The Benefits of a Late Arrival

  There are some strategies that just sound silly when you first hear them. General George Pickett probably thought that General Lee was joking when he proposed that Pickett charge his men uphill over a mile of open ground while the enemy lobbed shells, cannon fire, and bullets at them. In this case, it didn't really work out for George, but it was worth a shot.  Our first instinct when we sign up for a tournament is to plan to be there on time. This is simply common sense and good manners. Plus those who are late will not be there to defend their blinds, so when it is their turn to do the forced bets, this is simply lost money. Despite these negatives there are those who have made a practice of showing up late on a regular basis.  The day Phil Hellmuth shows up for a tournament on time, cows will probably start to fly, but that is just him being a well known poker Brat. In the past we have had the opportunity to get Vanessa Rousso's take regarding this topic and she had some keen insights on how a late arrival could strategically work in your favor.  While citing that tests she had to take while studying at her law school were responsible for the occasional late arrival, some of the tardiness was by design. During the early go of a tournament, the maniacs are on the prowl, and if you are absent while they are busy knocking each other out, you stand no chance of an early exit yourself. She also cited the psychological edge of projecting the sort of confidence that says you can give away chips for an hour or so and not sweat it.  This is a highly dubious strategy, but one that some very high profile players seem to employ to degrees of success.  Good Luck!