ARE YOU
WINNING AT PEARL RIVER? By
Tyler Nals 
It all begins with the approach. That's when your
adrenaline starts racing—when you start wondering if
this will be the trip that makes your year—or maybe
even changes your life. You imagine driving home in
celebratory elation. That would be nice, but you win
no matter what. We'll get to that soon, but let's
begin with that approach....
If you're like me, you have a love/hate relationship
with the singe-land roads that lead to Pearl River.
You love these roads because they take you back to a
simpler time, or perhaps a simpler place. The farms,
old churches, and country stores that line the road
relax you in a way. On the other hand, you also hate
these lengthy roads because you're excited to get to
Pearl River and you must deal with tractor-trailer
trucks speeding at you head-on with very little
margin for error.
If you really look at it, these single-lane roads
are a sign of things to come. When you're at the
poker table, you love the game because it's an
escape from reality. Why do you really think you're
there? Some people hide it better than others, but
we all have problems in our lives. When we're at the
poker table, it all goes away. You're in your
element now—win or lose. This is also why you have
already won simply by being at the table. Time >
Money. If you're doing what you love, you're making
the most of your time.
Don't get me wrong. You love scooping pots. Every
time you do it, it releases endorphins into your
bloodstream. That's why you keep coming back. You
also love navigating a poker hand like you do those
single-lane roads, but you hate when you play it
right and still lose. Don't worry about that though.
There is no appreciation for winning or progress
without failure. Not taking a shot is the only true
failure.
You can take a shot at many places in the poker
world. It doesn't have to be the Pearl River Poker
Open. So why Pearl River? Maybe you can relate to
the following. When I pull into the parking lot at
Pearl River, I feel a blend of relaxation and
excitement. I feel relaxed because I'm in the middle
of nowhere at a venue where you're not packed in
like sardines and everyone is friendly. I feel
excited for two reasons: being at a poker series and
potential winnings.
As I write this, I'm down for the trip in the middle
of the week. My first two trips here were
profitable, but I'm not playing well right now.
That's probably because I had a good run for a week
at Tunica two months ago and it was five-handed. My
style of play fits five-handed perfectly. I have
subconsciously taken that approach and applied it to
eight-handed, which doesn't work. However, that's
irrelevant.
What's relevant is the people and being in your
element. Let me put it this way. Let's say you
wanted to give cornhole tournaments a shot because
you enjoy playing recreationally (potentially with a
beer in hand). When you walk outside to the
tournament area, what are you going to feel? I'll
tell you the answer because I've been in this kind
of situation. You're going to wish you were at a
poker tournament. If you're reading this, you're a
poker player. There is no turning back.
As far as people go, the people that play in this
area are super friendly. And if you're open to it,
you will meet new friends. I had one breakfast with
Mike the Trucker. He was on line at Bistro and asked
me if I wanted to eat with him. I said, “Sure.” We
had a great meal. Friendly dude. I also caught up
and laughed with Richey Rich—the dude that knocked
me out of the bounty tourney and wore my bling all
day. And
I hung out with Brittany and Wayne and their other
two friends (forget their names) for two hours in
the Silver Star hallway—talking about poker and
prison bathrooms (not from personal experience).
Almost forgot about David, Jessica, Matt, and two of
their friends requesting that I massage a buffalo's
head for good luck on a slot machine (it didn't
work).
I had another breakfast with Preston, Lowery,
Hebert, and Matthew. I didn't really know Lowery and
Matthew so I didn't know what to expect. These four
are incredible poker talents and even better people.
Literally zero ego whatsoever.
As far as the atmosphere at the Pearl River Poker
Open goes, it all starts at the top. I would like to
mention all the people who make the series possible,
but I fear I'll miss someone. I'll just say that
it's difficult to find a poker series atmosphere
where everything is run so well while everyone is
also having a good time. And this is all with big
money on the line. I promise you that this starts
with the personalities of the people running the
event. I can only relate this kind of atmosphere to
two other series: RunGood and Little Kings & Queens.
Pearl River Poker Open will run again June 3-13. If
you want to know what kind of prize pools to expect,
they are currently obliterating expectations. In one
event, it was five times the guarantee. In June,
they plan to have more space and more dealers.
Therefore, you should expect even bigger prize
pools.
I don't know what happens with the prize pools for
the rest of the week, and I don't know if I will go
home a winner or a loser. Does it really matter? I'd
rather go home a winner in a financial sense, but
life is about experiences. If this is my element and
I have added an experience, it's a win no matter
what. Same goes for you. Five years from now, are
you going to look back and say to yourself, “Damn, I
lost money at the Pearl River Poker Open in March
2021”? Heck no! But you will remember the
experience. And you just might win life-changing
money!
Swing away. The only true failure is not trying.
See you on the felt!
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