Rosalie Petit at the WSOP: between passion and competition in Las Vegas

Did you arrive in Las Vegas at the very start of the WSOP? How is it going so far?

Yes, I arrived on May 28, and I’m going to stay until the end! So far, I haven’t played much because I’ve been ill, but I have played the WSOP Colossus, the WSOP Deepstack and a few other events. In total, I’ve played 6 tournaments since I’ve been in Las Vegas. Normally, I have a target that’s much higher, but this year I’ve decided to do things differently and play a few fewer tournaments. I’ve also decided to rest and recover well between tournaments.

I saw that you had decided to change your approach to the WSOP (on your stories)? Can you explain?

Yes, perfectly. I work with a mental coach, and I realized that I had very high goals. My coach sort of put me back on the right track, and motivated me to review my objectives for this year.

On top of that, on a personal level, Las Vegas isn’t my favorite city. It’s very hot, and there are a lot of constraints. On the other hand, this year it’s great, thanks to the WSOP+ app, which makes it so much easier to arrange buy-ins and so on! It’s clearly a load off my mind.

In any case, this year I’m coming to Las Vegas with an approach where I’m going to focus more on my well-being. I have a strong competitive value, but I have an even greater well-being value. And if I don’t listen to this well-being value, I’m no longer in a strong energy state. So I try to respect my own value system, so that I can find a balance between well-being and competition. If I push the competition too hard, I’ll find myself re-entering every tournament, rushing headlong into it, and losing a ton. 

So I always try to be in tune with myself by asking myself the right questions about my state of mind at any given moment (determination, fatigue, motivation…). Basically, the aim now is to play the tournaments that make the most sense to me.

Are you comfortable at the tables? Is everything okay?

Yes, and to that end I’ve put a number of things in place. Firstly, I no longer force myself to arrive at a tournament at 10am. Now, I know I’m wasting EV doing this, because as we all know, the recreatives are there at the start of the tournament, and sometimes they bust at the beginning of the event, and I wasn’t there! But still, it starts early and we often finish around midnight minimum, so it’s a very big day. I try to save my energy by arriving around 50 BB into the tournament. Most tournaments are scheduled for 30/40-minute levels, so arriving with 50 BB at the table is ok!

What about preparation? Do you put things in place before you leave for a festival like this?

I rest a lot! I go for walks in nature, I do yoga, meditation, and that helps me a lot. I also do self-hypnosis, which works really well on me, and of course I took on a mental coach a few months before Vegas so he could help me prepare for the WSOP. Apart from that, it’s a lot of rest.

Physically, I’m not very sporty, but I like walking, and I do yoga, even though it’s a very gentle sport.

At this WSOP, are you playing within your buy-ins? Or are you planning to take a few shots? Will you be taking part in the Main Event? 

I’ve come down in buy-in because I’ve been downswinging for over a year and a half, so I’m playing tournaments at $1,500 and under. I used to buy-in 2k or even 3k, but now I’m putting the brakes on! And yes, I’m going to play the Main Event! It’s the most beautiful tournament of the festival, there’s no denying it.

How are the fields you’ve played so far? Rather easy or do you feel that the level has increased?
No, the level is as low as ever in Vegas. When I get to the tables here, I always think to myself: how soft the fields are!

I can’t really explain it, but it’s probably due to the large number of American players present. They have a bit more money, and there are a lot of people who like to play here. Incidentally, I’d like to take this opportunity to point out that there’s nothing wrong with having no ambition in poker, and playing for fun, without thinking about becoming a professional!

How is the organization on site? Is it busy? Has the organization of queues changed?

It’s incredible! It’s nothing like previous years. The WSOP+ app has changed everything. It’s very fluid, I can buy-in via my app, from my living room, and then I have an hour to get to the table, and the app gives me a seat directly. It really is an incredible time and energy saver. The same goes for re-entries: no need to queue up and eat into your patience! Thank you to the WSOP for putting this in place, because it really is life-changing. I remember, last year, I wanted to re-enter on a $600, and in the end, I didn’t play it because the queue was just gigantic. These are things that slow down and limit players. Here, for example, I played the $500 Colossus, and if it hadn’t been for this application, I’d never have played it. The Colossus is 5000 players a day, so the waiting list for the late reg was just insane last year.
In terms of attendance, there are a lot of players! For example, last year on the Colossus, there was $500,000 in prize money, and this year there was $543,000. This confirms that our numbers are on the rise, and I think it’s largely thanks to the WSOP+ application, which means players are no longer held back.

Do you have any advice for amateur players coming to Vegas for the first time? In particular, how to play the WSOP (hotels, food, budget)?

If you’re coming to Vegas for the first time, you’ll need to dress warmly! There’s a lot of air-conditioning in the casinos, and playing in a T-shirt won’t be possible. Basically, you’ll need to take summer clothes for outdoors, because it’s very hot, but also winter clothes for playing indoors!
The second very important thing you’ll need to do is download the “Caesars Rewards” application, because every time you buy-in to a tournament, you’ll generate real-money rakeback which will be credited to your card. With this money, you can pay for clothes, food and much more! In a city where everything is pretty expensive, this is a very good plan. For my part, I always manage to come away with around $300 at the end of my stay, which is no mean feat!

To eat, my favorite option remains Sbaro, located in the Food Court. They do pizza slices for $8, so it really is the best option. As far as the budget is concerned, hotel prices are quite expensive, and it’s not for nothing that many players prefer to rent a villa for 6 or 8, while being quite far from the Strip! It’s still a much more attractive option. 

Also, if an amateur player wants to come for two weeks to play the WSOP on a small budget, it’s entirely possible to find tournaments to play. There’s the $300 Gladiator, the $500 Colossus, and you can also find numerous $100 or $150 tournaments just about anywhere and at any time in Vegas, every day!