Shuffle up and deal

Earlier this month, I got done with my first World Series of Poker (WSOP) experience. WSOP means different things to different players. To some it represents the holy grail of poker tournaments, winning a bracelet is a culmination of a lifelong pursuit, akin to an Olympics medal. To others it is a chance to make life-changing money. I saw it as just another series, a set of tournaments where I wanted to give my best, showcase whatever I have learnt about the game and hopefully win some money along the way.

Well, it didn’t turn out to be a profitable series. I ended up playing about 20 tournaments, ran deep in the Main Event (this has a buyin of USD 10,000) but didn’t cash. WSOP typically has 4000-5000 players playing every tournament, so doing well in such large fields requires one to play extremely well and be on the good side of variance. However, this post is more about what I learnt along the way, things I got right and things I didn’t.

What went well?

Largely, I was happy with how I played. I played my best in the main event, and to do so when I was already stuck a fair bit for the series gave me some sense of pride. Sure, there is some adjustment to be made from online to live poker, and I look forward to further fine-tuning my game, but I found myself in very few situations where I didn’t know what I was doing.

I planned the series decently well. I had enough cash (a big problem for Indian player in Vegas) to play what I wanted to. We had a decent house which was walkable from the strip. I maintained my gym schedule for the most parts and complemented it with swimming. Food was taken care of thanks to a meal plan designed for poker players by an Indian lady.

What did I learn?

Frankly, I had not anticipated the mental fatigue that builds up from playing large field live tournaments. A lot of tournaments were 10-handed which really got on my nerves at times. Being surrounded by 5000 players crammed for space and being occupied only 15% time (it can get very very boring!). I found the experience far better at non-WSOP tournaments at the Wynn and Venetian. In future, I hope to be better mentally prepared for the live grind.

Another realization is that most ‘professional’ poker players are hardly professional. They prioritize chilling and partying a lot more. While I am not against recreation, it is strange that one would focus on these activities during what should be the most important part of the year. It’s not that elite players with an athlete mindset don’t exist, but they are few and far between. As 90% players are losing money and negativity spreads faster than a forest wildfire, spending time alone seems better than in a group of whiners.

Choosing tournaments well and planning my schedule a bit more will be a strict lesson. This year I did not play any tournament with a buyin of more than USD 2000, as I owned 100% of my own action and my current bankroll does not allow me to play higher. In future, the plan will be to either play fewer tournaments but play higher as well, or to play everything and sell action. But definitely do not want to skip the 2500 and the 3000 USD level buyins.

Finally, I confirmed what I already had suspected, I have an inherent distaste for Las Vegas. With its glitzy nightlife and shimmering lights guiding tourists towards casinos and clubs, it really holds nothing of interest for me. It’s a little rich coming from a poker player, but I hate the transactional vibe of Sin City. To combat this, I would recommend taking a couple of 3-4 day breaks during the series.

I got back from WSOP and instantly got a shock bigger than I had anticipated. Will cover that in my next post.