What is the poker 'Bucket List'?

I’m a few years away from hitting a major milestone birthday (yes can you believe I’m almost 21?) and this week I got into a conversation about what Bucket List items I should be looking to get done before then.

So naturally I started to think about what could be considered poker’s own Bucket List – the things everyone should do to consider themselves a genuine poker player. Now naturally many of you will jump to shouting out lofty goals like ‘win a million every year’ and ‘win ten bracelets’ but those are very big and unrealistic asks.

So with obvious results-orientated goals out of the way, I have some suggestions what constitutes good poker Bucket List items. I’d really like you to share your own in the comments.

Win a live tournament

Oops, I lasted one paragraph before I went against my own rule of not including results-orientated goals. I’ve put this one here for a reason though and that is that it is one of the truly iconic poker moments to have your picture taken at the end of a tournament holding your winning hole cards. It doesn’t have to be a major event, it could be a local rebuy, but the winner’s photo at the end is something we all should experience once.

I say this with a bitter taste in my mouth because it is something I have never experienced. It’s especially frustrating because my job is to report on people who do win events and I cannot avoid seeing all these lucky players grinning with their hole cards after a big win.

Bubble a live tournament

You don’t appreciate the good times unless you have experienced the bad times too, and there isn’t many experiences in poker as soul destroying as spending one or more days hanging on in a live event only to be the last player out before the money. It makes you appreciate the cashes more and it also gives an insight into how important bubble play is.

This is one I have experienced I’m afraid to say. The event was even more the painful because of the fact that I was the chip leader when the bubble started and, as it was in Vegas, I had to walk through a packed card room of excited amateurs cheering and hugging because they made the money.

Go to Vegas

Let’s get an obvious one out of the way and that is you cannot consider yourself a real poker player unless you have played in Vegas. The action is non-stop 24/7, American hospitality is second to none and no matter what your persuasion there is always something fun you can do away from the tables (it’s actually great to go with non-gambling friends too).

I don’t think I need say more on this one.

Satellite into a major event

I was going to put ‘play in a major event like the EPT or WSOP’ as a Bucket List item but then I realised this kills two birds with one stone. It doesn’t even have to be a WPT/WSOP/PokerStars Championship Main Event anymore either, smaller buy-in events (especially at the WSOP) are so well structured, well organised and have such big fields and prizes, that you essentially get the same experience in the lower buy-in tournaments too.

Winning your seat for them online really is worth it. There is a certain smugness that comes with knowing that your expenses are taken care of, you are playing with house money and in a lot of cases you really get looked after by the tour operator or site that ran the satellites. It makes a min cash a big deal too.

Play against a famous player

I truly believe the beauty of poker is that anybody can win on their day. I could play tennis against Andy Murray a thousand times and the only way I would beat him is by default if he broke his leg. However you could put me at the same table as Phil Ivey right now and, with some good fortune, I could beat him.

So as an amateur player, it is a real thrill to play against somebody you have seen win world titles on TV, even better if you beat them in a pot or two. As a serious player it is also very important, because it reminds you that however good they are, they get dealt the same number of cards as you and are not that big a favourite.

Have a heads-up challenge

No form of poker is more intense or more personal than a heads-up challenge against a player you know and/or have beef with. It’s not only the toughest form of poker but there is so much metagame involved that it teaches you about adjusting better than any other format. It gets all the more personal when the person you are playing against you really do not want to get one over on you.

I may have picked this particular one in part because there are a lot of heads-up grudge matches going on right now, but I do genuinely believe you will learn a lot about yourself if you accept a challenge from another player to play one-on-one (in my case I learned a lot about some major shortcomings in my game).

Have a crazy prop bet

Silly prop bets are one of the most entertaining aspects of poker folklore and in many cases they also force you to improve your life. We have seen everything from fighting bets, weight loss bets, volume bets and 'not leaving a hotel room' bets. They are also just fun and a great way to bond, like a hazing ritual.

I’ve had my fair share over the years including weight loss bets, weight lifting bets, arm wrestling bets and my personal favourite was beating a smoker in a ‘speed smoking’ prop bet (I’m a non smoker but at the time I had just finished a half marathon and rightly figured my lung capacity would win the day). Poker can obviously be monotonous at times so it’s good to create these stories for yourself.

What do you have on your own Poker Bucket List? Let us know in the comments:

Barry Carter

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2.