The first one-third of 2007 has been a miserable one for me in live poker tournaments. I have played in several main events and preliminary events, and have been able to score only four cashes, with none of them being more than $15,000. While this is extremely frustrating, I've remained confident. As you know, tournaments can be extremely frustrating because you can go so deep and come away with little or no cash. We're all shooting for one of the top three spots, and only one guy is ever really happy when the tournament is over, and that's the winner.
There is so much day-to-day disappointment, and seemingly very few times that we tournament professionals are truly proud of ourselves. That being said, though, the highs are 50 times better than the lows, and that's the reason we all keep coming back to play. When you do make that monster score, you feel invincible. As I write this, I've just busted out of the $5,000 event at the
World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I could really taste the big money. I was in the top five in chips with 28 players to go; however, I lost a big pot to the ever-aggressive Mikael Thuritz with K-Q versus Q-8 on a Q-9-5-8-2 board. I've put myself in a position to win tournaments a couple of other times this year, but it just hasn't panned out. I believe that I'm still playing fundamentally sound tournament poker, and I'm waiting patiently for something huge to happen.
I am very much looking forward to the
World Series of Poker and the concurrently running
Bellagio Cup III. I am going to be taking a new, tighter approach to the preliminary events, and I realistically think I could come out of the Rio with a bracelet.
The
Bellagio Cup was where I really put myself on the map as a poker player, so you can imagine that I'm delighted to be playing in this series and defending my title in the
Bellagio Cup III main event in July.
I'm sure there are going to be hundreds of players who've just turned 21 and will be going to the
WSOP. I was in your shoes one year ago, and I'd like to offer some tips. Take them for what they're worth.
1. Rent a house. I rented one with a number of friends last year, and this is the way to go. Staying in hotels is convenient because it is so close, but it's a valuable collegelike experience to live with a bunch of guys your age, and it helps you get away from the 24-hour-present gambling scene. You also will save a bunch of money that can be used for tournament buy-ins.
2. Do things other than poker. Last summer, I made the mistake of getting so wrapped up in poker that I actually contemplated leaving Vegas and going home for the rest of the summer. If you get knocked out of a tournament, it doesn't mean you have to immediately rush home to grind it out online. There are tons of fantastic things to do and shows to see in Vegas. The less poker matters, the better you'll do.
3. Exercise. This is something that I didn't do at all last summer, and as a result, I put on 20 pounds over the summer. It is essential that you do at least something physical to keep your mind and body fresh. It pains me to think of all of the lounging around and unhealthy meals that my friends and I ate last summer. I have since lost 30 pounds, though, and am on a workout routine to get in shape for the
WSOP.
4. Pace yourself. This is hypocritical advice, because I'm probably not going to follow it. Last year, I played 23 events, and that amounted to very, very few days off. This year, I'll probably play 30-plus
WSOP events and several
Bellagio Cup events. It is very easy to burn through a bankroll doing this, though, and even easier to get absolutely burnt out on poker, as I did last summer.
I wish you the best, and please come say hi if you see me in Vegas this summer. And best of luck in winning a bracelet!
Shannon Shorr is a professional poker player from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He finished fourth in the Card Player 2006 Player of the Year race. You can follow his progress at shannonshorr.com, or e-mail him with questions and comments at [email protected].
