The countdown to the Main Event is on. This is part of a series of articles we'll release as the marquee event draws closer. Check back daily for more tips about everything from strategy advice on the felt to how and where to take your precious breaks.
The big one, the WSOP Main Event. It comes around once a year, it's a freezeout, and it's the single most anticipated poker tournament of the year. Regardless of how accomplished or experienced you are at live tournament poker, people get giddy, excited, and overwhelmed when they finally take their seats.
And they overthink; they panic; they change their game. Don't let that be you.
It's a long, long, long tournament
With a 60,000-chip starting stack and two-hour levels, the Main Event is one of the best-structured poker tournaments in the world. What does that mean exactly?
You have time. Being card dead for four hours straight in almost any other tournament spells disaster. In the Main Event? You can weather that hapless storm and come out the other side unscathed...if you're patient.
There's nothing worse than blundering your stack away in the Main Event. It's hard to let go of for many. You can't buy back in. You have to wait 12 grueling months to right the wrong. Staying patient and avoiding the blow-ups is vital.
In this long of an event, you're much more likely to suffer every sling and arrow a poker tournament can throw your way. Bad beats? You'll take one. Worst river card in the deck? It'll come. An annoying player at your table? It's very likely. How you mentally prepare and overcome those inevitable situations will go a long way in your success or failure.
Patience is the virtue
In a shorter tournament, like a turbo, you may be forced to take marginal spots sooner than you'd like because of the escalating nature of poker tournaments.
That's not true nearly as quickly in the Main Event. You can comfortably pass on some early, uncomfortable spots, relatively confident that you'll have better opportunities down the line.
In that regard, this tournament is unlike most others. Patience is rewarded, most inevitable disasters can be mitigated, and those who maintain that mindset outlast those who sway too hard with the ups and downs that tournament poker brings.
If you take a brutal beat on the first hand of the day and lose half of your stack, you still have 150 big blinds. At the end of a full day of poker, the 60,000 starting stack is still worth 100 big blinds.
However, there's one way this tournament shouldn't change you.
Don't try to revamp your game at the last minute
This is a big mistake I see many players make in preparation for the Main Event. A week before it starts, they'll start studying and trying to implement complex strategies into their game.
Don't do this.
You want to be comfortable and feel in control at the table. If you're stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying things you've never tried before, you're guaranteed to be uncomfortable. And, you're likely to make mistakes that leave you upset at yourself.
There's nothing wrong with solidifying your strategies and committing to them. Playing your game is essential to not feeling like a *ahem* fish out of water.
Best of luck this summer. Be patient, set yourself up for success, and don't sweat the small stuff.
