Setting Goals and Expectations for the Return to Live Poker

More than one and a half years ago, the world we knew suddenly changed with the COVID-19 pandemic and the lives of many people were altered in ways nobody expected. The poker industry was certainly also affected by this as the momentum shifted from live events to the virtual arena. Most casinos closed for an extended period and many of the staff, members of the media and poker dealers had to seek other job opportunities.

I was among those involved to be on the more fortunate side and could carry on in the industry despite being a freelancer, essentially just needing my laptop, a VPN and stable internet connection. I was given the opportunity to improve my feature writing skills and covered online events along the way, albeit not on a frequent basis. Now that live poker is on the verge to return with the 2021 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in October and November, it leaves me somewhat dazzled, doubtful and curios.

Some of the lingering questions on my mind are as follows:

• Will I remember and recognise players at the tables?
• Will I be physically and mentally prepared for the long grind?
• How long will it take me to get back into my usual routine?
• How fast will I be able to process the information?
• How accurate will my chip counts be?
• What do I personally expect from the events itself?

None of these was even remotely up for consideration during all the previous years prior to the pandemic as I rushed from one event to the next one. I headed to places all over the world, some of which were entirely new to me and had zero doubt that I’d get the job done. But now that I am most likely one of the most senior reporters on the upcoming team, it kinda creates pressure on me by default to perform no matter what.

Guess I should attribute some blame for that on me tending to be a perfectionist and wanting to put as much information as possible out there. Given the circumstances, it’s definitely considered as an advantage to cover two other live poker festivals on my own just prior to get back into the thick of it.

One thing is for certain, it will be a busy fall and change of pace away from the boring home office that has been dominating my work routine for most of the last 18 months. It will be somewhat difficult to judge how many players will show up for the events even though the numbers for tournaments in Florida, Texas and Nevada have been massive.

But with the proof of vaccination in place in order to participate as per the latest announcement of the WSOP for its festival from September 30 to November 23, this may certainly affect the field sizes. The requirement was kind of to be expected from a corporate point of view but it managed to send the international poker scene in turmoil nonetheless. Heavy discussions broke out and many prominent players have taken a strict stance for one side or the other, some interactions have even turned quite hostile.

For me, the choice was rather simple. I knew many months ago that in order to travel, I was likely required to get the vaccine and made an educated choice after weighing up the pros and cons. Members of the poker media will also have to show proof of vaccination for the festival in Las Vegas and I have finally been able to book my flights.

The travel contains several obstacles as it is currently not possible to enter the US if you have been physically located in Schengen countries and the UK, for example. Those that wish to compete for a WSOP bracelet in Sin City or rely on the series to earn a significant portion of their income will have to spend time away from home in Croatia, Romania, Costa Rica, Cyprus or Mexico to provide a few possible destinations.

As such, it came in handy that the partypoker MILLIONS at Merit in Northern Cyprus takes place in September and the country is not yet part of Schengen, which essentially makes it the perfect solution for the current obstacles. Not only do I get more practice under the usual circumstances but there will likely also be plenty of familiar faces of the poker family around as well. Working these events has never been just a job to me because it didn’t take long to bond with staff, dealers and players all over the world while the tournaments unfolded.

It will be a solid boost for the overall balance ahead of poker’s biggest scene and that’s pretty much the best-case scenario one can hope for after such an unusual hiatus. Still, some uncertainty remains as travel restrictions may change from one day to the other and one negative PCR test result can alter the plans entirely. I am certainly excited to be on the road again and hope everyone else that made the same decision will be, too.

Now if I could only remember how to count stack sizes properly and not read them off my computer screen, that’d come in handy. Having any kind of expectations beyond putting in the utmost efforts myself seems foolish at this point, because that is the only thing I can influence right now.