Last Voyage Up The Oregon Trail: 2009 WSOP Preview

When I was in third grade, pretty much my favorite thing in the world was the computer game The Oregon Trail. There were few children’s games back then that featured such a high degree of left and right brain skill. I played every opportunity I got at school.
You started the game by naming the leader of the family and the four family members coming along. One time, I thought it would be funny to name the wagonmaster “Poop” and his companions things like “Piss” and so on. This trip up the Oregon Trail was deliberately doomed, so that when the last of the family finally died “Poop” would have a hilariously infamous grave (“Here Lies Poop”) and epitath. When the last of the expedition died, I wrote “I come out of a butt” for the epitath.

Word of this mischievous stunt leaked to the school’s higher powers, and they were not pleased. The hammer came down hard – that was probably the worst trouble I’d gotten into my first nine years. I don’t remember all the details of the punishment – probably some combination of restricted computer time, labor, reading, etc. I wasn’t going to be allowed to play The Oregon Trail again at Bixby School. And one more thing – the principal wanted me to go through the game, looking for a way to erase that vile gravestone.

I was given two hours one afternoon to try to eradicate “Poop” and his dirty epitath. I knew going in that was a hopeless mission. The chances of running across the gravestone were slim, and even if I stumbled upon it, I had no idea how to clear it. I regarded those two hours as my final opportunity to play the game, and I gave it my all. I had long wished to overtake the legendary “Stephen Meek” atop the Oregon Trail leaderboard. This would be my final chance. I was going to give it everything I had, and enjoy every last minute.

This may be the last time I stay in Las Vegas for the duration of the World Series of Poker. Spending six weeks in Vegas is an exhausting experience, suited only for diehard professionals. It is my hope that a year from now I will no longer be a professional poker player, let alone a diehard. I am hoping to extricate myself from the world of professional poker, to the point where my income comes from other sources and I can play the game for recreation. Whether or not this actually happens seems questionable based on track record, but imagining another six-week stretch in the City of Sin is even more dubious.

This summer, though, I will be there from start to finish playing a full diet of tournaments. Although my temperament isn’t in all-out assault status as it was last year at this time, I will find myself at the casino almost every day eating, drinking, breathing, and playing tournament poker.

Desirae and I will leave Boulder on Thursday aiming for a Friday afternoon arrival at a house on Buried Treasure Court in southwest Las Vegas. The three other extended residents are PiMaster, TheMasterJ33, and SamENole. It should be a focused, low-key environment, a far cry from last year's action-packed and ultimately exhausting stay at the Castle. I relieved myself of organizational duties this year. I'll be happy to settle into a role with less stress and leadership. In fact, this could end up being an enjoyable and memorable summer even if I don't make any significant scores. There are many people I would like to see do well at the WSOP. For the first time I can remember, I know several people whose success would bring me more happiness than my own. This includes everyone in the house, several pals from the circuit, and close friends from Boulder - some who will be popping their WSOP cherries.

Personally I'm looking at roughly 21 events at the WSOP with around $55,000 worth of buy-ins. I'll be texting updates to twitter.com/gnightmoon.

Tournaments I will very likely play:

May 30 $1k NLHE
June 1 $1.5k PLO
June 3 $1.5k 6-handed NLHE
June 3 $2.5k PLHE/PLO
June 8 $2.5k 6-handed NLHE
June 9 $1.5k PLHE
June 10 $1.5k NLHE Shootout
June 24 $2.5k Mixed HE
June 25 $1.5k PLO8
June 28 $3k Triple Chance NLHE
June 30 $5k 6-handed NLHE
July 3 $10k NLHE World Championship

Tournaments I will likely play:

June 2 $1.5k NLHE
June 4 $2k NLHE
June 5 $2.5k NLHE
June 11 $1.5k NLHE
June 13 $1.5k NLHE
June 14 $2.5k PLO
June 15 $2k NLHE
June 16 $1.5k NLHE
June 18 $2k NLHE
June 20 $1.5k NLHE
June 21 $5k NLHE Shootout
June 27 $1.5k NLHE
June 29 $1.5k NLHE

Tournaments I am on the fence for:

June 6 $5k NLHE
June 17 $5k PLO

Tournaments I will think about if things are going very well:

June 13 $10k NLHE Heads Up
June 20 $10k PLO
June 23 $10k PLHE
June 28 $1.5k Stud Hi/Lo

I am not going to let this WSOP bring me down. No matter what happens, I am going to be up more money at the end of the Series than I had projected the first four months of this year. You will not be reading any posts of this nature on the blog this summer, though I may spit out one or two of these.

I never found that gravesite during that last trip up the Oregon Trail, and I didn’t break Stephen Meek’s records. But it wasn’t too long before they let me play again, and eventually I finished the game with all five members in good health along with tons of supplies and smashed all those records. I say this will probably be the last blast, but in the poker world, you just never know what’s going to happen next.