In the beginning of January I went to the Bahamas for the PCA. The weather was great. The few years prior it was cold and windy so I was never able to enjoy being in Nassau if poker didn’t go well. That’s what happened this trip. I played the Main Event and busted early in Day 1 with top two pair vs bottom set (KQ on KsQs5d8c board.) It was a spot where I probably should have folded the flop/turn but I thought I noticed a physical tell on the player. I played a couple other side events that didn’t go in my favor either. Fortunately for me, like I hinted above, the weather was great and I got to spend a day lounging around Atlantis with a bunch of fellow poker players. We threw footballs around the lazy river (which was the most fun I’ve ever had at the PCA), went down a few slides, and played a game of football on the shore.

I stayed with my friend Mark and met a couple of his friends during the trip. One of them was John Dibella. Mark, John, Tim (Tim0thee), Hans, Anthony (one of John’s friends) and I all went to dinner the first night there. John and Mark both won $1k satellites to play the Main Event. We talked about poker and other random things that night and then all went our separate ways before the Main Event. In the next week, Tim and I kept meeting with Mark and John to eat dinner and hang out. John was doing well in the tournament. He was advancing each day, talking with us about hands and strategy. Although he isn’t a “poker professional” he definitely knew how to play and understood dynamics behind the game some people don’t comprehend.

John kept making it through everyday. I remember going to dinner with him when he made the final 24. Tim and I went through who was at his table, how they would play, what he should expect, and we even went over some hand histories to give him a little insight. I left the Bahamas the next day. I was amazed to see John had made the final table. Mark kept sending me updates throughout the day and me and Tim were sweating it online. I was shocked and excited. It was awesome to see a stranger I just met do well in a huge tournament and follow along with him. I watched the live feed and stayed in communication with Mark as John played the final table. I tried to relay any information I could that I thought would help John. I don’t know if any of it actually helped, but John played great, had things go his way, and ended up winning the tournament (after a small deal) for almost 1.8 MILLION DOLLARS!!! I was so excited for him. I really couldn’t believe it. Mark called me after he won (I was watching on the 40 minute delay) and everyone was just in awe. Even though John is an amateur player he played very well. He made only minimal mistakes and overall played very well. I don’t think many people took him seriously which probably was to his advantage. I want to congratulate you once again John. You won one of the best and biggest poker tournaments in the world. Awesome job and well played! I also want to thank Mark for the hospitality and good time we had in the Bahamas. Congrats to both of you guys.

After I returned from the Bahamas, I relaxed in Florida for a few days and planned my trip to Australia for the Aussie Millions poker tournament. I arrived in Melbourne five days ago. It’s a beautiful city that I’m exploring more of every day. I’ve played a couple tournaments (none of which have gone my way) and also some cash games. The Crown casino is an amazing establishment and the poker room is awesome as well. In an hour and a half I will be sitting down to play Day 1 of the Main Event. The structure is really good for this tournament and the field looks the same. Although I haven’t had any deep runs lately I still feel like I’m playing well. I’m excited for this tournament and hope I can be on the good side of luck over the next few days. I will updating my twitter (@TristanCre8ive) on how things are going.

I’ve taken some pictures and have a few other stories I might share in another blog post. Time for me to get ready to play the Main Event. Wish me luck.