18 Short & Useful Poker Thoughts from Faraz Jaka

Six Common Misconceptions of Poker Players

1. They overestimate how much pros actually make. (Hendon Mob winnings are just revenue, not profit)
2. They underestimate how much luck impacts short-term results.
3. They don’t realize the amount of off-table work needed to gain an edge.
4. They overlook the intense mental challenges.
5. They’re often unaware of the people who befriended them for personal gain (new fish for home games, loans, staking, etc.)
6. They need to invest far more into their bankroll than expected.

According to Faraz’ post on X, these misconceptions grow from the lack of understanding of the reality of the game:

“Most people dive into poker with little idea of what they’re really signing up for. Many ultimately choose to play part-time rather than go pro. Yet, despite all these surprises, so many stick around. […] It’s a beautiful game 🤩”

Kenna James added to this conclusions a few thoughts in the comments — and Faraz found them to be “very well said”:

“Maybe they’re ignorant or maybe it’s the fact if we knew all the obstacles (like your list here) and barriers that lay in front of us, it would kill the desire to begin the journey at all! 

For many it’s the hope of “winning” and the fear of  “losing” – as well as the process of learning and discovery w a spice of mystery that  draws and keeps people playing the game. Imho lol”

By the way: if you rely on The Hendon Mob to estimate someone’s poker success in terms of profit, be aware that this website does not take into account a lot of small local tournaments, private Sit & Go’s and Cash games, re-entries and rebuys, baking & staking costs, etc. 

Five Tips to Become Successful in Poker

1. Play with presence, meaning maintain the image of a confident player and build authority at the table to force opponents to worry about your play more than their own.
2. Study before the exam with focus on spots that come up constantly in the first place. Remember that sustainable confidentiality grows from good mental preparations and not from self-conviction.
3. Always be experimenting, trying to get even 1% better. Tweak diet, workouts, sleep, time zone, or anything else that will give you another edge.
4. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself — study to become better but not to justify all of your plays to yourself. And strive to have a conscious and frank relationship with your ego. It means, for example, to learn how to stop before ego takes over and pushes you to do a wrong thing but let ego lead when you need to be fearless.   
5. Coach yourself like you’re a friend without beating yourself up and being harsh or rude in critique. Your main goal is to help yourself to improve your game. But not to humiliate yourself, discourage desire to play at all or feed the illusion of self-rightness.

In one of his newsletters “Do you have what it takes to win?”, Faraz Jaka suggested to always ask yourself questions in different situations and use answers on them to grow, for example:

“Are you a morning person or a night person? Is there any way you can change your routine to play more hours in your preferred time?​

Are there any specific workouts that help you feel relaxed at the table? Can you schedule those workouts before you play?​

Have you ever worked out too much before a game day? Did that cause your focus to slip? How can you avoid that in the future?​

What do you do on breaks? ​Are you on your cell phone during breaks? Are you talking about bad beats and getting up in your head? Or are you walking outside and getting a breather? Maybe you’re stretching to loosen up?​

What do you eat on the dinner breaks? What has helped you play your best in the past?

What could you have done differently? Why did you make the decisions you did? Did you let your ego get out of control? Were you sick of one specific person beating you? Were you frustrated with two prior bluffs not working?

​How do you get yourself to make the right adjustments? etc”

Seven Ways to Be a Tough Opponent in Poker

1. Use aggression more than is naturally comfortable doing so.
2. Maintain a perception of being balanced.
3. Take creative lines by using as many parts of the game tree as you can handle.
4. Strengthen your checking ranges in spots that lead to a lot of aggression from your opponents.
5. Make tough lay downs where people don’t bluff enough. 
6. Aren’t afraid of taking risks and losing.
7. Don’t care what others think when you’re wrong.

In the post on X, Faraz Jaka assured players that these tips are at the core of being tough as a poker player. As he posted: “You don’t need to play absurd hands and be “unpredictable🤪” to make yourself tough 🤺to play against at the poker table ♠️.”

This list attract a few players eager to share their thoughts at the topic — for example:

Alec Torelli:

100% agree.

This is a common fear LAGs have when I tell them to tighten up.

"Then my opponents will know what I have".

What they fail to realize is having a tighter image is better because you can rep more hands.

Your equity is also higher overall, so you win more.

— Alec Torelli (Poker Player) (@AlecTorelli) October 10, 2023

Slammer.sol:

Don't always follow what a solver would say to do. Follow your gut. Example would be crappy cards come out you have no draw and it's multiway with no story but you sense the weakness and seize the opportunity or laying down a middling hand
Change gears, be in flow with the game.

— Slammer.sol (@Erica_Sumner) October 10, 2023