The Championship has started!

Play started a couple of hours ago in the World Championship. A few notables have already busted out, so just by sitting here at home I feel like I'm advancing :-)

I start Sunday morning, and if all goes well I continue Wednesday July 9th through Monday July 14th. At that point I will have been in Las Vegas for 24 of the past 40 days, and spent half of the rest recovering from Vegas. As you might expect, bills, work and chores are piling up and Dana's getting a little tired of managing the home front herself, particularly since I snuck in a 2-day trip to Los Angeles this week.

While the Main Event is a guaranteed thrill, it's hard not to have a little dread mixed in with the anticipation. After all, once it's over there's no more World Series for a whole year, and without a spectacular finish all hopes and dreams are dashed.

Getting knocked out of the World Series is supposed to be the worst day of the year for poker players. I've always found that the adrenaline and excitement of playing in poker's pinnacle carries me through for a few days. At this point I typically feel resolved to improve my life, my work, and my health. For me the worst part comes a few days later, when the utter exhaustion sets in, I find myself unusually irritable, conversations are difficult, and I repeatedly find myself doing silly things like putting the milk in the pantry or walking in circles trying to remember what I was doing.

But enough of such thoughts! My physical preparations are almost complete. Now it's time to work on a positive, patient, winning attitude, confident that I will take my time, reach the right decision, and that good fortune will come my way.