Practice (Resolution #7)

Just in case you thought I wasn't serious...

I'm watching (in HDTV) the 2007 World Series of Poker. I'm visualizing myself there, in the sea of people, on an island of ten. I'm watching the tells, I'm playing the game. I'm looking to see what the bets are in relation to the blinds, and how long it takes before people start to get impatient and bluff all-in. That won't be me. Not until I'm in the money anyway.

I've recorded every online tournament I've played this year and I've written software to help me analyze the games to correct my weaknesses and improve my strengths. I'm re-re-re-reading my books on the psychology of poker, and I'm reviewing my list of tells. I'm creating flash cards of win percentages for every hand situation I'll encounter so that I'll instantly know the odds, and hence, when it's right to chase, fold, or bet, mathematically speaking.

Basically, if the WSOP 2008 Main Event was a course in college, I'm studying for the final exam, and I expect to be a 4.0 student! But this is no final exam... it is my thesis defense! I'll be bringing to the table the sum of over a decade's worth experience playing (and hosting) home games in Atlanta. Adding to that the knowledge gained from playing in Casinos all over America (including Vegas several times), and Europe. I will bring with me the results of all the poker programs I have written to analyze the game, as well as every book I have read (already scanned) on poker, betting, and psychology.

WSOP 2008 will be my moment in time! At least for now. :) If I don't make the final table, I think I will be done with poker, but if I do make the final table and/or win endorsements, I'll play for one year in tournaments for the sole purpose of bringing my friends along for great vacations, but at the end of that year, it's bye-bye poker. There's just too many other things to get excited about in life!

But for now, I'm in training. Since the pace of online is so much faster than live game, I expect to instantly make my decisions, and then spend the rest of the time putting on a show, playing my persona and encouraging people to underestimate me. When they do, and the odds are right, I will pounce!

I'm planning my strategy! I've printed up how much it costs per hour to play (the blind structure) and last year's payouts for all the tournaments I'll be playing next week. In the main event, everyone starts with 20,000 chips and blinds start at 50/100 (about 450 chips/hour). I firmly believe that I can make the money simply by playing solid poker, not chasing, and never putting my life at risk until I have a winning hand.

If I don't get any cards, I probably won't make much higher than 600th (which pays $25,000) but if I *do* get some cards... enough to get me into 300th place or higher, well, then I'll start playing cards and play for the final table.

But on the first day, I'll be reluctant to risk more than 1/10th of my stack on a draw. In fact, I don't expect to put any money in unless I

• have the best hand, and am favored to win.
  
• have a favorable draw that stands to make me a mint.

Here's an example. Outside the blinds, I probably won't play but just a few hands: AA, AKs, KK, QQ, and maybe any A-paint suited, depending on how the other players play. However, if I'm in the big blind with say, 56o (five and six unsuited) and there's a raise with callers, there's a good chance I'll call hoping to catch a flop like 66A or 55A, or something that makes me a huge hidden favorite against a good hand. I'd even be leery of an all-in bet with a 56A flop! Of course, you can't always play premium hands, and you often win the most with rags, so, I'll play my non-premium hands while in the blinds, at least, until I'm in the money. (For this reason, I'll probably raise every pot I enter to try to push out the blinds, and if I don't, I'll be wary of calling an all-in bet with KK on a 479 flop.)

As another example, until the money, I'll fold hands like QQ to an all-in raise with a flops like J46. I'm going to give credit for 44 or 66 or even 46 (if they are in the blind). In a live game, I'd normally play back, assuming my opponent has something like AJ, but since you can't rebuy in the WSOP... I'm not going to take that risk. At least not until I'm well into the money.

As for the televised coverage... OMG, the opening sequence is as glitzy as Vegas! In HD, it's darn impressive! Check out the media coverage, and that's just a portion of it! You can see why I'm very concerned about my appearance! I need to be ready for that crowd, I need to exude confidence, I need to look like I belong in view of that camera, I need to shine when it is on me, and I need sparkle when it's not. I pray that if fortune shines on me, I can be a positive example to transgendered folks everywhere... poker is just a means to the end of helping people.

But... I could use help! What style? What clothes? What character to play and how to play her? How to practice, who will help keep it real? You see... you know all of my preparations... but no one else needs to. For this tournament, I get to re-invent myself, so if you've had experience doing that... please let me know!

And that's what the WSOP circuit event at Caesar's is about... there will not be any cameras there, so it's the perfect opportunity to practice for the main event. Unfortunately, since I'm now unemployed, I've had to dip into my WSOP buy-in, which means, in order to play in Vegas, I'll need to win some money here. But that's okay... if I can't win here, I'll be devastated, but I'll also accept defeat and cut short my losses.

However, every fiber in my being is telling me that Vegas is where I need to be. This year, this time, this event, as Clio. Just like Sammy, we're gonna do it our way!

And finally, here is my promise to my friends: if I make the final table, you have seats in the TV cheering section + hotel + airfare. Don't bother packing, just come! Together, we can make it happen; I hope you want me to be there and you know I want you there!

... back to studying!