Poker is an exercise in optimism. There is an arrogance - the presumption of success. We conquer anxieties and insecurities to take a shot, with a certain amount of bravado and confidence. We don't sit down at the green felt and plan to fail. We begin with nothing and harbor not only the hope but the belief, the expectation that we can and will make something good from our efforts. And there is no more hopeful beginning for tens of thousands of poker players than
World Series of Poker time in Vegas!
For six weeks, starting June 1, headlines and bylines, headaches, heartbreaks, and the thrill of victory will come from Harrah's Rio - headquarters for the
WSOP. The side action will overflow to the big-name poker rooms - Bellagio, The Venetian, Caesars, Wynn, Mirage - and to many of the smaller rooms, everything from $1-$4 spread-limit stud to $2,000-$4,000 H.O.R.S.E. and enormous no-limit and pot-limit games.
I've played
Series events over the decades, primarily limit hold'em, and cashed for more than I've bought in, although I've never managed to match my big win in the 1982 limit hold'em
Super Bowl of Poker. I still take a shot at tourneys; this year I plan to play the $1,500 and $3,000 limit hold'em events. However, for me,
WSOP time is about side action, the smartest play for a risk-averse fellow like me.
If you're coming to change your life, take the tournament route. Even if you are not a world-class player, a few lucky breaks can transform the quality of your life. The
WSOP has myriad stories of players who came to town, won a satellite, parlayed it into a tournament win, and left town a millionaire. A miracle two-outer propelled Chris Moneymaker to the 2003 final table, financial riches, and the champion's bracelet, from a middle-class Tennessee accountant to a poker tournament fixture, celebrity personality, and sponsorship contracts. However, if you just want to win a few bucks and you play well, a solid, steady approach in the side games is your surest option.
Many players come to take shots in games that are much higher than they normally play. Those players ought to consider an early shot - as the games are good early, and if the shot is successful, they can play at the high level throughout the tournament or until the money dries up. Perhaps a better alternative for those light on experience is to play through the tournament, gather knowledge and familiarity, build up their bankrolls, and step up when the main event starts, when an additional flood of players, often inexperienced ones, come to town.
I often say that a player's key decision is choosing his game - stakes, game type, time of day, and many other variables, the most important of which being who is sitting at the table. What's your edge against this field?
The
WSOP brings lots of casual players and lots more working pros. The game's big names are here, and if your stomach and bankroll can handle it, you can test your mettle against them. And we get Internet players, who tend to have a pretty big hole in reading tells and giving away tells. Players with mostly Internet experience also tend not to adapt well to the slower pace of live play and get trapped into making errors of impatience.
The action is best during the first week and the main event; the second week is next best.
The electricity of beginnings fills the air like the first home game of a best-of-seven playoff series - when the crowd thrills with anticipation and hope. Low- and middle-quality players take shots in cheaper buy-in tournaments and side games, making for a weaker side-action field than later in the Series, when the quality of competition rises. Typically, the bigger the buy-in, the fewer weak players. When the tournament begins, players flood into town, excitement takes hold, and they are eager to gamble. After getting slapped around, the gamble leaves many and they put on a better game, hoping to win their money back. This tends to make the games better early in the tournament.
Also, early on, nobody's gone broke yet. It's a sad reality of poker, losers far outnumber winners. As the
Series wears on, this inexorable reality sends the loosest, livest, juiciest fish home busted. Each time one leaves town, your edge against the field diminishes. If enough bust out fast, you might even find yourself going from a favorite to a dog!
The other premium time is during the main event. This is Super Bowl time, full of sightseers, hangers-on, and wannabes. Action is abundant as marginal and even terrible players, many of them wealthy, fill the waiting lists and crowd the tables. Lots of those sightseers don't have great poker skills, making the final days of the
WSOP potentially highly profitable.
Here's a winning strategy for taking on
Series side action.
1. Plan your trip for either the first week or the championship week.
2. Plan your trip around your best game. If you are particularly good at a game, plan your trip around the least expensive tournaments offering that game. You'll get plenty of action!
3. Be properly bankrolled. Come to town with money that you're willing to lose - not that you plan to, but the deck can be coldhearted and you can go broke fast. Play for stakes within your bankroll depth.
4. Avoid taking high-limit shots with your base bankroll; if you run well early, perhaps risk your winnings, but don't risk your whole trip on a single session, looking to score. That said, consider stepping up from your usual limits.
5. There will be many tables of a given game and limit. While on the waiting lists, observe the games in action, and choose the one that is best for your style and bankroll. As soon as you're seated, get on a transfer list. Be aware that you may be filling the seat of the live one who made the game, and don't automatically take the transfer.
6. Look for games with plenty of players who are stuck and steaming and have been playing too many hours. Trust me that there will be many - and don't become one of those steaming, tired players!
If you plan to stay the full seven weeks, pace yourself and your bankroll, maintain proper rest and conditioning, and stay focused. Take some mental health breaks - which doesn't mean hitting the pit or the clubs. It means deep sleep, massages, long walks, swimming, gym trips, even a round of golf.
Come visit us at
Series time in Vegas, and indulge in your exercise in optimism. Bring your hopes and chase your dreams, and who knows, like so many who have come before, you may make something of it!
Roy Cooke has played more than 60,000 hours of pro poker and has been part of the I-poker industry since its beginnings. His longtime collaborator, John Bond, is a freelance writer in South Florida. Their latest book is The Home Poker Handbook. Please see Roy's website at www.roycooke.com.
