There’s no good time to get into a car accident, but on Monday morning in Las Vegas, Doug Polk tested the limits in terms of the worst possible timing to have it happen.
“I was on my way here [to the Horseshoe], and I stopped at an intersection,” Polk said. “I turned on some music, pumping some jams, getting psyched up for Main Event Day 1. And then I just get nailed from behind by another car.”
Polk found himself in the middle of a crash scene, and as the minutes until Day 1 of the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event ticked down he was in the midst of a bad run of luck before he’d touched a single card for the day.
“I just lurched forward, and I was kind of in shock,” Polk recalled. “I got out of the car, [and thankfully] my car didn’t actually do too badly. Their front got pretty wrecked, and the other driver looked a little shaken up.”
All steps and proper precautions were taken, but the moment everything was settled and insurance info was swapped, it was full speed (limit) ahead to get to the venue.
“We exchanged information, and I said, ‘Look I’d love to stay and do what we’ve got to do here, but I’ve got a tournament – I gotta go.’ So I got in the car, hopped out and here we are.”
Once Polk arrived and got settled into his seat, he elected to take advantage of the on-sight, tableside massage therapist service available to all of the players. He spent the entirety of Level 1 getting a massage, and while he was feeling physically and mentally well, previous experience taught Polk that preventative measures might ease any aches and pains that might surface in the days to come.
“I hope my Level 1 move isn’t the massage – I’d like to have some light three bets, maybe…” Polk said. “I’ve been in a couple of crashes in my life, and what you don’t realize is you might feel fine at first because the adrenaline, and then slowly the whiplash kind of sets in. I got into a really bad one like 10, 15 years ago here in Vegas. So, thinking back to that, I thought ‘I’m gonna get in front of this and get my massage now.’ I know it’ll probably be worse tomorrow morning when I wake up, but maybe it’ll mitigate some of the some of the pain.”
As far as the action at the table, things got off to a bit of a rocky start for Polk.
“I did get a guy all in with queens versus his jacks, and a jacks hit – it was a very unfair river,” said Polk. “I requested a new one, and they denied that request.”
After that, however, things started to turn in Polk’s favor in a hurry. From a starting stack of 60,000, and blinds of just 100/200/200, Polk is already 75% of the way to doubling up.
“So far, so good,” said Polk. “I’ve already chipped up to 105,000. I got some chips, happy with my play. I had some good hands and a lot of good spots and I’ve been picking my battles well. It was an incredible first level for me, and I’m happy to be here, excited to play the Main.”
Polk hopes he’s gotten the bad luck out of the way early, and that he can settle in for a long stretch in the 2023 WSOP Main Event. Now a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, with a close call in this year’s $25,000 Heads-Up Championship, where he finished second, Polk’s first-ever cash at the WSOP was 592nd in the 2011 WSOP Main Event. Outside of that min-cash, Polk has not made it into the money in the WSOP Mian Event again.
“I have never had a deep run this tournament, and every single year I show up, I get sent packing,” said Polk. “Not this year. This is my year. I’m making a run for one time in my damn life.”