After weeks of surviving the WSOP grind in Las Vegas, I came home convinced the poker gods owed me a little run good. Apparently, they had already spent my poker budget.
After weeks of grinding tournaments and cash games at the WSOP in Las Vegas, I finally made it home.
I was exhausted.
Thousands of hands.
Endless hours in poker rooms.
Late-night strategy discussions.
Casino food that somehow costs more than a steak dinner back home.
Enough walking to qualify for a marathon without ever leaving a casino.
It was time for a break.
Or at least that's what I told myself.
Naturally, my version of "taking a break" was driving to Foxwoods to play a $300 tournament.
Because nothing says "relaxation" quite like voluntarily sitting down with several people who are trying to eliminate you.
As I walked into the poker room, I felt confident.
I had just survived weeks of WSOP poker.
I'd made deep runs.
I'd final tabled a WSOP event.
Surely I could handle a little $300 tournament back home.
The poker gods looked down...
Smiled...
And immediately sent me to the rail.
Not "played all day and barely missed the money" early.
Not "close but no cigar" early.
I'm talking "I barely had time to remember my table number" early.
Well...
No problem.
That's why cash games exist.
I'll just win it all back.
Poker has a wonderful way of rewarding confidence.
Unfortunately, it usually rewards someone else's confidence.
The cash game didn't exactly become the comeback story I had imagined.
Every value bet got called.
Every bluff got looked up.
Every marginal hand politely reminded me that variance had apparently followed me home from Las Vegas.
Some players bring home souvenirs from Vegas.
I brought home bad luck.
Somewhere during the drive back, I think the poker gods quietly slipped into my passenger seat.
By the end of the night, I had officially completed the poker player's version of a balanced diet:
Tournament bust.
Cash game loss.
Drive home questioning every decision I've made since learning the rules of Texas Hold'em.
But here's the funny thing...
I still had a great time.
I caught up with familiar faces.
Laughed with friends.
Listened to table stories.
Met a few new characters who will almost certainly appear in future Chronicles.
Because that's really what ATMwithNoPIN has become.
Sure, winning is nice.
Paying the bills with poker is even nicer.
But the stories?
The stories never bubble.
They never get coolered.
They never miss a flush draw.
They just keep getting better.
So congratulations, poker gods.
You won this round.
But thanks for another blog post.
See you at the next tournament.
And yes...
I'll probably convince myself this is the one.
ATM Balance: Declined
Stories Collected: +1
Optimism for the Next Tournament: 100%
Because every poker player knows the most dangerous sentence in the English language:
"I have a good feeling about this one."