Bronze in Vegas
I recount my biggest poker score yet, a third-place finish at the North American Poker Tour in Las Vegas
I am back from the North American Poker Tour in Las Vegas, where I finished in third place out of 738 entrants for my biggest score ever.
Knowing that many of the best players in the world would be participating in the Main Event, I came to Vegas with a plan to stay focused: I implemented a no phone policy.1 But what if I wanted to jot down a hand, or a random thought for my next essay? That’s where my little black phone blocker notebook came in.
Exactly the same size as a phone, my notebook fit perfectly into the slot that was meant for a phone (you can see it in the photo above). It stopped me from checking my phone. When I did write a stray hand detail into the book, I noticed that when I went back to my room to study hands that night, I barely had to check my notebook. I already remembered it, including details I didn’t have time to record.
Research reinforces the power of handwriting for retention and creativity. There’s also anecdotal evidence in champions who espouse the same technique. Like the beloved Grandmaster Daniel “Danya” Naroditsky who we lost far too soon. When he was just 14 years old, Danya told me that he wrote down opening ideas to help with his retention. My PokerStars teammate Maria Konnikova2 even pens the first drafts of her books by hand—in a recent interview on this platform she said, “I know enough psychology to understand how much of an edge that gives me. The connection between pen and brain is something that keyboard and brain can literally never replace.”
Of course, such things only matter so much. To succeed in this poker tournament, I needed a lot of luck. Not just the luck to win all-ins, but also the kind of luck that often goes unnoticed. For example, an unorthodox bet size by an opponent that led to a butterfly effect of me winning a big hand. Or just a lack of collisions: A flush missed, a borderline pocket pair folded to aggression. Not getting unlucky is truly the best form of luck.
I’ll take you through the event day by day, so you can get a sense of how the podium finish developed for me.
Day One had three starting flights, with the tournament ultimately attracting a total of 738 entrants. I played the second flight and had a friendly starting table. On this day, I won a massive pot calling a three-bet (or re-raise) out of position with queen-nine suited. I’d likely have folded under normal circumstances. However, my opponent’s three-bet was quite small. Therefore, I called. And went on to win a huge pot when the board brought two more nines. Compounding my luck was that he didn’t think I had very much 9x and bloated the pot with a bluff—he discounted me adjusting to his bet-size. There were many layers that allowed me to win such a big pot, setting me up for an above average stack going into day two.
On Day Two, the bubble3 loomed and then burst. This day was a blast. My table was hilarious. We had some great conversation and there were even some bouts of singing. The table was a great mix of talented pros and amateurs. Many of the top pros ran poorly and were eliminated. Layers of life and poker luck combined as I ended the last hand of the night with a successful turn overbet.
On Day Three, a shot clock was implemented. Each player had 15 seconds for every preflop decision, and 30 seconds for each postflop decision. We got six “timebank” cards each, which would extend the clock by 30 seconds. It was harder to be chatty at the table, let alone write anything down. Nonetheless, it was a great day for my stack. I chipped up quickly and then won a huge flip midway through the day’s play, ending as a top ten stack with 40 players remaining.
Day Four was tough on my stack, but I was still in it when 16 of us bagged up. Days three and four ended unusually early, which gave me time to hang with friends playing in the concurrent women’s events.
It also gave me some time to study simulations with two tables remaining. With the final looming, I wanted to make the most of the opportunity.
Day Five started off very poorly for me. After a couple levels, I was down to a forlorn four big blinds. I’d gone card dead at exactly the wrong time. But then I won three hands in a row. And another big hand. And I was back in it!
A couple hours later, there were just seven players remaining and the thrilling reality struck: we had all guaranteed six-figure scores. We were at seven players for quite a while. Only six players would advance to the final day of play, and the livestreamed table. Pumped up with adrenalin I won a number of hands till one unlucky player, Abdullah Akbarpoor, ran his ace-king into aces to finish in seventh place.
As we bagged up, I was #2 in chips, but a very distant second to eventual runner-up Thomas Boivin, a high stakes tournament pro and well known coach. As my friend David Lappin put it in his wrap-up piece: “Shahade embodied the spirit of survival as she muscled her way to the front of the chasing pack.”
Day Six: On one of the happiest days of my professional life, I walked into the final table feeling a rare combination of nerves and joy. “Pressure is a privilege” I reminded myself. “Have fun”, Sam Greenwood reminded me.
While I have more to say about this spot in a future post, I felt happy with the result: third place for a big check, podium finish, and a reason to work even harder in the future.
The friends railing and supporting me online and in person made me so happy.
Jamie Kerstetter even made a sign inspired by my upcoming book, Thinking Sideways: How to Think Like a Chess Player and Win at Life.4
Her version?
Go JEN: How to Think Like a Chess Player and Win at the NAPT.
When I look back at the intense week of poker at the North American Poker Tour, it’s tempting to see it as a collision of fate and hard work. And it’s true that my mental game was in good shape: I heightened my focus, studied on breaks, and maintained an equilibrium even when things weren’t going well.
And there was luck. Especially the invisible kind. The bad beats that fell on others. The coolers that skipped me (until they didn’t, of course.)
Because as poker tournaments and life both remind us regularly, not getting unlucky is the best luck of all.
Some of you may be surprised that phones are allowed at all in such major competitions, and that may indeed change in the future. But for now, with playing sessions that can stretch to 12-hours most poker tournaments allow players to be on their phone in between hands.
The “bubble” is the part of a poker tournament right before players make the money. It increases the tension and often creates a joyous atmosphere when it bursts, especially in events with lots of amateur players.
Huge thank you to everyone pre-ordering!
Huge congrats!!! So so so happy for you. What an amazing accomplishment.
Congrats on a great tournament!!