Table of Content
VSO Information author and poker professional Dara O’Kearney returned to the Seniors on the WSOP 2022, and he observed a change from earlier editions. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Some senior moments
The primary event of my 2022 World Collection of Poker marketing campaign was the Seniors. It’s honest to say I’ve a love-hate relationship with Seniors occasions. In my first one again in 2015, I discovered myself at a desk of MAGA sorts debating which they hated extra, the Communist Republic of Colorado (as they known as it) or the Communist Republic of California. I responded with a hail storm of B phrases: I used backdoors and blockers as causes to bluff off most of my stack within the first 20 minutes.
the perfect technique is to make the perfect hand and wager the bejaysus out of it
Within the intervening years, I’ve discovered to rein it in a bit in tournaments the place the perfect technique is to make the perfect hand and wager the bejaysus out of it. That has led to a nonetheless lower than stellar file of a few min cashes, so I suppose it’s not really honest to say I’ve a love-hate relationship with Seniors occasions. It’s extra hate-hate interspersed with occasional moments of affection.
That stated, there have been extra of the latter in my newest occasion. When a woman at my Day 2 desk despaired out loud on the overturning of Roe versus Wade, I might inform from the bristling and squirming of a few of the males from purple states on the desk they had been on the opposite aspect of the difficulty, however all of them saved it to themselves.
Outdated canines and new methods
I just lately famous in my piece on the Girls occasion that Vanessa Kade observed a pattern towards extra real technique dialogue and fewer discuss of unhealthy beats within the girls’s sport. The identical was true of the Seniors this yr, and in precise truth, the extent of dialogue was gentle years forward of what I’d beforehand skilled. As a substitute of the standard guff about realizing you had been at it, placing you on a hand, and placing you to the check for all of your chips, the discuss of blockers backdoors and vary benefit led me to conclude that quite a lot of Seniors had spent the pandemic within the lab.
The tenor of those occasions appears to have modified through the years too. The place they was events to complain about youthful folks and specific monumental satisfaction that there have been none within the occasion, there are actually extra jokes and self-deprecating darkish humor about what it means to be previous. When one gentleman expressed annoyance on the early 10am Day 2 begin, one other identified:
“They might begin it at 7 as a result of, let’s face it, we’re all waking as much as pee at 6.30.”
Once they despatched us on dinner break close to the bubble, we questioned whether or not the break size was ample for sufficient of us to die and break the bubble.
Leaving chips behind
One gentleman who didn’t see the humorous aspect of our joke went bust close to the bubble, or thought he had. He hadn’t performed a hand all day, main us all to assume he was following the “blind into the cash” technique. He misplaced his thoughts pondering his small pair was adequate to name when Ms Roe v Wade shoved for 20 huge blinds. When he did not overturn her kings, he stormed off like a January 6ther.
none of us felt strongly sufficient in regards to the matter to danger a damaged hip
It seemed to most of us like he nonetheless had chips left. Just a few of us even went to the difficulty of shouting “wait you may need chips left” after him, however none of us felt strongly sufficient in regards to the matter to danger a damaged hip working after him. By the point the seller had counted down the stacks and ascertained he had some shrapnel left, he was lengthy gone.
About 20 minutes later we’re hand for hand on the bubble and his final chips are all within the huge blind. As a result of he’s not on the desk his hand is useless so he can’t win the pot, however a number of gamers on different tables concurrently bust, that means he wins a share of some min cashes. The ground descend on our desk alarmed by the actual fact they don’t know the identify of one of many gamers who has technically cashed the event. After they ask and confirm that none of us knew him, I keep in mind that he was there from the beginning, to allow them to establish him from the seat draw.
An apparent inform
My favourite story from this yr’s Seniors got here from one in all my Day 1 tables. It stars the oldest participant I performed with, an 82-year-old from a purple state with a very good dry understated humorousness. This man had clearly seen all of it in his time however didn’t really feel the necessity to maintain telling us. The discuss on the desk on the time was about tells, and the way huge an element they had been. A minority thought they had been every little thing, one other minority thought they had been nothing, with most of us someplace in between, holding a view they had been a factor however not that huge a factor. The elder statesman of the desk saved his opinion to himself till he was immediately requested:
“Properly, they’re a factor, however more often than not it’s only a factor of us use to excuse a foul name or fold. However there may be one man in my dwelling sport who has a really actual one.”
“What’s it?”
“Properly, he doesn’t bluff however as soon as in a blue moon, however when he does and also you stare him down he sh*ts his pants.”
“You imply he appears very nervous?”
“No sir. He sh*ts his precise pants. It’s a really dependable inform. Properly, not a lot a inform as a scent I suppose.”
I’ll look out for that one subsequent yr.