I have been wanting to share this anecdote with you all for quite some time now, so without further ado, here it is.

The title of this blog is "What a Small World" because as time has passed since the World Series has come and gone I still have moments of reflection on what a crazy couple of weeks that was for me, for all poker players out there, and for the game as a whole. And although there were 8,000 + entrants in the Main Event this year, what makes it such a small world is that the winner this year, Jamie Gold was at my table during Day 1, Group 4. I remember following the updates as each day passed and by day 3 or day 4 I was like, "Wow, the chip leader of the whole tournament was at my table!" Then he went on to win the whole damn thing and I just remember thinking how crazy that was. To think that out of all the days, and all the tables he could have been at, he was at my table. And not only that, but in this month's Bluff magazine, Jamie Gold recollects what was the defining hand of the entire tournament for him and I was there to witness that hand on day 1. More than anything though, is the realization that one good call or one bad play can totally change the entire outcome of a tournament. The defining hand for Jamie Gold was one where he was put to the test for his tournament life, he made a call which put him all-in, and to think if he didn't make that call how much that would have affected the rest of the tournament for him. Maybe if he didn't make that call, he wouldn't have been able to open up his game as much as he wouldn't have as many chips and maybe he couldn't play a hand the way he would have liked, the list goes on and on. It just really goes to show that tournament poker is really about making the right decision at the right time, and most importantly, never taking two steps forward with a brilliant call or play only to take three steps back with a donkey ass move.

Anyhow, I have many instances in my own tournament history where I can look back and say either that hand lost the tournament for me, even if it wasn't for all my chips, or it was the hand that propelled me to a great finish/cash. I think the most challenging thing for me in tournaments still is to really follow my instincts. I have a problem of second guessing my decisions when more often then not it ends up being the correct thing to do. I should stop wanting to pull the trigger and not doing so, or not laying a hand down when everything inside of me tells me I should do so. I will definetly be trying to implement these things into my tournament play. Good thing I won't have to wait too long as I plan to play in the $2500 Main event at the California Poker Championship at Commerce on Saturday.

Take care and good luck all!