Winning a WSOP bracelet - Every Poker Player's Dream
Here is a basic fact about human nature that I think few people of intelligence would disagree with: people love awards. Yes, it is only natural for a human being to be interested in receiving some sort of tangible reward for outstanding achievement in any of life's many challenging areas.
Even I, Mason Raymond, who in virtually every respect can be cited as a paragon of humility and quiet grace, have on certain occasions fallen victim to the desire for recognition from not only my peers but an adoring audience of millions. In fact, I must confess that I spent a frustrating three-week period back in the early 1990s ripping out a basement wall in my home so that I could install in its place a multilevel trophy case. This was a grand plan of mine, one which I entered into with the loftiest of ideals, because Mason Raymond does not believe in thinking small. Therefore, I felt it was only appropriate to make this case 10 feet high by 25 feet wide, providing more than enough space for at least three dozen different statuettes and plaques.
Now, you may think that I am at this moment slightly discouraged (or even, perhaps, bitter) about the fact that my trophy case still stands entirely empty. Yes, I will admit it, not a single space has been filled with any sort of statue or even a certificate of good sportsmanship. This, despite the fact that I have entered into every single competition that has come my way for the past 10 years, including full-contact tiddlywinks, mud wrestling, coed naked Twister, badminton round-robins and a host of children-only events. For all of my efforts, I have come up thoroughly empty handed. I guess I'm just not the type of person who wins trophies.
Yet, I can still fully appreciate, how desirable it would be to win a World Series of Poker bracelet. This is truly the highest honor that any poker player can ever achieve and one that is recognized with equal respect all around the globe.
Over the years, a wide range of different individuals with wildly different personality types have achieved this ultimate dream. What are the common elements that contribute to a winning formula necessary to achieve a gold bracelet? This is a very weighty and ponderous matter, one which I intend to think about as I begin the process of the dismantling my worthless trophy case and replacing it with a giant terrarium in which my pet gophers and hedgehogs will live. I make a solemn vow to you that I will report again at a later date on this matter, but for now let it suffice to say that the dream of winning a gold bracelet at the WSOP is one shared by all fans of the game. And, with the proper amounts of hard work, determination and luck, you yourself can achieve where I have failed so far.
