Difficulty of Poker

This is not a story about poker, which Sannomiya Tsubaki enjoys, but about poker in general.

I know very little about poker, but I have gained some knowledge from watching the tournaments, Twitter, and live streaming.

The difficulties I see in poker are as follows. There may be some errors.

• Poker tournaments often require an entry, which you get by winning a qualifier at a venue called a satellite.
• Some satellite venues allow you to accumulate points from poker guilds, etc., and use them for entitlements. Of course, to get the Poker Guild, you have to win.
• Poker is a very fast-paced game, and once you lose, that’s where it ends.
• There are many so-called amusement poker rooms, mainly in certain areas of Tokyo, because of the large number of avid poker fans, but they are highly competitive as well
• In order to participate in higher level tournaments, the player needs to place high enough in tournaments to qualify and receive support as a contracted player. If you can get this, you will also receive support for travel and accommodation expenses for overseas tournaments.
• The right to participate is required each time and is not available for other or previous competitions. Must be obtained each time.
• Satellites, conventions, and tournaments all always require a participation fee. In addition to the initial chip purchase, you will need to pay for all meals due to the long hours, lodging to accommodate multiple dates, and transportation and travel to and from the site. Professional poker players may be able to treat this as an expense, but regular players do not have such an incentive.
• In general, large tournaments are often held on multiple dates, forcing players to compete in multiple phases, first winning the top position on Day 1, then securing the top position on Day 2, and so on.
• To take these steps, you need to play in a number of satellites and win them, and also do well in the top tournaments, which takes a lot of time!
• Domestic tournaments such as JOPT are held about three times a year, and overseas tournaments such as WPT are held in different locations such as Taiwan and Paris, and the WSOP, the pinnacle tournament, is held only once a year.
• There are some Japanese professional poker players, but only a few of them can make a living from their winnings, and it is not easy for them to make it their profession.

In the end, I think the main characteristic of poker is that it is very step- and time-intensive: participating in satellites, qualifying, winning multiple times in top tournaments, and then qualifying for larger tournaments and fighting for the top spots in those tournaments.

Poker is often associated with playing, and some people certainly enjoy it that way. However, if you want to reach the top, you may need to understand a little that there are multiple high hurdles waiting for you and that it can be a steep road.

These may be important in understanding Tsubaki’s passion for poker.
Perhaps it is because it is a steep and difficult road that Tsubaki is willing to take on the challenge of it.

Although Sannomiya Tsubaki’s poker experience is long and her ability is quite high, it is still not easy for her to complete these steps. So I believe that ongoing support is critical to her support.

For first and last favorite, Tsubaki Sannomiya.