10 Things You Need at the 2019 World Series of Poker

With a demanding 89 tournaments kicking off on May 29^th, we’ve already told you about all the 2019 WSOP Championship Events you can play, as well as every low buy-in event at the 2019 World Series of Poker. But if it’s your first time in Las Vegas, what should you be packing for Sin City apart from greenbacks?

• Hand Sanitizer

Keeping fresh at the table is tougher than a taco that’s been left out in the Rio car park all day. Start with keeping your hands clean, all-important for staying healthy when you’re riffling chips and shaking hands all day! Pro tip: Fist bumps are more hygienic than handshakes and coughing and sneezing into your elbow pit is a go-to move.

• Deodorant

We can’t emphasize this enough. If you think you don’t smell after ten hours at the felt, you’re wrong. If you’ve already packed one deodorant, pack another to be sure. Then buy more – you’ll need it. Breaking news: Shower every day. Vegas is a hot place even if you might be running cold.

• Business Cards

You never know who you’ll meet at the felt, so if you bump into someone who has a passing interest in your career / innovative invention/life goal, although it’s fine to bump cells and connect digitally, a business card makes a much more solid impression and it avoids having to take down everyone’s number as you’re grinding on and off the felt.

• A Good Book

Whether it’s reading at the table, out and about or back in your room, getting your head down has never been more in fashion. Despite the advance of digital tech, there is a raft of new poker books out there too. That being said, unwinding with a non-poker book can help reset the mind for the following day of high stakes action.

• Music

Keeping your head when all around you are losing theirs is often down to the tunes you’re plugging yourself into. Make sure you’ve got your favorite playlist loaded in and headphones with you and you can block anything out with the latest ace hits, whether yours does or not, just don’t be that guy or girl who can’t hear the bet sizes or has to ask, “Is he all-in?”

• Hoodie

The Rio may be in the heart of Vegas in summer when it’s not uncommon to be 120 degrees in the shade, but inside, it’s colder than Winterfell on the day the White Walkers turned up for popsicles.

• Uber/Lyft account

Make sure you’ve got an Uber or Lyft account and your payment card details logged before WSOP season starts and you’ll always have a ride home. Don’t drink and drive and don’t rely on taxis in Las Vegas especially because the Rio might seem like it’s around the corner, the taxi drivers will find a way to pass both South Point and Green Valley Ranch before you late reg the 10 a.m. tournament.

• Travel insurance

Getting stuck in Vegas is one thing, but you only ever want to relate to the table you’re sat during the early exchanges of a cash game, not in real life. Travel insurance protects you from medical issues but also gives you peace of mind.

• Portable phone charger

Your cell phone will run out of charge, and you just know that it’s going to be when it’s most needed. Make sure that you aren’t caught out talking to one of the many hallway salesmen, as that’s a problem you can easily avoid by being prepared and ready for those deep runs.

• Better Feels

From lip balm to painkillers, cough drops to chewing gum, making sure that you have items that aid your recovery through the seven-week poker festival is crucial. Whatever you need to feel comfortable and at your best is worth taking along. Oh, and hydrate! Water, water water, it’s the key to success in the hot and dry climate and you’ll be surprised how much different you’ll feel when you’re properly hydrated.

Now that you’re ready for the 2019 World Series of Poker, make sure to get set up with a PokerGO account to watch as much poker as humanly possible during the busiest time of the year. PokerGO offers more than 100 days of live poker action every single year on top of an expansive on-demand library of content that includes Pokerography, Super High Roller Club and much more.