It was the summer of 2006 and I was very much still in the early days of my “career” as a poker player. I had been playing a little more seriously and regularly, but by no means thought of myself as a professional. I was very much on the outside of the poker world. I was playing a lot of tournaments online and had transitioned into playing in some slightly larger live cash games, mostly $5/$10 games that usually played relatively small for those stakes.

Reasonable success on both the live and online fronts, a random possibility of what turned into a great job opportunity with PocketFives, and a burning desire to take my shot with the big boys and play in the World Series of Poker put me in a position where I decided to go to Las Vegas and play in a couple of preliminary tournaments.

In 2006, there were more of the mid-range buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournaments on the schedule (which I would like to see make a comeback) and I think I ended up playing a $1,500 event and a $2,500 event on my first trip out. Committing $4,000 plus travel expenses was a big deal for me and even on the flight out, I was a little bit unsure whether it was the right move. I was doing well enough playing to cover it, but being aware that a downswing could be just around the corner, I wondered if I was pushing the limits of my bankroll a little too hard.

By the time I arrived in Vegas and got settled in, I was feeling a little better about it, figuring that it was too late to change it now anyway. My flight and hotel were already paid for, the wire for my tournament buy-ins had gone through weeks before, and my entry tickets were waiting for me at will call at the Rio.

I had gotten into town a day early and wouldn’t be playing until the next day, so I took advantage of the extra day to go over early and figure out what was going on. Some decent signage out front pointed the way to the convention center parking lot for WSOP participants and, the next thing I knew, I walked into a totally foreign world where I knew exactly zero people and the same number knew me.

Three years later, I wouldn’t be able to walk down the hall any time day or night without getting stopped numerous times by people from all aspects of the poker world, but at this point in time, I was a total unknown feeling out of place, lost, and nervous.

After stopping at the wrong place, a nice lady gave me directions to the will call desk and I was off to pick up my seating assignments. Once there, I was sent off somewhere else to get my player’s card and was told to return to my tickets.

At the same time that I was getting the run-around, I was also learning my way around the convention center and taking in all that was going on. There were plenty of booths and everyone in and around the online poker business was absolutely killing it. They were happy to share their spoils with any potential customer. Who needed to pack to play the WSOP? You could get enough free shirts to last a year just walking up and down the hallways.

With two copies of my player’s card in hand, the one with the orange trim and the thumb lifting up two aces I still use today, I finally made my way back to the will call desk to get my entry tickets. I was able to pick up both and found that I was playing in the Amazon Room the next day. I felt like I had walked all over and seen everything in the process of tracking down my tickets, but somehow I hadn’t stumbled into the Amazon room yet.

I walked through the double doors and just stopped, took a step to the right to get out of the way, and took it all in. There were poker tables everywhere, tournaments, cash games, satellites, Chinese Poker, and anything you could think of. After a few minutes of getting my bearings and noticing some pros I had seen on TV, I got moving again and was able to spot my starting table for the next day. Currently occupied by the action from whatever tournament had started earlier that day, I watched for a minute before moving on, happy to know where I was headed the next morning when I arrived.

In that moment, I was a fish out of water in another world where I didn’t belong, but happy to be there and be a part of it.

My first tournament was a success in a lot of ways. I played very tight and did well enough to have chips and get close to the money bubble. After getting comfortable at my table and building up a decent stack, I was moved to a table and seated just to the right of a spiky haired, sharply dressed, life-of-the-party Asian guy with a pile of chips that I later found out was John “The Razor” Phan. And he lived up to his nickname, slicing me up along with rest of the table and I think going on to final table the event.

I didn’t cash in that tournament, but had a good first-timer experience, lasting long enough to get settled in and get the feel for it. I did well enough that I knew there was potential for me to have success in these tournaments, although I was hoping to avoid Phan and others like him if possible.

The next tournament was more of a standard dud where nothing ever really got going, but with decent success in cash games, I left the Rio feeling good about my first time at the WSOP. I ended up just above even on the trip somehow and had a couple of very positive meetings with the guys from PocketFives.

Later that summer, I went back to Vegas for my final meeting with PocketFives to finalize our deal that started in August and made me a part of the poker community for years to come, and while I was there, I decided to play one more tournament. It was a $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament and 1,579 people entered. I flopped a set of nines on the first hand, got paid, and was off to the races. I ended up making Day 2 and finished in 70th place for $5,748 and was thrilled.

All of us who have become accustomed to being a part of the poker world should take the time to look back and consider those who haven’t gotten comfortable yet. New blood and the continued growth of the game are important to all of us, so we should do what we can to make the environment as welcoming and open as possible. I’ll give credit to Phan. Even while he was eating me up at the tables, he was fun, polite, and made me feel like I belonged; at the same, time his play obviously made it clear that I didn’t. At least not at the same table with him.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.

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