The Poker Marathon

By Eugene Cummins - 6th March 2005

The WSOP 2005 will have an expected field of thousands, so is it really worth investing the time in entering the event?

The $2k NL Hold-em first day event is surely much better value. Even if you do bust out then you still have another $8k to blow on other tournaments. Of course you would never get the fame you would from winning the big one, but James Vogel did pretty well last year and I'm sure a lot of UK poker player would know who he was from that win. First place in the smaller events is still enough to make a big difference in my life. I think I may be just as excited to be on the final of the 2k as the 10k.

After playing a two day event recently, I found myself shattered by the end of the day two. I hear people like Phil Hellmuth train for big events by going jogging and going to the gym. I'm not sure if living of pizza's and kebabs is working for me! Will I have to submit and become a slave to the treadmill to succeed in the massive multi table tournaments?

Maybe it's not the physical fitness but the mental fitness you need for these events. Would good training be to sit in your local card room grinding it out for a few days doing some 10-12 hour sessions? Would this really prepare you for the marathon which is the WSOP main event? The last winner, Greg Raymer, was a man who seemed to always be setting himself mental challenges. If you look at his posts on the internet they are always well though out and insightful.

I'm still not sure. What I do know is that I can understand the guy who stayed in bed last year for the 2nd to last day. He may have lost a few chips in blinds but when he did turn up fresh it wasn't too long before he won them back. Could this be the strategy? I have played a lot of poker but never in the events that go over several days. It's mentally draining and when I'm mentally drained I feel tired and I'm not sure any of us can play our 'A' game when like that.

Then again it's the WSOP so the buzz, the cameras, the thrill of Vegas, the free drinks, and not to mention the thought of winning a bracelet, oh and not forgetting the money. Surely that would keep you going if nothing else did.

Will I be doing satellites myself? Well maybe it's going to be hard to avoid playing them online. Every site seems to be running satellites, and well I do love Vegas!