the suicide king

A couple of years ago, in the acknowledgements to Dancing Barefoot, I wrote

My wife, Anne, patiently supports everything I want to do, whether it’s writing a book or playing in the World Series of Poker

To be entirely honest, I never thought it would happen. I never thought I’d be good enough to earn my way in (via satellite, online qualifier, or as a member of Team PokerStars) and I wrote that mostly as an example of how my wife is awesome, and loves me no matter what. But my mom, who has told me that thoughts are things since I was a little kid, insists that I created this reality when I wrote that . . . so I wish I’d written something about winning the World Series instead!
Just kidding. Like I learned in Just A Geek, and just like Geocaching, to focus only on the goal and not enjoy the ride would be to waste The Journey. And this is going to be a hell of a ride.
I’ve spent the last two weeks doing everything I can to prepare for the WSOP. I’ve played countless tournaments online, I’ve highlighted, underlined, post-it-noted, read, re-read and reviewed Dan Harrington’s first book (and done everything I can to cram his second book, which is about playing the Endgame, when you’re down to the last couple of tables — I should be so lucky to cross that bridge when I come to it!)
I am so excited, and so nervous, I don’t even know what to do with myself. I’ve done everything I can to prepare for this tournament, and now that it’s finally here, I have to let go. Once I start playing, all I can do is get my money in when I have the best hand, hope that I make fewer (and less costly) mistakes than my opponents, and play as smart as possible.
I start at 11am on Thursday the 7th. If any WWdN readers can spare some Monkey Mojo, I’ve left a subspace port open, so you can just ssh ~/mojo to wil@wsop. I’ll take whatever you can spare. 🙂
I’m taking my Powerbook with me, and I’ll do my best to update my blog at least once a day. You’ll probably be able to hear how I’m doing from Otis, The Poker Prof, PokerWire, or Dr. Pauly, too.
This is a dream come true for me, and I know that — like all my dreams recently, it seems — it wouldn’t have happened without WWdN, and all you guys who read my stuff. Thank you all for helping to create this amazing opportunity.
Now, I have to somehow convince my brain to slow down enough to let me sleep until 6am.
Until Vegas . . .

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76 thoughts on “the suicide king”

  1. What does one say to a poker star? Good luck? Break a leg? Kick ass? All of those and more!!!
    I know you’ll bring back some great stories, and have a great time living them.
    May the cards fall as you will.

  2. Enjoy the ride Wil…
    I remember you wrote a few months back that you thought you were standing at the window of something great, but that you didn’t know what it was. Maybe this is it, eh?
    Hell, it will make a great story anyhow, regardless of the outcome.
    I wish you happy flops, steady turns, and fucking killer rivers. Show them what we already know, that you deserve to be there.
    Now whoop some monkey butt Wil.
    Have fun in Vegas.
    🙂 Kelly

  3. Best of Luck, Wil!
    My sweet hubby, James Ernest, will be in Vegas this week, too – but just to watch. He and Glen from Eagle Games are going down to soak up the atmosphere, and hopefully not lose too much money. . .

  4. Not sure I can ssh from work to ~/mojo to wil@wsop, so I’ll make do with AIX and try this:
    enq -Pwil@wsop /etc/muchomojo
    will that do? 😀
    Good luck, have fun, and win big!

  6. Good luck 🙂 My tag line is “The Journey lends meaning to the destination” I wholeheartedly believe it. Now if i just had more confindence and courage. If you are confident enough to try something you must have courage enough to fail.
    You’ll do amazingly well, but most important, you’ll have a blast 🙂

  7. Good luck, Wil, and be confident – in the immortal words of one of the great philosophers of our times:
    “Follow your dreams, you can reach your goals, I’m living proof. Beefcake. BEEFCAKE!”

  8. Rivers of monkey mojo coming atcha’, Wil. Hope Darwin can field it all. 😉
    Looking forward to seeing you at the TV table…

  9. That’s so awesome Will!
    I totally agree with your mom about the thoughts being things and how you brought this in to your life by talking about it.
    Way to go! And good luck.
    mojo ~ mojo ~ mojo ~
    Katie

  10. I just saw the pics of you at the WPT table. I have to say; Darwin looks very cute.
    Good luck charms are great to help you win stuff. I have about five or six, and they helped me get good grades on my exams at school. Darwin is so cute, he is definately the best good luck charm you could find, and I know he’ll help you to get the best cards in the WSOP. I really look foward to reading your poker stories (especially now that I can understand them).
    Heh, I just remembered a dream I had about a month ago where you got pissed off at me because you didn’t win the poker…Well let’s hope that dream doesn’t come true.
    Kick ass Wil. Heh heh, mojo…

  12. ln ~/SuperMonkeyMojo ~/mojo
    scp wil@wsop ~/mojo
    🙂 Sounds like you’ve prepared well, which is the most important step to take before the tourney itself. You’re in position, so take advantage of it — and good luck!

  15. Hey Wil,
    I know NOTHING about poker, but I do wish you good luck and tons and tons of Mojo, all the way from North Carolina !!
    Good Luck!!
    Pook

  16. You’ll do great. I’ll be pulling for Jesus Himself to pass you one of those Ace high flushes. (maybe more than one, *wink*) Good luck sweet!

  18. Wil, have you ever read “Zen and the Art of Poker”? I found my game significantly improved after reading it. I’m nowhere near ready to play in big-money tournaments, but I now can hold my own (or better) at the cash games I get into.
    I hope you do well in the tourney — win some money for us 😀 I’d offer to send ya my good-luck coin, but I’m gonna need that luck this weekend 😀

  20. I don’t envy you Wil, but this is what you want and I’ll be there for you – virtually speaking, wishing you all the best.

  21. Go Willie! Go Willie! Go Willie!
    Put on your best poker face and show ’em who’s boss!
    Monkey mojo comin’ at ya!

  23. I don’t envy you Wil, but this is what you want and I’ll be there for you – virtually speaking, wishing you all the best.
    P.S. Sorry if I’ve posted this twice. I keep forgetting to look up at the security code.
    P.P.S. Hey there Shazmeister, I know some people up in Grantham. Haven’t been there in a whiles though. Er, I hope you’re not related to the Thatchers’ though 😉

  27. good luck!
    play tight, play aggressive, kick ass, and wait till the dead money folks make mistakes. put your chips in when you’ve got the best of it, and R00L the tables.

  29. First. Good luck Wil, may your plays work, and the river flow your way. I do have one request, don’t post the winner of the championship game (unless you win) without a spoiler warning.
    Second, how about a GUI so us windows slaves can click you some Mojo too?
    Third, someone asked about TV. ESPN’s coverage of the complete (month long) WSOP starts on July 19th. They will show all the tournaments, ending with the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em game (The one Wil is playing in) sometime in August. With an estimated 6000 people playing in the big game not everyone will be on TV. They will show featured tables every day, and cut away to interesting action among the noteables.
    The only way for Wil to guarantee himself to be on TV is to make the top 2 tables, or put Phil Hulmuth on a tilt.
    -Jason

  30. Wil, you are going to kick so much poker ass! I can’t wait to see you sitting at one of the final tables (hopefully on TV!).
    I’m not geeky enough to understand how to send the monkey mojo (though I wish I was!), but I’m sending lots of good thoughts your way!

  32. Wow. Just Wow.
    Haldane is working overtime.
    Lots of mojo, no bad beats, good flops, and hope you knock at least one ‘name’ out during the WSOP.

  33. Good luck, and play good poker!
    As much as I hate to say it, try to stay away from the hammer dropping. 🙂

  34. Well I am a Windoze kind of guy, but I will send you all of my Monkey Mojo too.
    Double click My Computer. Double Click C:. Double click Program Files. Double Click Monkey Mojo. CTRL-A. CTRL-X. Click START. Click Run. type in ‘\\wsop\wil’ then press Enter. CTRL-V.
    There ya go.
    Good luck to ya Wil. Hopefully that Monkey Mojo wont crash on ya.

  35. Wil Wheaton being a part of something instantly makes it cooler. He worked it for GTA: San Andreas, and now we’re going to see him work his magic for the WSOP. Good luck, man! I can’t wait to see you at that top table, kicking ass and taking names.

  36. Rotate through different playing styles as you go. If you just play like you described a month or so ago, someone is going to take advantage of it.
    What the hell am I doing giving advice to you? Go kick ass. I’m rooting for you.

  37. Hey Wil!
    You can count on Mojo and good vibes from me.
    Just remember: “You gotta know when to hold ’em, Know when to fold ’em, Know when to walk away, and Know when to run…”
    Seriously, I hope you have a great time and win big!
    Best of Luck! 🙂

  39. Good Luck Wil! I’m flying out to Vegas Saturday morning and plan on swinging by WSoP a couple days. I expect to see you still playing on Sunday! I’ve been getting in the poker zone these past couple days. While in the gym yesterday I watched 2003 WSoP on ESPN while listening to Phil Gordon interview Phil Hellmuth on Gordon’s WSoP Podcast. Great stuff!

  42. Hey wil…
    Have a blast!!! You don’t need any advice from anyone. You know your game and you know you’re a poker player. You know you can play bad and get lucky… and you know you can play perfect and lose. That’s the nature of the game. You can’t control the cards, but you can control how you play them.
    Just have fun doing it! I can’t imagine the feeling of sitting down at that table in the Main Event as the TD gets things rolling.
    Thankfully, you’ll have a troupe of poker bloggers right there passing on the mojo that all the poker bloggers will be sending your way.

  43. Go get ’em, Will!
    Just remember: “There is a force in the universe that makes thing happen…and all you have to do is get in touch with it. Stop thinking…let things happen…and Be the Ball.”

  44. wil?
    shut up, sit down, and kick some ass, man.
    I sense 1337 skillz, j00!
    you’ve played poker, you’ve studied the best. you got as good a chance as any. I suggest the Jay & Silent Bob soundtrack for some adrenalin-pumping.
    Shake Norman Chad’s hand, and remind him you deserve a moment on TV! 🙂

  45. Hope the odds play in your favor once the cards are dealt!!!!!! 🙂 Break a leg!!!!
    (Can’t wait to either watch it on the TV or read about it on your blog!)

  46. Wil,
    I wish you all the best guy, and really, I will be praying for you! You Totally deserve to win, and you totally have to juice to win…. so go for it, and enjoy yourself.
    Its all about you, and them… all of them, and you can do it… I know you can, and I will be watching your every move….or at least as much as I can…
    LUCK!!! AND Faith, cause I believe in you!!
    So go ‘git ’em, and play the hell out of the World Series, and show them the Wil Wheaton MOJO!
    ~Peace

  47. Good luck! I actually know another person who’s going… an old family friend who won a tourney on PartyPoker. I’m so jealous! I want to go. Anyway, good luck again!

  49. Just remember what MC Frontalot said:
    “They said you’re cheatin’
    but with coins in hand
    you’ve got more game than Wil Wheaton”
    When a rap artist says you’ve got game, it must be true!

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