The Rusty Blade: 2012 WSOP Preview

This weekend I am driving to Las Vegas for an eighth World Series of Poker. I’ll be playing just about every day for the next six weeks.

I’ve played poker once since October. Rarely have I watched others play the game, on TV or the internet. I couldn’t tell you who has won 2012’s majors. I haven’t discussed hands with friends or thought about them in my own time. This is not the recipe for success in today’s competitive landscape.

Unless, of course, things like health, disposition, experience and confidence matter in this game. I’m an old dog with fresh legs. I’ll be living with some other crusty vets in a mundane home off the 215. It’s all old hat at this point. I even struggled to come up with a gimmicky analogy for this annual post and write more than a couple hundred words.

But I’m excited. Very excited. World Series runs neck and neck with pocket aces as the most stimulating two words in the industry. I always get up for the WSOP. How could you not?

Maybe I’ll get lucky. I am so fortunate to be in this position, to have this opportunity to play a full schedule on my own dime at an eighth World Series of Poker. There are few players in the world who have been able to do that over the course of their careers, just a handful who have been able to do it before the age of thirty. Perhaps I’ll take advantage. Or perhaps I’ll strike out, then go back to being one of the most fortunate people on Earth.

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