Prep for the 2025 WSOP Like a Pro with GTO Wizard
The 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is in full swing at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, but that doesn't mean it's too late to freshen up your poker game or put together a game plan for the remainder of the series.
The GTO Wizard coaching team is offering players an array of helpful tips, including advice on preparation, game selection and how players going to their first World Series can maximize the experience.
"For a poker player joining the WSOP for the first time, it can be exhilarating to play for potentially life-changing money on a daily basis," GTO Wizard wrote in a June blog post. "The challenge, however, can be knowing how to get the most out of your time and money spent in Las Vegas during the summer, both on and off the felt. What are the best approaches to studying prior to playing live? How do you know what events to play when there are so many to choose from? And finally, how do you get the most out of Sin City without breaking the bank?"
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The coaches who offer their WSOP advice in the blog post include Mathias Maasberg, Uri Peleg, Matt Hunt and Stoyan Obreshkov.
For example, Obreshkov said this: "In terms of strategy, I avoid consuming large amounts of new information just before the series starts as I believe that we as humans need time to digest, experiment, and polish all we have learned in order to turn it into a sharp weapon. The time to study for Vegas is now, not the week prior to flying there. Considering the fields in Vegas being full of recreationals and weaker players, I focus on playing with nodelocks to sharpen my exploits, mapping out different playing styles, and learning how to respond in each scenario."
Meanwhile, Peleg suggested: "For tournaments, go over some ICM and short-stack situations and brush up on preflop; there is a lot of edge there. For live cash, try to nodelock some basic player profiles you expect to face (i.e., people who don’t check-raise, people who underbluff, etc.) and see the adjustments, come up with some basic, ready-made exploits."
As far as game selection goes, poker pro Vanja suggested that players "take time to research the tournaments you want to play" before arriving in Las Vegas, noting that "most casinos publish their full summer game schedules weeks in advance, allowing you to plan ahead of time."
Obreshkov offered that he believes "people underestimate how important rest and recovery are" and that "most players go to Vegas and they get swallowed by the desire to win and change their lives, fuelled by the big prize pools, never-ending action, and soft fields."
"However, I believe that when you are going for a longer grind, you should approach it as a marathon rather than a sprint, planning well and keeping a constant pace throughout the series, optimizing sleep, movement, nutrition, and often checking with yourself for possible adjustments," he said."
Head to the GTO Wizard blog to read the full blog post.
