This is my second year of playing in the World Series. So far, my sole success (albeit a massive one) during my first WSOP trip was winning a big online tourney on the laptop in my hotel room. Thus I started thinking about how I could fine-tune my preparation for 2006 immediately after the 2005 event concluded.

I have always tried to break down tournament preparation into three categories: Game Preparation, Physical Preparation, and Psychological Preparation. The WSOP truly is a unique experience, and for those who are going for the first time I will try and share some of the things that I feel make a difference to first time preparation.

Game Preparation

For me this begins by identifying my poker strengths. What games do I play online and excel at? Betfair’s SixPak's have been quite popular. I have played these on a regular basis and enjoy the format, as well as finding them nicely profitable. For this year’s WSOP, you can see the entire list of events at www.worldseriesofpoker.com

When looking at the schedule, I try to match my strengths to it. I also carefully read the blind structure of the events, which can be seen by clicking on the event you are interested in. This shows you the format of the event. It also shows you the number of entrants from last year, which I find particularly interesting. The first event that caught my eye was the June 30th 2500 buy-in NL 6/handed. Obviously there is some correlation with this format and the SixPaks on Betfair. Although the format is structured quite differently in regards to the time levels and blinds, I feel shorthanded play suits my tight aggressive style, and I expect my experience of thousands of SixPaks to benefit me here. Most of my live experience is in standard No Limit tournaments. Therefore most of the events I have tentatively scheduled to play in are standard NL tourneys. You can see my WSOP tournament schedule at http://www.buzzerpoker.com/tournaments.php

All of the events I have chosen to play in are events I have had success with either online or live. I believe we all must find our comfort zone when preparing for which events we should play as well as the obvious travel, financial and other considerations. One tip I would pass on. PLAY A SIDE EVENT. Even if you are playing the main event only I think it would be quite beneficial to play at least one side event, which could be as simple as a $225.00 super satellite. Getting accustomed to the poker room is quite beneficial. You will learn such things as beating the bathroom rush, the lay of the land, and even what you might consider wearing (depending on how you like the room temperature at the Rio). Tap into your comfort zone to maximise your results. There truly is something for everyone at the WSOP so pick your spots and do your homework.

Psychological Preparation

Finding your "personal" comfort zone is one of the most challenging parts of preparing for a big tournament. I try to prepare myself by reaffirming my successes. I take a long look back at my record and all my notes from the past year. I basically do a complete review of my poker activities. I find I gain a great deal of confidence from this review. It also gives me tips on strategies I may want to employ during the events. After this review I then draw up my game plan for events I am going to play. Though this may not sound like it fits in psychological preparation, my end result is a high degree of confidence. More than anything, I must feel I can be successful and this helps me get in the correct frame of mind BEFORE I land in Las Vegas. Most likely, regardless of the event or events you choose to play you will be facing the largest field of players you have ever played. Being on top of yourself psychologically is of the utmost importance. During the weeks leading up to the WSOP I try to free my mind of any loose ends. This means I get my "to do list" out of the way, thus clearing my mind of as many unfinished tasks as I possibly can. I also make it a point to communicate frequently with positive people. Most of us have mates that can sometimes bring us down and I try and avoid them during this time. Ultimately my goal is to begin the WSOP with a positive, upbeat, and most importantly to me, confident frame of mind.

I also make it a point not to push myself as hard as usual in my day to day online poker. I know I have a ton of poker to be played in the coming weeks and do not want to risk emotional burn out by playing my regular grinding schedule. One tip that may or may not be related to psychological preparation is keeping the structure of the event in mind. At the WSOP you will find a slow structure, which in many cases means you will be playing the same table with the same people for hours and hours, sometimes even for a whole first day of any given event. I highly recommend you pay very close attention from the opening hand to study your opponents "psyche". Understanding his patterns, tells and betting style can be quite rewarding later in the event. At all WSOP events you will find a massive gulf in quality on your table. The big names in poker, unknown yet strong players, horrible players. There are the aggressive players who "play to win" from level 1 hand 1 (who can usually quickly be identified by having natural blonde hair, wearing massive earphones, and having their baseball caps turned back to front under their sweatshirt hoods :-), while others will play conservatively. Especially in the higher buy-in events you will find a lot of players that are "defending their buy-ins" and really shy away from any kind of all-in gambles. I like to put the heat on these players, for example by semi-bluffing with strong draws. So chose your customers and how to approach them. Being on top of your psychological preparation can pay great dividends, plus I also find it easier when I am at my best to see when someone else is not. Pay attention to the details and the rewards should follow.

Physical Preparation

As stated previously, the WSOP is the ultimate of grinds. I consider myself a real grinder, but these events will test you. Long days followed by short nights can take its toll on you. I try to prepare by taking a non poker playing vacation, which I just recently returned back from. I try and pick a place I really want to visit and do my best to stay away from poker during this time. I also try to take care of myself by eating properly and getting some exercise (not the easiest of tasks for me). I also schedule some massages during my time in Vegas as this always helps after long days in a poker room. This year I am also going to take a few days off towards the beginning of the WSOP to visit a friend in the states. As Vegas has so many things to do and see, it can definitely become a distraction. Vegas has some of the best things in the world (restaurants, shows, pretty women etc). But as our friend Ariston found out at last years WSOP, it also offers some rather bad things. Be careful what you do with your free time. Vegas can be a real candy shop, with a drink at every corner. I try and concentrate on poker and remind myself that I should come here for a vacation if I want to party. One of my mates from last year was having a grand old time drinking at the top of the Rio. Unfortunately, he had so much fun he missed one of the events he was planning on playing as he "overslept" through the noon starting time. Basic common sense is hard to adhere to in Vegas, but I believe it is critical to your success. Get plenty of rest, eat right, and go to the gym (amazingly enough the Rio has a very nice work out area). I try to leverage the fact that I have prepared through taking good care of myself physically, and I try to make sure that I do the same while I am in Vegas.

As with most businesses, preparation is key to producing favourable results. Since poker is my business I take the preparation part of my World Series of Poker trip as a necessity rather than an option. I would also like to thank Betfair for their WSOP promotion, as I know several people who have qualified for the main event package (including myself). I hope to see many of my fellow Betfairians at this years WSOP and wish you all the best of luck.

See you at the tables


Buzzer