A - Z of Poker: Day 9

From London to Vegas in 26 Letters

Day9: I is for ...

I is for International. Another obvious choice for the A-Z. After the disappointment of seeing the Gutshot close, it has been nice to see so many familiar faces at The International club nearby. It's not got quite the same ring as "Gutshot", but still. You do meet the most fascinating people there and I've enjoyed/endured some pretty sick sessions of poker there. Some of those, in turn, have been chronicled on my blog.

I'm still waiting for my first tournament win here. As things stand, with my imminent trip to Vegas, I suppose I am hoping that my first "International" success (in the geographical sense) comes before my first "The International" victory.

I is for ITM. There were a few acronymical choices here. ICM was another very obvious candidate although then I would have had to write about what I don't know about the Independent Chip Model rather than what I do (either that, or go for an exceptionally short entry).

ITM (In The Money) is where we all want to be of course. I am still waiting for my first ITM finish in any WSOP, GUKPT, EPT etc event and I certainly hope I can tick that off in the next few weeks. On the whole, I don't place great emphasis on ITM finishes in tournaments. I prefer to shoot for the win - a great excuse for wild plays near the bubble. Discussion of correct play near the money does seem to generate quite a polarised debate.

Some players (eg Derek Kelly of Gutshot fame) are adamant that the first duty of a tournament player is to cash and that only then can the business of climbing the payscale take precedence. Others (especially the internet hotshots/youngsters/JoeJoe-lookalikes) are equally clear that cashing, per se, is not an objective. The two schools of thought might recommend the same play in a particular situation but the latter will give little or no weight to "tournament life" as an independent priority.

I have never agreed with Derek about the over-riding need to cash in any particular event but insofar as I have failed so far to make a money finish in any major event, I will be wimping out big time if the occasion arises in Vegas in 2 weeks' time !