Getting Ready for the World Series 2014

I am interrupting my series of columns on bluffing to give you some thoughts about the upcoming WSOP. The annual WSOP is like an annual trip to Mecca. It is something that every poker player must do. There will be crowds not just at the Rio, but at every poker room in Vegas. This is the most frantic period in the poker calendar. On most days, the Rio often offers two bracelet events a day. These all have a brutally long playing day of twelve or more hours. It also offers smaller tournaments, satellites, and some cash games. Other beautiful venues like Bellagio and the Venetian also offer daily tournaments and a great selection of cash games. Not only is there is all this poker available, but also there are all the usual attractions and distractions of Las Vegas. It very easy to be overwhelmed by all of this, and to have a disastrous WSOP.

While everyone dreams of a string of fantastic successes, they are rare. Most winning players manage to grind out a profit. There may be a rare tournament win, but mostly just long frustrating hours. Losing is much more common than winning. It is important to make sure that you are psychologically fit to handle losses without falling apart. The best way to achieve this is through planning your trip in advance. As with almost every endeavor in life, planning is a very important element in achieving success and avoiding disaster. Strangely enough, most players make a reservation for a room somewhere, grab whatever cash they can come up with, and head off. In this column, I am going repeat some previous advice and to address some important issues involved in planning and preparing for a trip to the WSOP. My advice isn’t “one size fits all.” I have somewhat different advice for amateurs and professionals.

Any plan should begin with setting out your goals or outcomes and the reasons why you must achieve them. Be as specific as possible. A typical goal might be to play in five no-limit tournaments, and cash in at least one for more than my total entry fees. Another possible goal might be to play 10 hours of cash games every day, and win four big blinds per hour. A third might be to play a few small tournaments and cash games, while having a great time seeing some shows and having some great meals. There are some bits of advice that apply specifically to this trip to the WSOP.

Specialize: I have always felt it was important for a poker player to become comfortable playing a lot of different games. The WSOP is not the place to try to learn new variations. The long hours and high stakes make it important to play your best games. These are not the right conditions for exploring new territories. Before you leave home, decide what is your best game, and concentrate on playing that variation. Study it and practice it in a relaxed setting before arriving in Vegas. Make sure that you are so familiar with it that you can play a long session without making any major blunders. Aim to have some periods when you play flawlessly. At the same time, make sure that your B-Game or automatic pilot can carry you through stretches when your mind is crying out for a break. These days, no-limit hold’em is probably the best game to concentrate on, since new and inexperienced players are drawn to it. I would also advise you to focus either on tournaments or cash games, but not to try to do both, especially not on the same day. I have seen some talented players self destruct from the long hours under extreme pressure required to play both.

Timing: If you are a professional player with an adequate bankroll, you might plan to come in late May, and stay till the middle of July. If you are an amateur or an up-and-coming pro, you are best off coming either at the beginning or the end of the tournament. Why? During the first week, a lot of players who think they are better than they are will arrive with big dreams, only to go rapidly broke. The early bird can catch these players before they give all of their money away. The final ten days or so are good for a different reason. The main event draws an assortment of players which includes many amateurs and satellite winners. Many of these players are comparatively weak, and you want to be there to take advantage of them. By this time you will also encounter some pros and wannabe pros who have played too many hours and lost too much money. These basket cases are often giving away the last of their bankroll in desperate attempts to get even.

Bankroll: If you are an amateur, try to come up with a bankroll that is adequate to give you a shot to win, but still small enough that losing it won’t ruin the next six months of more of your life. A reasonable minimum is enough to buy into four or five tournaments of your choice and a few satellites or super-satellites or fifteen cash game buy-ins. If you limit yourself to one tournament a day or three cash game buy-ins, you should make it through a week without facing losses that exceed your comfort level.

If you are a pro with a significant bankroll, you must protect it. A significant bankroll is one that you couldn’t accumulate in a six months to a year of normal, non-poker work or playing at your usual stake. Don’t put it all at risk. Don’t put most of it at risk. There will be other days, other games, other tournaments and other years. Whatever you do, don’t finish this tournament on the rail, begging for backers. I don’t care how good you are, and most of us are not as good as we think, you will run into people who are better than you. At the WSOP you will run into nearly every great player there is. You will encounter the players who are the best at whatever variation you pick. You will run into stretches where your opponents seem to get lucky at all the key moments. If you are aware that this may happen and psychologically ready for, it is easier to avoid a total meltdown.

Schedule R & R: Don’t get burned out. Plan some days off. Try to get some exercise. Have a great dinner. See a show. This is especially important if you come to Vegas with a significant other. You may manage to burn up both your bankroll and your relationship. It is also important that you remember that you are here playing poker because you love it. If it becomes too much like a “real job,” you’d be better off getting a real job (shorter hours and a steadier income). I also recommend taking a day off whenever you have a big loss or a big win. After a loss, you need a little time to relax and regain your composure and discipline. After a big win, you may get careless or think you can get away with playing any hand you want. It is also nice to savor the win for a day or two before returning to the routine grind. ♠

Steve ‘Zee’ Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is a successful gamesplayer. He has been a full-time gambler for more than 35 years. With two WSOP bracelets and few million in tournament cashes, he is easing into retirement. He currently devotes most of his time to poker. He can be found at some major tournaments and playing in cash games in Vegas. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his bars on Avenue A in New York City -The Library near Houston and Doc Holliday’s on 9th St. are his favorites.