Jess Vierling的期望并没有超过她自己对自己的期望

Jess Vierling deserves congratulations. She achieved what most poker players dream of—turning a $500 satellite into a $5,000 buy-in for PokerGO’s 2024 Poker Masters opening event, proving herself against a higher level of competition, and finishing as the runner-up to claim a $98,000 prize, the third largest of her career.

But as a poker saying goes, “there’s only one person happy at the end of a tournament,” and Jess Vierling was not that person.

“Everyone is congratulating me for second place (so I guess I should feel amazing), but I feel like crap. I reviewed all my hands and misplayed two in heads-up that cost me so terribly, I might have won if not. Who is wrong, everyone or me, and why are we so messed up? 🤣😩— Jess Vierling 🃏🃏🃏🃏 (@ LilithPoker) September 12, 2024

“When that tournament was over…the last experience, the last feeling that I had was disappointment. Especially because I had such a big chip lead to start the heads-up with. It was bittersweet…,” she said. Even the acknowledgment of some of her well-known competition from the field didn’t seem to help this time. “I was like, I think it’ll take a few days for me to be happy about this.”

Vierling, 38, expects herself to “perform at my best, whatever my best is at the moment100% of the time.” This relentless desire to excel has propelled her into a career year, highlighted by a WSOP Circuit victory at the Commerce Casino Main Event for a record-high payout of $328,000, final table appearance at a $2,200 side event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, and her PokerGO score, bringing her total tournament earnings to over $1.2 million.GG扑克好不好

Nevertheless, despite her impressive performance in 2024, Vierling’s inner critic continues to drive her relentlessly.

“What I can’t get over is if I mess up. People say you should try to be in control of the things you can and allow the rest to just happen. But am I not in control of my mind? Should I not always be 100% in control of my mind? My mind should be at its absolute A+, 100% game all the time. And if it’s not because I slip up, I’m tired, I’m tilted, I’m inattentive for a moment – then that is something I can self-loathe for.”

Vierling’s self-awareness of her “self-loathing” is just one aspect of her fierce competitive spirit. In an industry where emotional detachment is often employed as a defense mechanism against the ups and downs of tournament poker, Vierling chooses to embrace her feelings and express her vulnerabilities openly, hoping to connect with those who support her.

“I’ve heard I’m hard on myself. Objectively speaking, I probably am. But there’s a part of me that’s like…let people think you’re hard on yourself.”

Vierling views poker as more than just a source of income. “I want to belong to the community. That’s my number one goal. I have a craving for my tribe and it would be amazing if it was the high-stakes community…or any ranked community. But, yeah, I just want to play my best game and I want to be successful and I want to be loved and respected for my game.”

She approaches poker with the same honesty and authenticity that she applies to her life, refusing to conceal her true self. As a result, she’s seen substantial growth both in her game and her personal development, and she’s determined to continue on this path of genuine self-expression.