The World Series of Poker Main Event is underway, which means people are going to start engaging in the annual ritual of poker's most pointless conversation, which always starts with the question:
“What’s the best day to play the Main Event?”
Every year, the same thing happens. People have different opinions, nobody really knows who is right or wrong, and then we wait until next year for the same thing to happen again.
It really blows my mind.
Seeing how stressed people get over this question that has no answer – when in reality, the whole conversation is really just one big group phenomenon, which, once you see it, makes the whole thing very understandable.
Here’s what you need to know
- People are excited to play the Main Event.
- People are nervous about losing.
- Most are terrible at being present with these emotions.
- These people then get busy avoiding these feelings by trying to find the answer to this question that has no answer.
- I’d bet huge money that people who obsess over this question perform way worse on average compared to people who don’t. After all, if you’re unable to be present before the tournament, what do you think will happen once it starts?
So back to the question:
The best day to play the Main Event... Is the day you’re completely honest with yourself about all the emotions you’re feeling – about how excited you are to win, about how you’re afraid you might lose, about how you have no idea what’s going to happen.
And along with that, the day you’re completely ready to have the time of your life.
Play on that day.
Then watch what happens.
Jason Su is the author of The Joy of Poker and coaches many of the world’s top poker players on how to perform their best when it matters most.
Learn more with Jason on YouTube and through what many of poker’s top players say is 'the best newsletter in poker,' which you can access for free at pokerwithpresence.com.
