas if u want and just grind 24/7. Cash would pry be soft and so would tourneys. Dont play 1ks tho. play $150s and $100s and such. But dont even feel obligated for Vegas, u can go there whenever u want. Play online with whatever money u dont want to take out following fairly strict BR mngmnt. 200 buyins for safety

There are people with 300k+ bankrolls who dont wanna play 10k events, especially the ME. Its a fucking shootout. How often do you FT 6,000+ person fields when ur playing your A++++ game?

 

Originally Posted by HeHateThee

There are people with 300k+ bankrolls who dont wanna play 10k events, especially the ME. Its a fucking shootout. How often do you FT 6,000+ person fields when ur playing your A++++ game?

you sir are clueless

with 17k you're not rolled for the $300 tournament you played to win the seat to begin with, much less the $10k world fucking championship main event of poker. reality check

 

Originally Posted by MakeMeMaster

Go for it.

agreed......if u could play any 10k and have the best chance at winning/ft'ing......THIS sir IS IT

it's the WSOP where the reward is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>risk

If the money means alot to you keep it. If you dont mind losing and paying for an experience that could be one in a life time then go for it. I played the last two years and had a similar poker bankroll and wouldnt trade those experiences for anything. My situation in life has changed and when i one a seat this year i decided to keep the money.

You just have to make your own decision that is best for you. If you think this could be your only chance to play then do it. Its one tournament anything can happen. On the other hand if your confident your increased bank roll will alow you to make more money and you will make it back next year maybe you should wait..........

 

Originally Posted by apairinmypoc

If the money means alot to you keep it. If you dont mind losing and paying for an experience that could be one in a life time then go for it. I played the last two years and had a similar poker bankroll and wouldnt trade those experiences for anything. My situation in life has changed and when i one a seat this year i decided to keep the money.

You just have to make your own decision that is best for you. If you think this could be your only chance to play then do it. Its one tournament anything can happen. On the other hand if your confident your increased bank roll will alow you to make more money and you will make it back next year maybe you should wait..........

Exactly. If you're looking at if from a BR perspective then of course you should take the money, but you've already stated that a goal of yours was to play in it by 2012. People spend $10k on a holiday when they only have $20-30k saved, its all about the once in a lifetime experience.

I don't understand how every time we have one of these posts there's a dozen guys saying "once in a lifetime experience" "once in a lifetime experience!". You guys do realize they hold this tournament every year for the past 40 years running, right? After you dust off half of your roll on one shot though you're definitely going to want to make sure it was a once in a lifetime experience, so maybe that's what you mean.

go to vegas play other venetians n shit have a good time party keep a roll so u can qualify next year.

99.99% of people will never be rolled to play the ME in their lifetimes if you follow proper BR management.

Screw that. Take your shot and have fun! You're in for $300 anyway!