Swimming with Sharks

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I wake up at 3am and a list of questions flood my mind. Should I rent a car in case driver shortages mean it’s hard to get an Uber? How much should I…
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In tournament poker, the blinds and antes increase with every level. The Main Event at the WSOP has long levels and a slow structure. Your starting…
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I’m standing in the long line at the Rio to verify my vaccination status and a man walks right up to me. Masks are required in the hallways, but his is…
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My eyelids are heavy, my shoulders low as I flop into my seat for the $1k Double Stack. I may have taken advantage of one too many free drinks at the…
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I wake up confident, energized, determined. I don't remember my dreams, but I suspect they foretold a masterful run toward a final table. I meditate…
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I’m feeling a current of anxiety, interwoven with a premonitory dread. I try to tell myself this is just another of the few dozen live tournaments I’ve…
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With a full night’s sleep, I settle into what will be my daily routine the next month and a half. I meditate, then head to the gym for a run on the…
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We begin our descent, and tourists press their noses to the glass for the first glimpses of the Las Vegas Strip. From my aisle seat, I peer over…
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Today is the first of six starting flights of the WSOP Main Event, the largest, most prestigious event in the poker world. For a $10k buy-in, anyone can…
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I'm back for day 2 of the $1k Double Stack, one of the 1,068 players that remain from both starting flights. I have the second most chips at my starting…
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Too many people start this journey wanting to become the best. But what does that mean? No-limit hold 'em or mixed games? The person who wins the most…
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I'm at the Rio for the 11am start of the $1500 Super Turbo Bounty event. I thought about skipping — the structure is too fast, making it more of a…
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