**** Culmination of a Lifelong Dream: TJ’s First Main Event! ****
“Look. If you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, in one moment, would you capture it? Or just let it slip.”
Like many of us, I first became fascinated with poker right from the start of the poker boom. Chris Moneymaker on ESPN (who’s already OUT of the 2025 Main Event!), the WPT on the travel channel, hole card cameras, and plentifully available games online.
It’s often a fun diversion to think about just what I’d do if I ever won the Main Event. Exactly how I’d spend or save or invest the money, what it might mean for the people in my life, and on and on.
But it’s always been just that, an idle daydream, because I’ve never entered the Main Event. It’s been on my lifetime bucket list for some time, of course. I’ve always said I can never play the Main Event, until I demonstrate enough success, either in poker or in life, that I could actually put up $10k to play.
That calculus changed for me this year.
Back in February, I made the final table of a large-field WSOP Circuit Event, finishing 4th for $52k. It was exhilarating, and SO much fun! We all know and experience the ugly math that goes into tournament variance. That run gave me the confidence, and the assurance, that yes, this IS possible, and I DO make good poker decisions (at least most of the time), and it COULD be worth it.
Ten grand is a LOT of money. There’s tons of fun stuff I could do with $10k. I’m looking to buy my first house in a few months, and that could go a long way toward figuring out the down payment, or furnishing a new place.
I’m (…acutely FEELING like I’m) getting older. I work in health care, and I see people my age or younger dying all the time, sometimes for no good reason. Tomorrow isn’t promised, to ANYone. Life is short. Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans. And anyway, you can’t take it with you.
Winning the Main Event is the sum of ALL poker dreams. It’s one I’m sure we’ve all been dreaming for a very long time. Life is supposed to be for living your own path, and feel like you’re following your dreams.
This summer, I’m going for it.
It takes a village. Any success I’ve ever had in poker can be directly attributable to strategy discussions with my poker friends, and this community.
No man is an island. And 10k is more than I’m comfortable putting down on my own.
So I sold 33% of my Main Event action. Here is the list of my investors:
Poker buddy Matt: 10%
Poker buddy G: 5%
leon: 5%
brianr: 3%
Poker buddy K: 3%
Poker buddy John: 2.5%
Poker buddy David: 2.5%
MuckPls: 2%
To all my investors, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. This wouldn’t be possible without you. In a way, I feel like this is a celebration, for ALL of this community, going to the Main Event, together.
I treat your confidence in me to make this investment as sacrosanct. I aim to prove, in this very thread, that it’s not misplaced.
But first, a word on being “out.”
I don’t care if anybody reading this knows my real name. Enough people know already, and it’s not terribly difficult to figure out, if you do a little sleuthing through the tourney results I’ve already posted about.
If I make any kind of notable run in this thing, trying to conceal my identity might as well be like trying to conceal a sunrise.
The only thing I DON’T want, is a googling of my real name, to lead to THIS thread.
So if everybody could refrain from posting my real name, I’d appreciate it.
I’m flying out Sunday morning, checking in to my Airbnb, then buying into Day 2D directly on Monday. I would have preferred to be there for a Day 1 also, to give myself a shot at the biggest punters’ stacks, but this is what works with my schedule, to get the time off. And it does have upside, of me playing one less day.
I’m constantly reminding myself, in poker AND in life, to be more present, and live in the moment. If I played the Main Event 100 times, I would be running WAY above expectation to cash in more than 15 of them. It’s more likely that I bust without cashing, much more than any other outcome.
So I’m resisting the temptation to base my happiness, or my criteria for success to be dependent on the results of this one, or any, tournament. I’m going to strive to take it all in, and enjoy the moment. Every moment. One moment, one decision at a time.
I'll be rooting for you.
I think you have the right mindset going in. I recently picked a team of 50 horses to collectively beat 1.6 ROI in this event. Six of my super elite NLHE MTT crushers have already busted the tournament (Nick Seward, Jason Koon, Stephen Song, Joe Cada, Spencer Champlin, and Chris Brewer). Even if you play perfectly, the ride will come to an end at some point, maybe much sooner than we'd like. Try to play your A game (or at least your B+ game) and be prepared to live with any outcome. On some level, it is up to the card gods.
I think you can consider yourself a winner if you can look back and be at peace with most of your decisions. Anything else is a bonus.
Enjoy the experience and GL to you.
Just sitting down at the table checks a bucket list box for you. Thus, as soon as you are dealt your first hand of the tournament you have won, because you will have accomplished a lifelong dream.
Obviously I hope you make a deep run. But my wish to you is that 1) the run is deep, and 2) the run is memorable and enjoyable.
You have a lot of people rooting for you. The village waits with great anticipation to find out how one of its own does in the Main.
Wishing you all the run good in the world.
I did not know you could enter on Day 2. Even though I'm terrible and have no business entering. I also don't have ten grand lying around, to be donated to someone's stripper fund. BUT I sunran (sunrunned?) a landmark satty this year, and it could've been a 1k satty just as easily. I was planning on entering a few more had I not taken sick.
Can you enter the morning of Day 2, or does it have to be at the end of Day 1?
You already got all of the tournament runbad out of your system. I don't see any other option than a very deep run. Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I did not know you could enter on Day 2. Even though I'm terrible and have no business entering. I also don't have ten grand lying around, to be donated to someone's stripper fund. BUT I sunran (sunrunned?) a landmark satty this year, and it could've been a 1k satty just as easily. I was planning on entering a few more had I not taken sick.Can you enter the morning of Day 2, or
It would be easy to look this up if they hadn't buried the structure sheets on their new and terrible website, but I believe the current rule is late reg through either the beginning or end of level 7.
They play 5 levels on day 1, so you would have about 2-4 hours into day 2 to register if my info is correct.
I think the first year of day 2 reg was 2 or 3 years ago, maybe the year Weinman won. Prior to that it wasn't an option.
Yes, you can actually max late reg a couple levels into Day 2 if you want, but I’m gonna enter at the start of the day.
I’ll start day 2 with 60k chips at the 400/800 level, which is plenty, with 2 hour levels.
GL TJ! Looking forward to reading your (always great) TR!
Be careful taking Delta. Apparently pieces fall off around your area.
Yes, you can actually max late reg a couple levels into Day 2 if you want, but I’m gonna enter at the start of the day.
I’ll start day 2 with 60k chips at the 400/800 level, which is plenty, with 2 hour levels.
What I just read is, you survived Day 1 and advanced to Day 2. Is it too soon to celebrate this achievement?
No, I’m still at work in North Carolina right now lol.
I’m skipping all four Day 1’s entirely, and I’m late reg entering the tournament at the start of Day 2D on Monday
No, I’m still at work in North Carolina right now lol.
I’m skipping all four Day 1’s entirely, and I’m late reg entering the tournament at the start of Day 2D on Monday
I know. I was just having some fun. I'm from the school of celebrate every achievement possible when playing in the often soul crushing arena that can be variance unfriendly tournament poker.
I do think the Main sounds like a slow enough structure that you can skip Day 1 and still have more than enough BBs to play some nuanced poker on Day 2.
good luck, jealous and excited for you
In.
See if you can get WH to freeze-dry some hashbrowns to take with you. Or if they will FedEx you some to LV.
glglgl
While $10k is a lot of money, this is what you wanted for a long time. My suggestions are:
Keep in mind that your goal was to play in the main event, not win nor even be in the money. That way you had success no matter what happens.
Don't think about poker as much as possible before you are at the table. Definitely don't play any poker. You were already showing burn out in the other thread. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You want to be fresh.
Have fun.
Eagerly looking forward to flying out when you make the final table!
True story- I used to play at Foxwoods all the time 2001-2003. Played with Greg Raymer several times, although he probably doesn't remember me. We played sometime just before Moneymaker won, it was one of the few pot limit hold em games that had just started up. He said something to me like "I think you should play the main event. You'd be perfect for it". (I took that to mean he thought I was a nit, which I was. This was when you could just nut peddle and print money). I also wished him luck the next time HE played the main.
Then, there was the now-famous post he made on 2+2 regarding Moneymaker's win, something to the effect of "only way this could be better would be if I had won it". Then, 2004 rolls around and the rest is history.
All this is to say, WHO'S TO SAY IT WON'T BE YOU??!!! gogogogo
While $10k is a lot of money, this is what you wanted for a long time. My suggestions are:Keep in mind that your goal was to play in the main event, not win nor even be in the money. That way you had success no matter what happens. Don't think about poker as much as possible before you are at the table. Definitely don't play any poker. You were already showing burn out in
+1
You are just at a poker table wit 8-9 other players. Just play the best you can and it's probably better than those other dweebs at your table. Don't do anything stupid and you will outlast them all. Every mistake I have made in a poker tournament has been a hero call/push. My mind says "**** it!" Don't do that! At least until you have a mountain of chips that can survive it. Lots of chips and long levels, no mistakes or hubris and you will go far!
GLGLGL
TJ
I want to wish you the absolute best in your main event journey!
Like others have said you’re already a winner by just partaking in it.
Listen to your inner voice and dont stack off light early on — without very good reason.
GO GO GADGET !!!!
GL
Good luck!
I’m skipping all four Day 1’s entirely, and I’m late reg entering the tournament at the start of Day 2D on Monday
Bart Hanson has been doing the same for the last 2-3 years, he is a big fan of entering at the start of day 2. Both for time management (especially for those who have a family), and also the general value of having a starting stack when day 2 starts instead of grind through day one.
I will however say that from the little I have seen on YouTube the last two mornings before I start work (live stream from Main Event), there are some God dang awful players in that field on day one. But thankfully some of those make it to day 2 as well, and there are obviously a lot of scary crushers as well.
Best of luck, and hopefully I can play this beautiful event some day myself!
GL
