We are just weeks away from the start of the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at its new home in Horseshoe Las Vegas, formerly Bally’s Las Vegas, and thousands of poker players from around the world are preparing to depart for “Sin City” and chase their dream of winning a WSOP bracelet.

The saying “don’t prepare, prepare to fail” is true for many of life’s scenarios and is especially true when it comes to heading to Las Vegas for the poker trip of a lifetime. Life-changing rewards await those who become world champions, as well as the coveted WSOP bracelet, which many poker players consider the highest honor in the game. Don’t prepare for the 2022 WSOP and be prepared to fail by returning home empty-handed and with a decimated bankroll to show for your efforts.

Get your affairs in order before heading to Vegas

Poker players are notoriously ill-prepared and do everything on the fly. Do yourself and your mind a huge favor by organizing your accommodations and travel plans well in advance. Traveling can be stressful, so knowing exactly when, where and what time your flights and transfers are will save you a lot of potential anguish. The same goes for living arrangements. Knowing that you can jump off the plane and head straight to your apartment is much better than leaving things to the last minute, when rooms and deals may no longer be available.

It’s never too late to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Try to drink more water, eat healthier foods and try to get on a regular sleep schedule. All of these things will stand you in good stead once you arrive at the WSOP.

Get most of your education before you set foot in Nevada. Do as many simulations as you can (if that’s your thing), go through the hands from your online poker grind, but just finish it before you get off the plane. That way, you’ll be able to head to your pre-booked accommodation, knowing you’ve done everything you can to prepare for arguably the biggest six weeks of your poker career to date.

The day of the tournament

With any luck, you’ll manage to get a solid night’s sleep after turning down the chance to party all night during your first night in Las Vegas! Regardless, enjoy a healthy, hearty breakfast and prepare everything you might need for the day ahead.

Make sure to pack water, snacks and some type of warm clothing. The former means you are not dependent on WSOP waitresses. The latter because it may be 100-120 degrees outside in Vegas, but it will be absolutely nowhere near that in the tournament room. The temperature at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino was infamous for being so cold that it was uncomfortable at times. After all, you don’t want to shiver for 10-12 hours, do you?

Make sure you arrive well in advance of the start of the tournament. This is especially important if you haven’t yet bought a ticket to your event of choice, as queues can be huge. Try to register for future tournaments in advance to avoid standing, potentially for hours, waiting for a ticket.

Find your seat and take in your surroundings. Make yourself comfortable and believe that you can go all the way and triumph in this tournament. It often helps to imagine yourself navigating your way through several final tables. Believing that you can do it, rather than doubting it, will help you when you get to the business end of the tournament.

Remind yourself that this is exactly the same game you’re playing online or at your local casino. The colors still beat the straight, and the pot odds are still pot odds. Sure, the prize money and prestige are obviously greater in a WSOP event, but you know the game inside out and have fully prepared for the occasion.

It’s worth deciding before the shuffle up and the deal is announced that you set yourself a clear goal of what you want to achieve in this tournament. Do you simply want to make money, or are you aiming to win? Both goals are very reasonable, but require different strategies to achieve them. Someone who wants to achieve money is likely to choose lines with less variance compared to someone who is hellbent on finishing in the top three. Decide early, but be prepared to adjust if things don’t go as planned or go better than you anticipated.

During the competition

Maintaining focus throughout the day is a difficult task, as live poker plays out much slower than in the online world, plus a room filled with several thousand people is full of distractions.

Stay away from watching videos on your tablet and concentrate on what’s happening at your table. Many live poker players, especially recreational poker players who participate in the WSOP tournament, give more clues than you could give a stick. Missing out on this free information should be a crime!

Don’t be afraid to take a few handwritten notes, just as you would at an online poker table. It’s a good idea to write down any troublesome hands so you can review them later and focus on the next playable hand. As famed mindset coach Elliot Roe once told PokerNews, “every hand is a new puzzle.” Treat it as such, treat it as an independent activity, and you won’t get far.

Finally, take full advantage of scheduled breaks. Visit the restroom, head outside for some fresh air (and warmth) and do some stretches to revitalize your body. Being tense and uncomfortable makes it hard to focus on anything else. Relaxing your major muscle groups and getting the blood flowing properly will help you do just that.

After the game is over

We hope you made it to Day 2. If not, and you dropped out before the money places, try not to think about it. Review any hands that gave you trouble during the day’s action. These could be hands where you lost some chips, or a situation where you really didn’t know where you stood during the hand. Get them out of your system now, accepting that you may have misplayed a hand, learning from your mistakes before you put them to bed. After all, you don’t want to agonize all night over a hand that you could have or should have played differently.

Now is the time to rinse and repeat. Get a good night’s sleep so that you feel rested and recuperated before you eat a healthy, hearty breakfast, pack your bag and head back to Horseshoe Casino to fulfill your dream of a WSOP bracelet.

See you at the WSOP bracelet ceremony this summer!