"Never miss a Sunday" is a common meme from online grinders who lock in for an entire day of marquee tournaments on poker platforms worldwide. For pros, it's a high-volume day with big prize pools and soft fields. For recreational players, it's the chance to avoid the Sunday Scaries and try to win enough money to not go to work on Monday.
But that's nonsense, says Parker Talbot, "semi-retired" Twitch streamer and current PokerStars Ambassador.
'I'm not one of those people'
"I just saw Pads (Patrick Leonard) and Jamie Dwan tweet out Never Miss a Sunday — some nonsense," Talbot told PokerOrg on a break at EPT Cyprus. "I've just always kind of been a proponent of like, you know, feel free to miss a Sunday."
It's a refrain that can probably be traced back to fans of the Grateful Dead, who told one another to "Never miss a Sunday show." The band would usually roll into a venue for three shows starting on Friday and by Sunday they would be at their best. The slogan was later adopted by Phish fans and a version of it has found its way into the poker world.
"I play when I'm really comfortable playing, you know, or if I really want to play. If I'm not in the best headspace these days, I just don't really put in a massive grind. I'm not one of these people."
'I'm an old man now'
Sundays weren't always the big day. Talbot used to take them off altogether. "Back in the day, I thought it was a bad day to grind, you know? I think over the years it's definitely changed. So I've really never been a never-miss-a-Sunday guy. I'm an old man now as well. I like to play when I'm comfy and everything. I feel like that's more, not necessarily more important, but I think that's important for people to do."
"I don't think you should be in there in your worst. I'm not one of these super perfect mental state people, either, don't get me wrong. But I think the mentality of never missing a Sunday is just whatever."
Talbot — known in the online streets as "Tonkaaaa" — knows a thing or two about grinding his way to success after he took down two different titles during this year's World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on PokerStars. His wins in the $1,050 HORSE World Championship and a $1,050 NLH Progressive Knockout give him a victory in each of the last five years of the WCOOP series.
Turning the corner
The two wins also nearly propelled 'Team Tonkaaaa' to victory in the inaugural WCOOP League, but Sebastian Huber and 'Team Peace&Loove' pipped them for the win.
It's all part of a huge year for Talbot, who picked up his first big live win at the Irish Open. It was a long time coming after so many near misses. "I have had a lot of final tables over the last six, seven, eight years and just never any wins."
It's a big corner to turn and Talbot can now move beyond what has become something of a meme. "I'm not shouting with the big boys in the 10Ks and the 25Ks and the 50Ks but you know I'm holding my own in the mid-stakes guys. It's been really fun I feel like I'm in a good place and I feel like some cards finally went my way down towards the stretch."
The big win is out of the way, but Talbot will continue grinding — probably for the rest of his life — at least recreationally. "Whether I go to every EPT every year for the next 15 years, I'm not sure about that. But for the foreseeable future, that's definitely my plan."
He will be at every EPT for the time being and his next stop is the NAPT in Las Vegas. Expect more live grinding for the next few years, but with fewer trolls in his ear about his winless streak.
"It was amazing and I have a trophy at home now and it feels great and now you know the trolls have officially stopped."
Photos courtesy of Eloy Cabacas/Manuel Kovsca/Danny Maxwell/PokerStars
