Surviving in Las Vegas

I’ve discovered something both magnificent and terrible at the same time, and no I do not mean Pokémon Go. The wonder that is the American culinary zeitgeist has decided that those sweet breakfast waffles covered in icing sugar and maple syrup go great with fried chicken, and it does.

I’ve written about life-leaks before, specifically about nutrition, but it would be so easy to over indulge here in Sin City. I don’t know about anyone else but if I eat too much junk and not enough fruits and vegetables I find myself sluggish and not able to play my best.

What other leaks are there in Vegas? In short, all of them, and in quantities that you don’t see anywhere else on the planet. Food, booze, the opposite sex and table games are all there to distract you from your game and eat into your bankroll if you go crazy with them.

Now don’t give me wrong, indulge in these things as much as you like (provided you are single of course) but remember the negative impact they can have on your life if they get out of hand.

I remember bumping into a friend here in Vegas last year. He had been awake for 36 hours straight and was some horrible mixture between drunk and hungover. He excused himself to the bathroom, after he was gone for such a long time I texted him. He was pretty sure he lost an organ in there. I told him to go back to his room and sleep for 24 hours, but less than 30 minutes later I got a text about the cash game he had hopped into on the way back to his hotel, he made a few quid that session, but let’s not be results orientated!

Rest days are so important in Vegas. There is always a game and always a party here, and there is always another one tomorrow. You aren’t missing out by skipping an event, far from it. If you don’t recharge your batteries it could be you stuck in a public restroom losing a liquefied organ. I plan my rest days in advance. I knew that I had 5 days on the trot where the games were particularly juicy, so I opted to skip what would have been a very soft $1,000 at the Rio in favour of recharging my batteries.
Dara O’Kearney and other professionals have often gone one step better. Dara took a week out of his WSOP schedule to take a trip to another State here in the US. I’ve never done it myself but I’d recommend it. I’m fortunate enough to have a high school friend out here that performs in the show Absinth at Caesars Palace (which I highly recommend, look out for the Bubble Girl if you go!) Having the chance to have a meal with her away from the strip is always welcome, I don’t think I realise the effect all the noise and flashing lights are having on me until I get away from it for a while.
Another unique thing about Vegas is its duration and the effect it can have on your mental state. If I’m playing online I can bust 12 tournaments in a night and still not be done with my session. It’s one night of pain and that is quite manageable. Busting 12 tournaments in a row is quite a common thing, but when it happens live, it isn’t 1 night of pain, it’s probably closer to two weeks’ worth of it. The bust outs being spread out means you have more time to dwell on them, whether it’s a bad beat or a bad play, if you don’t recognise the fact that the pain is being drawn out it can quickly come to sap your morale and stifle your ability to play your A game. It’s important to move past the negatives of busting, analyse the mistake if necessary and get on with the next competition.

You’ve probably noticed that this article is quite cathartic for me! I’ve had a great spell online just before coming out here to Vegas, winning the GPPT for ~$77,000, but busting a whole bunch of competitions live quickly takes the wind out of your sails. That being said, I am having a blast out here. The poker has been particularly friendly and sociable at the tables and I’ve had the chance to wine and dine with some of the good guys of the poker world while I’m out here. At time of writing I’ve made my first day 2 and it is my last tournament out here. It’s the “Little One For One Drop” a $1,111 buy in tournament with $111 going to the One Drop charity. I’m through to day 2 as one of the chip leaders as well, so here is hoping I can make a final table run and write a blog all about it for next time.