Rise and Shine - and Play Poker

I'm all signed up and ready to play - got my entry ticket last night.  Event #43, $1,500 No Limit Holdem.  Keep in mind this isn't the $10,000 buy-in Main Even that you see on TV every year that pays out in the millions.  This is on of the other 60 events that leads up the Main Even  a few weeks away.  If I do well in this tournament - who knows?  Maybe I'll try my luck in the big one.

In this event, the buy-in gets every player 4,500 in chips.  The winner is the last person standing (or rather, sitting) with all of the chips.  Unlike a cash game, in tournaments the blinds (the forced antes that the two players to the left of the dealer position, or "button") are periodically increased to force the action.  The levels are 60 minutes long and the blinds are increased after each level.  Antes are introduced at level 6 - this is when the tournament kicks into a higher gear.  Now there is enough chips on the table to get people to start trying to "steal" pots.  Play becomes more aggressive and there is more raising and re-raising.  The good players are good at picking the right time to steal pots.  Whether you get good cards or not, it is crucial to steal pots here and there in order to keep your stack growing to pay for the ever increasing blinds.  Enough poker talk.

Me arriving at the Rio:

Time to prepare.  Things to bring: water, sunglasses ( I wear them sometimes depending on the mood), iPhone to listen to music to calm me after a bad beat, a banana or snack and a sweatshirt.  Last year we started at noon and played til 2am - it's a grind.  Must go into battled prepared.

Purchasing my entry ticket.  There's a very fine line between standing in line to buy a ticket to the World Series and standing in line at 7-11 to play the Lottery.

I'll try to update as much as I can via my phone - so expect more grammar and spelling errors.  Here we go!