26
The Dream
It’s Satellite Day at the World Series, which means the dreamers have descended upon the Rio in full force, hoping to scratch and claw their way into the main event. This is the first day since the Series began that there hasn’t been a Day One of a bracelet event, and there is a noticeable sense of relief permeating the halls of the Convention Center: we’ve almost made it.
Today and tomorrow will feature satellites of every shape and form—supers with rebuys, megas, one-tables with varying buy-ins—but all have the same purpose, to give some lucky amateurs a relatively cheap shot at getting a seat in the Big One. Their giddiness is infectious. It makes me want to abandon this computer, run down the hall, and start playing. I, of course, harbor the same dream as everyone else.
And what are the pros doing today? Hopefully, for their sake, sleeping. After four straight weeks of near constant play they have to be exhausted. But more likely the majority of them are out playing golf, an activity that seems to accomplish the same goals as staying in bed, which is to simply take their minds off poker for a little while. Mike Matusow swore to me several weeks ago that he was going to stay away from the tables for the three or four days leading up to the championship event. It’s a good strategy and one most of the true title contenders are taking. To win the world championship is going to require the winner to outlast nearly 10,000 other players over the course of nine long days of play. That’s right, nine days. To all those with dreams of lasting that long I can only offer my sincerely heartfelt support: good luck. You’re going to need more than your rightful share of it.
