I'm not a tournament player – I'm a cash guy. So you might reasonably ask, 'Why do you love the WSOP?'
It's the people.
I get to see friends old and new. Some folks who are regulars from my home poker scene in the Bay Area. But the rare jewels are those who I don't get to see often. In many cases, I can reliably plan to get hugs from them at the WSOP, with little confidence of seeing them at any other point in the year.
Which brings me to a friend I met during my PokerStars days, over a decade ago. This person came by the PokerOrg Legends Lounge one of the first days we were open this year, and we had a great visit. We wished each other an enjoyable WSOP and went on our ways.
Yesterday, a mutual acquaintance told me that this friend had had a death in their family in the last few days. They had to bolt from the WSOP and fly thousands of miles to join their grieving family.
What wouldn't they give to be sitting in a tournament at the Horseshoe, the Wynn, the Aria... anywhere in this town, trying to hit sets and fade flush draws?
Finding gratitude in the experience
Tournament poker is hard. Okay, cash poker is hard, too. But it is a game, and every one of us in a seat at a poker table is lucky to be there. If we're playing poker, then our life elsewhere is sufficiently smooth that we're able to take time to be dealt in.
When you look at it that way, the 17th straight ace-king that whiffs the flop, the two-outer that sends you to the rail... they're not quite as important.
If you're being dealt cards in this town, you're living well. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and feel gratitude for being here.
