Rhythm

Working the WSOP is a lot like being on tour with a rock band – something I did a fair bit of in my prior life. The beginning of any tour is the most stressful time on the tour, as new employees and new systems are established. Or at least old systems are re-established.

The beginning of the WSOP is also frantic – although much less so this year as noted in an earlier post of mine. You have a ton of new employees, a mass of humanity in front of you, and all you want to do is make some semblance of order.

On tour, you have dates and times that are much more stressful than others. New York and LA shows suck. Period. The whole world is there, they all think they are the most important people in the world and they all want tickets cause their dog goes to the same dog whisperer as the drummer’s dog. Oh, never mind all the record company people, national press, and music biz VIPs….who, of course can be some of the highest maintenance people of all.

The WSOP has its own versions of ‘New York and LA shows’. The $50k HORSE, for example. The pressure and the attention is much heightened at this event, and its definitely something you mark on your calendar. As a fan of poker, you can at least enjoy watching the elite field ply their skills in games that not everyone plays all the time. The HORSE event has its positives – it’s not completely like the New York shows, where you just can’t wait until you are on your way to Hartford, or Philly the next night.

On tour, you look forward to the Tuesday nights in Indianapolis, as you look forward to the four event days at the WSOP where the last event is a Stud/8 tournament you know will be 25 tables, tops – our version of a Tuesday night in Indy.

The point is…once you are on tour, you begin to find a rhythm. Your sleep clock changes, the times of day when you need to really be ‘on your game’ changes, the people you deal with (co-workers on tour) become your temporary friends, while your permanent friends back home know it’s a couple months before you can have lunch, a drink, or even a meaningful (over 2 minute) phone conversation with them.

This morning, I woke up for the first time in this years WSOP feeling like I was starting to get into the rhythm. Today is the first in a ten day (or so) string where we have 5 or 6 events each day – a reporting team’s nightmare. I wonder how I will be on the other side of that stretch. How many nights until Indianapolis?