From WPT Barcelona to Margate…and back to the online poker grind for Powerfest
WPT Barcelona
Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to go to Barcelona for the partypoker sponsored WPT. This was one of the best poker trips I’ve ever been on. 2020 should be even bigger and better and I’m already excited about it! I played three events and cashed two, but had no major score. I had an absolutely amazing time and feel well-rested, rejuvenated and excited to grind Powerfest after it.
The lovely Darya Krashennikova and myself at WPT Barcelona
The trip to Barcelona was something I needed. I’ve been playing poker full-time for two years now and before that I was grinding up a roll from nothing while trying to balance playing with work. After taking most of December off to spend time with family, I struggled to put in a decent volume online in January and February. I’ve never found it hard to put in the hours at the screen before but after a crazy few years I felt somewhat burnt out. I took it easy in Barcelona and felt like a new person afterwards!
The players in Barcelona were some of the most enthusiastic I’ve ever encountered. It was so cool to play with lots of people who absolutely love the game. It really reinforced to me how blessed I am to be able to play every day. I also met some excellent players I admire- just talking to them made me feel so excited about poker and how many opportunities it offers to players willing to put in the time and effort. All I could think about while I was in Barcelona was how much I want to improve as a player and how excited I am to get back to the hardcore grind during Powerfest and beyond.
Finding Some Balance
Last year was one of the best years of my life. I put in a good volume online, went on some sick poker trips, spent a month in Thailand and bought a house. I love poker so much that I want to make the most out of every opportunity I’m fortunate enough to have in this game but between travelling to live events and playing online I put in some crazy hours and I was exhausted by the end of it. It was like I was having so much fun and was so reluctant to miss out on anything that I kind of over did it and lost any semblance of balance!
Normally when I go on live trips I do my best to grind online at night when possible. I have to pay bills and to do that I’m always aware I need to be putting in a good volume online but I’m a bit OTT about it sometimes and that leads to sleep deprivation which is counter productive. Barcelona was different- I didn’t play online at all and I scheduled days off. My sleep pattern was great, I had lots of energy and felt way better at the tables. I met lots of amazing people, went for delicious meals, drank wine and enjoyed sightseeing. It was one of the most fun poker trips I’ve been on to date- incredibly enjoyable!
In future, I’ll likely plan my trips a bit better so I don’t feel under pressure to play online while I’m away. I’ll also schedule in days off so I can socialize and enjoy the beautiful places I get to visit.
UK Poker Trip With the Ladies
After Barcelona, I went on a girly poker getaway with the UK poker girls to Margate. It was so much fun, I laughed so much my face hurt. Poker attracts some of the most amazing women. I couldn’t say enough good things about the group of ladies I got to hang out with in Margate!
Poker Playing Ladies in Margate
Powerfest Plans
The Powerfest schedule looks ridiculously good, I can’t wait to get stuck in. I’m going to be putting in long sessions and playing as much as possible during the two week festival. I’ll be playing almost every event under $55, some $109’s and satellites to bigger buy-in events. The online MTT offering at partypoker is unbelievably good now. It’s great to see so many players moving volume over to the site-this series is going to be huge!
Since I wasn’t playing that much, I studied more than I ever have before during the first bit of 2019. I’m hoping that’ll pay off during this series and you can get in on the action! partypoker are running a promo where you can win 1% of my cashes in some events if you satellite in! Check it out here. I hope I’ll see lots of you at the tables throughout Powerfest and that we all have a good series!
Hi 🙂 Welcome to my blog. I’m the #1 female online poker tournament player from Ireland and a sponsored pro with partypoker. I’ve $580,000 in online cashes and love clicking buttons with my loyal cat rail. You can follow my adventures in pokerland @LouiseB555.
