2006 WSOP â€“ The Year of the Blogger

I was reading Gracie’s post asking who was going to play in the 2006 WSOP and it got me thinking a bit. Personally, I had never been much of a tournament player. I was pretty much a straight limit cash game player. Even though I could at least cash in most of the SnG’s I played in online, I just didn’t catch the NL tournament bug.

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As the $100 NL game became the defacto poker blogger game at the local LA card clubs I started to get into playing NL more and more. I made a few final tables at the Bike and HP when a buddy would goad me into playing a tournament but I never really considered myself any good at them. I just figured I wasn’t a complete drooling moron so that meant I could outlast at least half the field and if I got lucky I could coast into a money spot.

When the 2005 WSOP satellites started up I was moderately interested in winning a seat at either the $1500 event on Day 2 or the main event. Even though I had no illusions (or delusions) of making the final table or even the money at the main event I thought it would be interesting. So in my quest for a seat I tried to play at least one tournament a week. While I didn’t win a seat I was consistently making the top 10 or top 20 out of fields that sometimes numbered over 1500.

So Gracie’s post has me wondering if the poker bloggers can’t make some kind of significant showing at next year’s WSOP. We obviously have some talented players in our group and with 365 days to prepare, why couldn’t a large contingent of bloggers win seats to one of the events and make a respectable showing?

At the risk of sounding like a motivational speaker, goals are the key to success. Michael Jordon didn’t go out and practice every day just randomly hoping that putting in hours on the court would make him a better player. He said “I’ve gotta work on this” or “I’ve gotta improve my _____.” Then he went out and practiced, practiced and practiced until he nailed it. In my own game, I’ve noticed that my biggest leaps in improvement have come when I’ve set either public or private goals for myself. My biggest percentage run up in bankroll came as a result of a sixty day challenge I had set for myself. In fact, I almost reached my goal in just the first 30 days (I hit my goal in 34 days). Before that I had been making only periodic and mediocre progress for months.

So my goal for 2006 is to win a seat into the WSOP and to do moderately well. Optimally, I would like to win seats into more than one WSOP event so as to optimize my chances to achieve the “and to do moderately well” part of the goal but I’ll set the bar at one and see how it goes.

Anybody else for making a public declaration to play in the 2006 WSOP?

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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

1 billy b July 20, 2005 at 4:24 pm: I am In.

I didn’t get to drop the hammer this year.

peace
billyb
2 Dragonystic July 19, 2005 at 4:11 pm: I’m in.

Those pro’s will never see 72o coming!
3 Mike July 18, 2005 at 3:05 pm: Hopefully this isn’t poker sucide, but I’m in!
4 Mourn July 18, 2005 at 12:51 pm: Yep, I’m with you, and I did make the declaration in a similar post last week or so. I relized if I made the 06 WSOP my goal, a lot of other, smaller goals naturally follow. It’s pretty much going to be my entire focus for the next year.

See you there.
5 Drizztdj July 18, 2005 at 10:44 am: As stated on Gracie’s blog… if the bankroll hits 5 digits, I will be there and playing. Just wish it was Omaha instead of Hold Em’ so I’d have a chance.
6 gracie July 18, 2005 at 10:19 am: “2006 WSOP â€“ The Year of the Blogger”

That has a nice ring to it!
7 iggy July 17, 2005 at 6:28 pm: count me in, bill.