Journal
The greatest day
Italy won the World Cup. A few hours later I won a bracelet. I have not had a quieter night since.
9 July 2006 · 6 min
Nothing can beat this. For me, this is incredible.
I had been playing a long time before that night. Circuit rings, small wins, the slow work of becoming someone who cashes. A bracelet is a different sentence. It is the one the game still uses.
Italy beat France in Berlin. I had told friends to watch the match, then to watch the final table on the internet. J♣ 8♣ against Anthony Reategui. The river was a nine. Straight. First bracelet, $682,389, a field of 1,290.
People remember the bandana. I remember the noise in the Rio and the fact that my country and my work arrived on the same clock. I said then it was the greatest day of my life. I have four bracelets now. I have not taken that sentence back.
The rest of a career is showing up after a day like that. Mixed games, Main Events that go nowhere, the 365th-place cash in 2022 that still paid. The 2006 night is the story. The years around it are the job.