The Wind Beneath My Wings

I reluctantly decided to play the $1k event today at the LAPC. It was the best tournament I have ever played. Years of practice, hundreds of tournaments, hours and hours of playing live poker all came together on this dark, rainy night in Commerce, CA.

My bankroll is at a point where I can play these tournaments without concern for the money. Honestly, a $1k tourney with this structure isn't very good EV. Playing cash games downstairs or online would be a better way to make money. I played today for practice and for fun.

I could see everything before it happened. You play enough tournaments, you know what people are going to do before they do. I always think about how baseball players talk about how big the ball looks when they are hitting well. The ball is getting bigger and bigger for me.

The final table from yesterday's event included David Baker, Joe Tehan, and Michael Binger (the eventual champion). These guys always seem to get deep, they always seem to have chips, they're always at the final table. They don't run good. They play good. If you're smart enough, and you play enough tournaments, and you dedicate yourself to the game, eventually you get really good. It has taken me years to figure it out, to sharpen the sword. I'm finally at the point where I know how to play.

I was at a table with Feming Chan and Matt Stout, two excellent young players from Jersey. We're all in the same boat, guys that have been solid for a while and are now cresting, really figuring out the exact right way to play every hand. We discussed almost every hand we were in, knowing we were giving each other information but just being so interested in the game that we couldn't help but talk about it.

I took a bad beat and finished 35th for an inconsequential cash. I didn't care. It's not about money anymore, not as much anyways. It's about the game, enjoying it, treasuring it, mastering it.