Just A Game, Isn't It?

I learnt a lot from my latest trip to Vegas (read blogs here), mostly about myself and my relationship with a card game that we are all beholden to. It all started out way before the poker boom as a game whose challenge enthralled me. As the time passed, stakes and profits grew and poker became more than just a card game but a way to supplement my income. Attended to that came pressure. Pressure to eke out a few hundred a month that I would rely on to pay for the mundane everyday expenses that real life brings.

Having a semi-respectable job, a moderately respectable wife, and two highly respectable children inevitably led to playing poker less often and relying on the old fashioned way to make money. Being in Vegas for the first time in four years made me realise that however much I pine for the freedom to play poker all day every day it is a hard existence. Spending lots of time (courtesy of Poker Verdict) with established poker pros who were there for the duration of the World Series was something that I thought I would be envious of. The truth was it brought home to me, despite the camaraderie and freedom of that life, quite how hard, and at times, lonely and boring the life of a poker pro can be.

Upon my return I resolved that poker for me was no longer about the bottom line. For the money to have a real impact on my standard of living I would have to play for stakes that could lead to substantial losses. That kind of pressure undoubtedly affects the enjoyment of playing the game for its own sake. Having lost my appetite for playing either live or online for a good couple of months after my return (after all The Vic or PokerStars hardly compare favourably to the Venetian) when I did reboot I decided to play in William Hill’s nightly $20,000 guarantee for a modest $109 buy-in.

My sole intention was to play for the enjoyment of the challenge of competition. Sure enough I bested the field of 193 runners to emerge with the $6,000 first prize.

One more time

Buoyed by my success, and particularly the thrill of winning, two days later I had another go. Somewhat amazingly I won it again for another $6,000. On both occasions I focused only on the tournament in hand. No multi-tabling, no money pressure, no ladder climbs, just concentrating on winning the tournament. Obviously my luck held in both (the best example was holding 7-7 on a flop of 6-6-7 and having two people move in before me which vaulted me into a massive chip lead) but the thrill of the competition reminded me of why I fell in love with poker all those years ago. Not for the money, but for the game.

My poker nirvana and being at peace with my new found relationship with the game was, however, short-lived. Not long after winning for the second time the inevitable thoughts crept into my head – hang on, shouldn’t I be playing this for higher stakes, I could be making some serious money from this game…? Having seen the future of life as a pro, or even semi-pro, I managed to resist and continue to treat the game as a fun hobby in the way that others play golf or bridge. After Vegas, that’s the way I intend to keep it.

PS Shortly after writing this Jeff went for the hatrick in the William Hill $20,000 Guarantee. Amazingly he was chip leader with about 80 runners left before crashing out in 28th place, just short of the money.

Until next time,

Jeff Israel aka "Lord Neil"

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