Familiar Faces in a new place

The 2022 World Series of Poker is just a couple of weeks away from starting. The poker community seems to be buzzing with anticipation as this time of year brings all kinds of action to Las Vegas. The waitlists for cash games will be unbearably long, the heat will be in full effect, and players will be complaining about first world problems. Music to my ears! Well, maybe not exactly music but I am looking forward to experiencing my first summer WSOP. This will be my second WSOP ever and second as a “professional poker player”. 

Leading up to the series, I have been spending a lot of time cramming in study. It’s amazing how such a big event in Las Vegas can quickly get my study habits 100% back on track. I never stopped studying poker, but to see how much material I have covered when compared to that last 6 months makes it seem as if I have some exclusive access that will be expiring soon. Usually, I will get in one or two study sessions a week. The past two weeks I have made sure to consume some form of content related to poker education daily. Its all for the sake of being prepared. Even though a lot of the players will be considered “tournament players”, I think its still a good idea to brush up on some old theory concepts and study new ones as well.

Why do all this studying? As a professional I am always looking to increase my edge. Combine that with some of the biggest tournament series in poker, where thousands of players from around the world, and you have yourself some juicy games but also some stiff competition. Of course, this should go without saying but it all depends on the table you end up sitting down at. The variety of players that come are insane. There are the online grinders, tournament grinders, poker geeks, poker nerds, old timers, OMC’s, wannabe, vacationers, the only plays the WSOP, satellite winners and the list could go on for another page describing the type of players that show up. Or you could generalize them into a few broad categories: Thinking players, Recreational and Drunks. Yes, that is right I put drunks in their own category. If you have played cash games at the WSOP before then you will understand why I think drunks deserve their own category. Basically, you want to find yourself in a game with people who are drinking. It doesn’t matter how you describe them, if they are drinking then you want to be at that table as soon as possible.

I was glad that I was able to have an opportunity to play cash games at the WSOP the last year it was at the Rio. I remember watching clips of the WSOP on ESPN from the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Then suddenly it was at the Rio. No more Binion’s intro or views of what I would later find out is Fremont Street. I didn’t know what happened but now I knew what the Rio looked like. When I finally moved to Vegas, I did what any poker enthusiast would do. I visited the Rio to see where the WSOP was held and visited Binion’s to see the hall of fame. Last year as I prepared to play during my first WSOP, I was given a lot of tips by my coach and friends on what to expect at the Rio. It was helpful, it made it less intimidating, it was an experience that I will never forget. I don’t know what to expect this year, but I do not think that the cash games will be any different. If anything, it will be crazier than before. The WSOP is going to be on the strip! That means that every semi-enthusiast poker fan will have no excuse to come check out the WSOP.

Am I nervous? A little, but the good kind of nervous. The competitive “its game time” kinds of nervous. I didn’t know what a good cash game was until last year during the WSOP. Am I anxious? Yes, a little. The money is great during this time, but the hours are long. I slowly have started to try and get myself acclimated to nightly grinding by introducing an extra night per week leading up to the series. I think its working but I one thing I think I need to be better at this year is my time management while at games. Am I excited? Yes! I think one thing that this series can do for player like myself is remind them why they love the game so much. The skill level is so broad, the people are so unique, the jokes and conversations are never ending but in the end it’s all about the cards. It’s just pure poker for 6 weeks.  

Bizzy’s 2022 Gains: -$1328.41

Click on image to enlarge
Click on image to enlarge

2 thoughts on “Familiar Faces in a new place

  1. CM says:

    The minus symbol always made it look like you were losing, then I looked at the graph. But then the graph doesn’t line up either, as the green line isn’t 1300.

    Your two readers deserve better info!!!

    GL.

    1. Bizzy says:

      The minus symbol is accurate, I am down for the year. The graph is never going to line up because it just shows hands played online and does not include live play. I have been thinking about what I could change or add. Any suggestions would be welcome!

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