Im going to Vegas!: Local man scoops up World Series of Poker spot - Innisfil News
‘My wife started praying, my dog barking, and the queens held! I ran outside my front door, yelling, ‘I’m going to Vegas!’ It was a moment I will never forget,’ says Larry Smart on qualifying for the prestigious tournament ‘My wife started praying, my dog barking, and the queens held! I ran outside my front door, yelling, ‘I’m going to Vegas!’ It was a moment I will never forget,’ says Larry Smart on qualifying for the prestigious tournament Joshua Santos Jun 1, 2024 12:00 PM
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Larry Smart has qualified for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas on July 3.Supplied photo.Listen to this article00:03:48 A Newmarket man will test his luck as he heads to Las Vegas to participate in a prestigious tournament, hoping to win a mammoth jackpot prize.
Larry Smart has qualified for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in Las Vegas. The main event will begin on July 3 and run until July 6, with four starting flights. Late registration will be available from July 7 to 8 through level seven or around 4:40 p.m. on day two of each day.
“GGPoker was giving away two seats, and there were three players left,” said Smart. “I was second in chips, and the other two players got involved in a hand where the short stack was all in with ace-jack, and the chip leader called with pocket queens. I had the tournament on my 85-inch TV, screaming and jumping up and down, yelling queens hold! My wife started praying, my dog barking, and the queens held! I ran outside my front door, yelling, ‘I’m going to Vegas!’ It was a moment I will never forget.”
The 2024 series will run from May 28 to July 17, offering nearly 700 tables, new events, and the main event bracelet. It will feature the champions’ freezeout and no-limit hold ’em freezeout. The main event’s final table, a highly anticipated part of the tournament, will occur on July 16 to 17 at Horseshoe Las Vegas. American Daniel Weinman won last year, taking home a staggering $12.1 million.
“We’re proud to be Las Vegas’s original Main Event,” said Ty Stewart, executive director of the World Series of Poker. “Records are made to be broken, so our motto this year is bigger and better. With our best schedule ever and more than 100 additional poker tables, we look forward to welcoming legends, first-timers, and everyone in between. If you’re a poker player, there is simply no experience on Earth like the World Series of Poker.”
Smart is a manager of a home exteriors company. He qualified through GGPoker, an online poker site with many high-stakes tournaments and sweepstakes prizes, in the $1,200 satellite tournament.
Smart’s journey in poker spans 15 years, a testament to his dedication. He first learned the game through the York Region Poker League, a local recreational club supporting charities. There, his love for the game took root, fuelling his passion and commitment to poker.
“What makes me passionate about poker is the thrill of winning a hand, and what excites me is the adrenaline rush I get when I am involved in a big hand, whether I’m bluffing or not,” said Smart.
The tournament games can last hours as players cycle through their cards and chips. Smart prepares for the main event by reading books on the game and watching past World Series of Poker events on YouTube. He even changed his diet as part of the process.
“I have changed my diet and started exercising daily so I can be clear-headed for the long 12-hour days of playing poker,” said Smart. “I have played this tournament before, and it really involves 100 per cent focus and a clear head. I am also involved in some coaching with Doug Polk and his team at Upswing Poker.”
Upswing Poker is an online program with resources from professionals on winning strategies and content for players to elevate their skills.
Smart plans to take his time with the game as he contemplates his next moves.
“The World Series of Poker’s main event is a marathon, not a race,” said Smart. “It is so deeply stacked with long levels that you really can play a little tight instead of getting involved in multiple hands at each level.”
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