WSOP Main Event Dreams -- The Thing That Started This Blog
A story that was posted today by venerable (or venereal) poker blogger Ken P whisked me out of my dreary rain-soaked central Illinois day and took me back to 2006 -- ahhh, smack in the heyday of online poker. Looking back, I think the term "good old days" would certainly apply.
Poker.com, one of over 30 online poker rooms that got the time and attention of this online poker player, was running a special tournament series for poker bloggers. Why not get in on it, I thought. Thus, Lightning Strikes was born on March 29, 2006. The sole motivation at that time was to qualify for the series. I have always been a practical person.
Fortunately for me, the last qualifying tournament for the grand final was changed so that instead of winning a tournament to get a seat to the final, one only had to make the top ten. I roached to the final table, hitting the rail in eighth place, securing a seat alongside 43 other players vying for a free entry into the WSOP Main Event.
I was pretty excited to actually be playing a freeroll with only 44 players with a $10,000 WSOP Main Event buy in as the top prize. A post dated July 1, 2006 tells the tale of the tournament. This is a screen shot of the results:
Needless to say, I was breathing pretty heavily -- even more heavily than Very Josie when she stands next to me -- when we got down to the final four. As my recap of the tournament alluded to, it was unfortunately a case of "close, but no banana." This was the closest I ever got to actually playing in the Main Event.
I did capture a WSOP $2000 prize package two years later in a freeroll as part of the Battle of the Blogger Tournaments (BBT) 3, however.
The funny part of this win was that it was during the WSOP and I actually had a trip to Las Vegas planned for a few days after the victory. However, that was a special NON-GAMBLING trip that I was taking with my youngest daughter. There was no way no play in a WSOP tournament. I did use the cashish to play in my first official WSOP tournament a year later.
Playing in any WSOP event is sweet. It is so much sweeter when you play there on someone else's dime.
Poker.com, one of over 30 online poker rooms that got the time and attention of this online poker player, was running a special tournament series for poker bloggers. Why not get in on it, I thought. Thus, Lightning Strikes was born on March 29, 2006. The sole motivation at that time was to qualify for the series. I have always been a practical person.
Fortunately for me, the last qualifying tournament for the grand final was changed so that instead of winning a tournament to get a seat to the final, one only had to make the top ten. I roached to the final table, hitting the rail in eighth place, securing a seat alongside 43 other players vying for a free entry into the WSOP Main Event.
I was pretty excited to actually be playing a freeroll with only 44 players with a $10,000 WSOP Main Event buy in as the top prize. A post dated July 1, 2006 tells the tale of the tournament. This is a screen shot of the results:
Needless to say, I was breathing pretty heavily -- even more heavily than Very Josie when she stands next to me -- when we got down to the final four. As my recap of the tournament alluded to, it was unfortunately a case of "close, but no banana." This was the closest I ever got to actually playing in the Main Event.
I did capture a WSOP $2000 prize package two years later in a freeroll as part of the Battle of the Blogger Tournaments (BBT) 3, however.
The funny part of this win was that it was during the WSOP and I actually had a trip to Las Vegas planned for a few days after the victory. However, that was a special NON-GAMBLING trip that I was taking with my youngest daughter. There was no way no play in a WSOP tournament. I did use the cashish to play in my first official WSOP tournament a year later.
Playing in any WSOP event is sweet. It is so much sweeter when you play there on someone else's dime.
posted by lightning36 at 2:38 PM
4 Comments:
Still dreaming of playing in the WSOP some day. Some day..........
The donkathons at the WSOP only cost $1000 -- pretty cheap to play on the big stage. I have played in a few WSOP Circuit Events, but it is not the same as being at the Rio with a few thousand fellow competitors.
I keep telling myself that one day I'll play in a couple of small events - I think that "one day" is next year!
Awesome that you got to experience your first for free - but man it pains me to look at that first pic and see you sitting there at 4th - ugh. Pure agony I'm sure.
These early wins were before my time of following your blog. You were really close to an entry to the big one!!
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