Your first WSOP event is 1 day away. The prep work is done, trust it. Today is about getting your logistics sorted, your mindset locked in, and making sure nothing off the felt gets in the way of your best poker.

We asked Team Fearless River to give us their best advice on exactly what to do the day before your first event in Las Vegas. We put one question to each of them:

❝ What advice would you give players when preparing for the WSOP based on the time before the start of their first event? ❞

We've assembled their answers along with FREE videos, strategies, and tips plus expert advice from Tony Dunst, Michael Gagliano, Eric Lynch, and Johan Schultz-Pedersen to make sure you are ready to crush starting hand 1. ⤵

➧ Tony Dunst:

❝ I think the day before the event you want to get your logistics in order. Are you buying in that night and getting there for hand one, or will you late-reg the following day? Where are you eating in the morning? How long does it take to get from your place to the tournament? Did you leave enough time to get plenty of sleep? Did you pack a backpack with everything you’ll need for a 12 hour day of play? Is your phone charged? Think these things over so you’re not scrambling the day of the tournament and putting unnecessary stress on yourself. ❞

➧ Eric "Rizen" Lynch:

❝ Your preparation is done. Get the best rest you can and have your nutrition dialed in. Do everything you can to be your best self when the event starts. Go into the event with the expectations of doing well, but treat yourself with kindness if it doesn't. Good play isn't always rewarded, nor bad play always punished. Your mindset needs to be such that you expect you can win, but understand that even the best players bust out of events before the money around 80% of the time. Most of all, have fun. This is what you've prepared for, and as long as you show up and try to execute the best you know how, be proud of yourself. After the event, try to take away any lessons you can use for your next one. ❞

➧ Johan Schultz-Pedersen:

❝ My best advice for the day before your first tournament is to get a good night’s sleep. It can't be overstated how much of a difference good sleep makes when it comes to playing well and having fun at the table. ❞

➧ Michael "Gags30" Gagliano:

❝ It's nearly tournament time. Hopefully you're already in Vegas and have settled in. Now is a great time to check out the venue and make plans for the day of. Things to check for include:

➥ Find the place to register, if you plan to arrive on time the next day you may want to register the night before to avoid lines.
➥ You likely need a players card to play in the event, it may be good to get on the day before.
➥ See if you can find the structure sheet of the event. You often can find these online, but many venues also have printed copies. Note how often and what time breaks are going to take place.

➥ Note the locations of bathrooms near the tournament room. If there is one very close, take note of a second, as the primary bathroom is often overcrowded during the event. It can often save time to walk a little further to the less crowded bathroom.
➥ Find out the location of food options around the venue. Oftentimes you only have 15 minutes on break to use the restroom and also get food if you're hungry. If you waste 5 minutes trying to find a place that sells food then you have wasted most of your break. Also, make plans for your dinner break. If needed, make a reservation so you have a table waiting for you right at the time of break.

Final thoughts: Las Vegas during the summer is a fantastic time to play poker, but it can also sometimes be overwhelming or frustrating if you haven't properly prepared for your trip. Taking time beforehand to sort as many variables as possible so you can just focus on your strategy at the tables can be the make or break between a good trip and a bad one. Finally, making money is great, but try to enjoy yourself even if you don't. Enjoy the events, converse with your tablemates, and make the most of all that Las Vegas has to offer! ❞

➧ What To Focus On Now:

With 1 day remaining prior to the start of your first event, it’s time to clear your schedule and prepare your mindset for peak performance and ready to execute. Make sure that any unresolved questions about your game are answered.

Watch below (Free, no membership required) as Nick Binger discusses the proper mindset to approach playing tournaments and why it is essential to play to win vs simply trying to survive:

➧ Go Deeper: Create Your Feedback Loop

Having a trusted source to discuss strategy with is VITAL to your growth. Fearless River members have that feedback loop with our Pros through the WSOP or anytime!

If you're playing this summer keep track of any tough spots from your tournaments and get feedback from Team Fearless River anytime with these membership features:

➥ Jot down key details during play and after your session use the Hand Input Tool to store and share your hands for analysis.
Visit your HIT Dashboard

➥ Submit all of your questions about specific challenges directly to our Pros and receive in-depth feedback and answers in Discord.
Visit the members-only Ask a Pro Discord

➥ Join live Study Sessions to help focus your efforts, maximize your results, and talk poker or watch previous sessions.
Review all Study Sessions

Get quick fixes and strategy advice all summer long!

Not a member? Join for just $5 your 1st month and get instant access to the membership feedback loop features plus 550+ strategy videos and GTO Trainer spots to practice. No contracts, cancel anytime.

➧ WSOP Helpful Links and Info:

➥ 2026 World Series of Poker Full Series Information
➥ WSOP Tournament Schedule
➥ WSOP Bracelet Event Structures
➥ WSOP Satellite Schedule
➥ WSOP Daily Deepstacks Schedule
➥ Follow @KevMath and @WSOP on X for Daily Information
➥ PokerNews WSOP Hub
➥ The Guide to the 2026 Summer Las Vegas Poker Scene by Kim Unger for a great resource of events around Las Vegas
➥ Michael Gagliano's Summer Poker Calendar to build and save your own schedule. Get more info from Gags on the app.

📍 Getting Around the WSOP

Kevin Mathers is one of the most trusted resources in the poker world for WSOP information. He posted a detailed floor plan breakdown covering tournament start locations, daily deepstack and satellite venues, registration, payouts, safe deposit boxes, and other key services across Horseshoe and Paris (also availale on the WSOP+ app).
➥ View on X

How to Register in Person or Online

All players must provide valid photo identification and a Caesars Rewards Loyalty card to register and a WSOP+ app account.

➥ WSOP Registration Information
➥ Download the WSOP+ App to pre-register for events and skip cage lines, make payments and get all the information about the Series.

Healthy and Quick Food Options

➥ Check out PokerOrg's: The best healthy places to eat on a break
➥ Or: Unhealthy Vegas food for your 2026 WSOP dinner break

➧ Watching from Home? Follow the Action Live

New this year, the WSOP will be host a free livestream each day on their YouTube channel for fans around the world. And ...

➧ Staying in Flow With Team Fearless River

We’ve got the strategies to help you play better poker this summer no matter how much prep time you have before your 1st tournament.

Did you miss any the previous Guides? Click below for more FREE tips and strategies:

➥ Prep Time = 60-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 30-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 7-Day Prep Guide

➧ This Is What You Trained For

HAVE FUN! Playing a large tournament series like the WSOP is why you put in the hard work studying. Now it's time to relax, have fun, and enjoy. Even if you don't win your 1st bracelet, enjoy the process and the game we all love.

However, if you DO win your 1st WSOP bracelet, make a deep run, or cash in a tournament around town, let us know.

We love celebrating Student accomplishments, and they've been consistently crushing the Summer Poker Season. In fact, we’ve helped Fearless River students achieve:

🥇 4 WSOP BRACELETS
🏆 6 WSOP Final Tables
👏 9 Around Town Final Tables
💰 Over $1.7 Million in Cashes

This is why we teach, and this is why you play!

Remember to share your successes with us and we'll highlight your achievements on our upcoming blog. Tag us on social media with your results from the felt or email [email protected].

X @_FearlessRiver | Facebook @fearlessriver | IG @fearlessriver

And if you see any of Team Fearless River, stop and say Hi!

Good luck and good playing,
- Team Fearless River

Have Questions about Fearless River? Send an email to our Support Team at [email protected] or click the CONTACT US button.

DECISION POINT: You're in the early stages of a World Series of Poker multi-day tournament with late registration and reentry still open. The blinds are 200/400 with a 400 big blind ante. Most players have around 50 big blinds, and you’ve worked your stack up to 100BBs. Action folds to you in the Cutoff with A♦T♦ and you make a standard raise to 1,000. The Button, who is an accomplished Pro and has a 105BB stack, calls. The flop comes Q♠5♦4♣ and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We're playing a multi-day event at the World Series of Poker. The tournament is in level 2 with late registration still open and players are allowed to reenter until the end of level 8. Most players have around 50 big blinds, but we’ve managed to work our stack up to 100BBs. The Button is a very studied professional poker player. The blinds are 200/400 with a 400 big blind ante and we are dealt A♦T♦ in the Cutoff. The action folds to us and we make a standard raise to 1,000. The Button decides to call and both Blinds fold. The flop is Q♠5♦4♣ and we are first to act.

The primary driver of continuation betting frequency on the flop is range advantage. Many players incorrectly believe that being the preflop raiser gives them a range advantage on dry boards like this one. Position is a key factor to consider in c-betting spots. Had we raised in Early Position instead of the Cutoff, we certainly would have a range advantage against the Button on this board. However, in this specific situation, we have a wide uncapped range and our opponent has a significantly narrower range that is capped and condensed.

Reviewing this spot in a solver as a part of post-hand analysis, we see that the Button defends with less than half as many hand combinations as we raise with from the Cutoff (215 vs. 450) and has a slight range advantage (51% vs. 49%) on the flop before any action takes place.

This dynamic occurs most frequently in Cutoff open vs Button call and Small Blind vs Big Blind scenarios. When facing skilled and aggressive players who are capable of utilizing their position appropriately in these spots, we should check the flop quite frequently. In fact, based on the solver results, the Cutoff checks with the entire range around 85% of the time. While the Cutoff is often taking a passive line on the flop, it’s crucial to note that checking here doesn’t mean giving up. We should be checking some of our big hands to protect our checking range and add check-raises with some strong value hands and bluffs such as A2s/A3s on this particular board. Check-calling on the flop also makes up a portion of our strategy, particularly against smaller bet sizes.

If our opponent on the Button were a more passive recreational player in this spot, the strategy would change significantly. There would be more merit to betting because a passive opponent is like to call preflop with a much wider range, negating the range advantage a more narrow and condensed range has on this board. Recreational opponents are also far less likely to float and raise the flop with the appropriate tendencies to discourage us from continuation betting.

Against tougher players it’s very important to recognize these spots as high-frequency checks, or we will quickly bleed chips to good players who utilize position well.

Checking is the best play.

Your first 2026 WSOP event is one week away. The time for big strategy changes is over. Now it's about sharpening execution, locking in your mindset, and showing up ready to play your best poker from hand 1. Here's exactly how to do it.

We asked Team Fearless River to give us their best advice on how to prepare your poker game to stay in flow all summer in Las Vegas. We put one question to each of them:

❝ What advice would you give players when preparing for the WSOP based on the time before the start of their first event? ❞

We've assembled their answers along with FREE videos, strategies, and tips plus expert advice from Tony Dunst, Michael Gagliano, Eric Lynch, and Johan Schultz-Pedersen to make sure you are ready to crush starting hand 1. ⤵

➧ Tony Dunst:

❝ While you should continue the study habits you’ve built up in the week leading up to the tournament, this is a good time to think about preparing your body for the grind of tournament poker. Above all that means getting on the right sleep schedule for playing from noon to midnight PDT. So if you live on the East Coast and are early to bed, you need to start staying up later and sleeping in so you’re not exhausted during the late hours of play in Vegas. The highest EV decisions of your poker day are made latest at night, so it’s crucial that you’re alert during those hours. ❞

➧ Eric "Rizen" Lynch:

❝ At this point, you really shouldn't be looking into anything new and just really solidifying the things you've already studied. Executing a good game plan very well is FAR better than executing a perfect game plan poorly, so at this point, you should really trust what you've been studying, and all your attention should be focused on taking the skills you already have and maximizing your ability to execute them flawlessly. Focus on getting good sleep and nutrition, and just maximizing your ability to be the best version of yourself. ❞

➧ Johan Schultz-Pedersen:

❝ Try to exercise regularly leading up to the series, especially if you plan on playing long sessions. This will help with both concentration and fatigue. ❞

➧ Michael "Gags30" Gagliano:

❝ Hopefully by now you've spent some time working on your game and planning what you're going to play. Take any final looks over your strategy or any charts you've been studying, but don't try to make any large adjustments at this point. Your game is what it is, and you want to try your best to execute well in the moment, not have to craft an entirely new strategy based on something you just learned the week before. Now is the time to make sure you have all your logistics for your trip in order. Are you flying to Las Vegas? Make sure you're packing everything you'll need. Days at the poker table can be long; make a list of what you'll need while you play. I recommend a small bag you can carry with you to hold some snacks, water, headphones if you wear them, a charger for your phone, a sweatshirt in case you're cold (it might be 115 degrees outside, but those poker rooms can get cold), and anything else you may want while you're playing. You're going to need some money to buy into whatever tournaments you're playing. How will you get cash in Vegas? If you plan on going to the bank beforehand, now is a good time to do so. Many banks have limited hours and if, for example, you're flying out early Monday your bank might not be open the day before. Get your funds set now so you don't have to worry about that right before the tourney. ❞

➧ What To Focus On Now:

1 week prior to the start of your first event it’s crucial to ensure that any critical leaks are plugged and start shifting focus to execution.

Watch Below: Pregame Warm-up (Free, no membership required). Mental Game Coach Jared Tendler provides the building blocks for an efficient tournament poker pregame warm-up and describes why it is essential for growth in your game.

➧ Go Deeper: Members-Only Strategy Episodes

With one week to go, use these Episodes to sharpen your mental game and execution. Members can log in and watch anytime:

Your strategy is set — now it's about execution. Jared Tendler shows you how to stay locked in and mentally sharp when it matters most.
➥ Episode 84: Focus With Jared

Learn how to use aggression on the bubble in a tournament to help improve your chances of accumulating chips and maximize your ROI.
➥ Episode 61: Bubble Play

Chris Wallace introduces and outlines the fundamentals of his world-class short stack strategy.
➥ Episode 168: Short Stack Play

➥ Episode 293: Pregame Warm-Up With Jared (Watched Above)

Not a member yet? Join now for just $5 your 1st month and get instant access to all these episodes above plus 550+ strategy videos and 45 GTO Trainer spots to practice. No contracts, cancel anytime.

➧ Quick Review Checklist: 7 Days Out

Use this final week to review the concepts that come up most frequently at the tables. Don't learn anything new, just sharpen what you already know:

☑ First-In Hand Ranges: Review your opening ranges from each position before you arrive
☑ Big Blind Defense: Know which hands to defend and which to fold facing a raise
☑ Continuation Betting: When to fire and when to check based on board texture
☑ 3-Bet Pots: Have a clear plan for how you play both as the 3-bettor and the caller
☑ Short Stack Play: Brush up on sub-30BB strategy since you will face this in every tournament
☑ ICM Awareness: Near the bubble and at final tables, understand how stack sizes affect your decisions

➧ Train Live With Team Fearless River Before the World Series of Poker

Registration closes on Friday, May 22nd at 11:59 PM PT

On Saturday, May 23rd, we're hosting the Fearless River Exploit the Field Live Workshop. This single-day, fully interactive online training event built around one core idea:

Your opponents are making mistakes at the table every single hand. Are you capitalizing?

➧ Summer in Vegas Helpful Links and Info:

➥ 2026 World Series of Poker Full Series Information
➥ WSOP Tournament Schedule
➥ WSOP Bracelet Event Structures
➥ WSOP Satellite Schedule
➥ WSOP Daily Deepstacks Schedule
➥ Follow @KevMath and @WSOP on X for Daily Information
➥ Kevin Mather's Getting Around the WSOP
➥ PokerNews WSOP Hub

➥ Michael Gagliano's Summer Poker Calendar to build and save your own schedule. The calendar includes all information including links to structure sheets. Find out more here.

➥ The Guide to the 2026 Summer Las Vegas Poker Scene by Kim Unger for a great resource of events around Las Vegas

➥ If you're playing any WSOP events this summer, it can be hard to find something to eat quickly during a tournament break. Somewhere healthy? Even tougher. Poker-playing fitness coach TJ Jurkiewicz put together a guide with an overview of the best options within walking distance of the Horseshoe and Paris Casinos you can easily reach on a dinner break. You can sign up for TJ’s free comprehensive free guide here.

➧ Staying in Flow With Team Fearless River

We’ve got the strategies to help you play better poker this summer no matter how much prep time you have before your 1st tournament. Click below for more FREE tips and strategies:

➥ Prep Time = 60-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 30-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 1-Day Prep Guide - Just Released!

If you are a member of the Fearless River family and will be here in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, we want to cheer you on! Let us know what you are playing or share your success at the table. Tag us on social media or email [email protected] with your photos and updates from the felt.

X @_FearlessRiver | Facebook @fearlessriver | IG @fearlessriver

Good luck and good playing,
- Team Fearless River

Have Questions about Fearless River? Send an email to our Support Team at [email protected] or click the CONTACT US button.

DECISION POINT: You’re in a live $2/$5 cash game that recently started. In early position you raise to $15 with Q♣T♣ and only the Button calls. You continuation bet $15 on the K♦J♥2♦ flop and get called. On the 9♣ turn you bet $25 and your opponent calls. The river is 9♦ and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing in a $2/$5 game at our local casino. The game has recently started, and we don’t have any significant reads on our opponents. We are dealt Q♣T♣ UTG+1 and the UTG player folds. QTs is well within our first-in hand range in early position, so we make a standard open to $15. Everyone folds to the Button who flat calls, and both Blinds fold.

The flop is K♦J♥2♦ and we have an open-ended straight draw. On this flop the early position raiser has a significant range advantage and wants to bet frequently. Since we want to continuation bet our entire range, a smaller size is preferred. We bet $15 and the Button calls.

The turn is the 9♣ and we hit our straight draw. Our opponent called an early position raise preflop from the Button, which should represent a fairly condensed range consisting mostly of middle pairs, some suited broadway hands, and some suited Ax hands. We can assume that hands that continued on the flop connected with the board in some way, so the Button’s likely range on the turn is composed of flush draws, Kx/Jx/TT/T9s and QTs.

One big mistake many players make is becoming fixated on pricing out draws whenever they have a strong hand with draws present on the board. While that is a factor, we also need to be concerned about maximizing value against our opponent’s most likely range. Hands like KTs or QJs are unlikely to call a really big bet but are likely to continue against a half pot sized bet while drawing extremely thin. We elect to bet $25 and the Button calls.

The river is the 9♦. This completes the flush draw that was on the flop, and there are some hands like J9s that made a full house. Often players make the error of instantly going into check and call mode fearing the worst. By taking a check/call line we would still lose to all our opponent’s flushes, however we would also miss out on value from many Kx and 9x hands that would likely call a half-pot bet but will check behind if we check.

Missing value spots, especially out of position on the river, is one of the more common cash game leaks. Attempting to extract $60 more value in this spot by betting rather than checking and calling a similar sized bet, even though we will need to fold to a raise with some frequency, is a big way to increase your hourly rate. There are times where we may have opponent specific information that may make checking to induce bluffs in this situation more profitable, but against an unknown opponent, this is a great spot to go for a thin value bet.

Betting around half the pot ($60) is the best play.

Your first 2026 World Series of Poker event is one month away, and this is the sweet spot for preparation. You still have enough time to sharpen your strategy meaningfully, but the series is quickly approaching. The players who make the most of this window arrive in Vegas confident, focused, and ready to flow. Here's how to join them.

We asked Team Fearless River to give us their best advice on how to prepare your poker game to stay in flow all summer in Las Vegas. We put one question to each of them:

❝ What advice would you give players when preparing for the WSOP based on the time before the start of their first event? ❞

We've assembled their answers along with FREE videos, strategies, and tips plus expert advice from Tony Dunst, Michael Gagliano, Eric Lynch, and Johan Schultz-Pedersen to make sure you are ready to crush starting hand 1. ⤵

➧ Tony Dunst:

❝ I think a month out is the ideal time to dial up your study and effort; you should feel ready and prepared approaching the tournament but not burned out on poker. The main three forms of studying are training videos, hand history reviews (while checking strategy in a solver), and playing against GTO trainers. Hand history reviews are great because you’ll be looking at your play during various stages of the tournament and in a variety of spots, but for training videos and trainer study, I think you should focus on the weak spots in your game. For example, I tend to play ICM situations too close to ChipEV out of habit, so when I have major tournaments coming up I focus more on ICM study so it’s fresh in my mind. Also, when working with GTO trainers, I think you should mostly play as the aggressor and not the caller, because the players you’ll encounter in Vegas are much more passive than a trainer and will be under-bluffing. So practice spots where you’re the one 3-betting or check-raising and not the one calling against that kind of aggression because if you call down humans like you should the trainer, you’ll end up punting against people who never bluff in big spots. ❞

➧ Johan Schultz-Pedersen:

❝ I also recommend studying - whether that means reviewing preflop ranges, discussing strategy with friends, or watching training videos, it all helps. ❞

Simple advice, but consistent study in the final month, even in small doses, compounds quickly heading into Vegas.

➧ Eric "Rizen" Lynch:

❝ This is the point where you really shouldn't be learning anything completely new but just refining things you already know and really solidifying them in your mind. If you have access to play in tournaments (either online or live) that mimic the structures you're preparing for, then put the things you're studying into practice. If not, use tools like the Fearless River GTO trainer to mimic play so you can really reinforce concepts. ❞

➧ Michael "Gags30" Gagliano:

❝ It's time to plan your trip. Take a look at the schedules from all the casinos and pick what events you want to play. There is a LOT to play in Las Vegas during the summer, and so many choices in terms of venue, game type, buy-in level, satellites, cash... it can be very overwhelming. Players who do not spend time preparing and making an outline of a schedule for themselves can wind up spending their time in Vegas running around like a chicken with its head cut off and more focused on what event might be next rather than focusing on the cards they're being dealt and their strategy. Taking the time early to do your planning will pay off big time when you can just focus on playing your best. It's ok to give yourself some options in your schedule, like "If I'm doing well, I'll play tourney A, but if my trip is going poorly, I'll play tourney B," but make sure you have some goals in mind and have looked at the schedules beforehand. Also, if you have the time, put in some reps at the table and continue working on your strategies that you've hopefully been studying for the past month. Take note of any weak points in your game and brush up on what you've been working on. ❞

📌 Check out the Summer Poker Calendar from Michael Gagliano to build and save your own schedule. The calendar includes all information including links to structure sheets. Find out more here.

➧ What To Focus On Now:

With 1 month remaining, it's crucial to ensure any critical leaks are plugged and shift focus to execution. These Fearless River GTO Trainer solutions are ideal for developing mental muscle memory and quickly identifying leaks. Alternate your training sessions with the related Strategy Episodes:

Watch Below: Tony's Live Reads & Tells (Free, no membership required). In his installment on player tendencies, Tony Dunst breaks down his most frequently observed live poker tells and gives you key guidelines for how to respond when you encounter them. With one month to go, reading your opponents at the table is just as important as your strategy off it.

➧ Go Deeper: Members-Only Strategy Episodes

With time still on your side, use these GTO Trainer hands and episodes to sharpen execution and plug leaks before you arrive in Vegas. Members can log in and watch anytime:

Continuation betting is one of the most critical skill sets in tournament poker, getting reps in now builds the muscle memory you'll need when it counts.

➥ Test Your C-Betting Skills! Play 10 Solved GTO Trainer Hands
➥ Then Watch Episode 294: Advanced Continuation Betting

Tournament chips can change hands fast in 3-bet pots. Practice as the aggressor and try to apply Tony's advice from above.

➥ Test Your 3-Betting Skills! Play 5 Solved GTO Hands
➥ Then Watch Episode 465 as Tony Plays the Same Hands

A full tournament series requires sustained focus across days and events. This episode covers exactly how to maintain peak performance throughout.

➥ Episode 541: Tournament Series Prep With Chewy, Tony, & Johan

➥ Episode 502: Tony's Live Reads and Tells (Watched Above)

Not a member yet? Join now for just $5 your 1st month and get instant access to all these episodes above plus 550+ strategy videos and 45 GTO Trainer spots to practice. No contracts, cancel anytime.

➧ Train & Practice Specific Spots

Practice, drill, and play through solved spots that give you the most problems and become more confident in your decisions on the felt (members only, log in to access).

All scenarios are categorized so you can filter for Game Type, Your Position, Stack Size, and Situation (defense, open raise, 3-betting, and more) based on the packs available at your membership tier.

Platinum Members have access to over 140 spots! Upgrade anytime from your My Account page under Available Plans.

Helpful Training Tip: To improve your Big Blind Defense: Watch the Big Blind Defense Episode 287 → Go to the GTO Trainer → Click the Situation filter box below "What would you like to train today?" and select Big Blind Defense → Select a Pack and Begin!

➧ Staying in Flow With Team Fearless River

We’ve got the strategies to help you play better poker this summer no matter how much prep time you have before your 1st tournament. Click below for more FREE tips and strategies:

➥ Prep Time = 60-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 7-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 1-Day Prep Guide - Just Released!

If you are a member of the Fearless River family and will be here in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, we want to cheer you on! Let us know what you are playing or share your success at the table. Tag us on social media or email [email protected] with your photos and updates from the felt.

X @_FearlessRiver | Facebook @fearlessriver | IG @fearlessriver

Good luck and good playing,
- Team Fearless River

DECISION POINT: You’re playing in a weekend tournament at your local casino, and the reentry period just ended. The blinds are 400/800 with a 800 big blind ante. You are second in chips at your table with an 80,000 (100BBs) chip stack. From Under the Gun you make the standard open and raise to 2,000 with Q♠Q♦ and only the Button, who has you covered, calls. The flop is 8♥4♥2♣. You continuation bet 2,000 and get called. You bet 7,000 on the 2♥ turn and your opponent raises to 23,000. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing in a weekend tournament at our local casino. The reentry period just ended, and the blinds are 400/800 with an 800 big blind ante. We have built up an 80,000 chip stack during the reentry period, which covers the entire table except for the Button, who has 100,000 chips. We are dealt Q♠Q♦ UTG and make a standard raise to 2,000 chips. Everyone folds to the Button who just calls. Both Blinds fold, and we’re off to a flop of 8♥4♥2♣.

Most players will throw out a continuation bet here without a second thought, but it’s important to always be evaluating situations. Range advantage is the primary driver of betting frequency, and we do have a significant range advantage over our opponent in this spot. However, we have an SPR of 13 and an overpair that does not contain a heart. Our opponent will make this call preflop on the Button with a range that is weighted heavily toward suited hands and includes a lot of pocket pairs/suited connectors that connect well with this board.

If we look at this spot in a solver, pocket queens mix between betting and checking, which shows just how tough it can be to play overpairs on boards like this against a skilled Button and with deep stacks. In this situation, we do decide to make a continuation bet of 2,000, and our opponent just calls.

The turn is the 2♥. Now the obvious draw is completed, but given the small bet on the flop, our opponent still has many 8x hands in their range as well as a lot of pocket pairs. If we check and fold to a turn bet against that range, we are giving up our hand with far too much equity. Pocket queens without a heart benefit a fair amount from protection against a lot of our opponent’s range that will have around 11 outs against a vulnerable hand that has strong equity. Based on how these ranges interact on this board, our hand favors going a bit on the larger side with a turn second barrel.

We bet 7,000 and the Button raises to 23,000. Many players struggle with what to do with a big overpair in this situation.

If we step back and evaluate this spot logically, would our opponent ever do this with a worse hand for value? It is unlikely, which means our queens are basically a bluff catcher. Is our opponent bluffing often enough to make calling profitable?

If we consider the Button's actions on each street, there aren’t a lot of hands that make logical bluffs. Our opponent’s range is composed of strong made hands or hands with some showdown value that would likely prefer calling to raising.

Even though we started with the third-best hand in poker preflop, our pocket queens become simply a bluff catcher in a spot where our opponent doesn’t have a lot of bluffs.

Folding is the best play.

Your first 2026 World Series of Poker event is 60 days away and the players who show up ready didn't start preparing with one week to go. Two months of prep time is a gift most players don't take advantage of. Here's exactly how to use it right.

We asked Team Fearless River to give us their best advice on how to prepare your poker game to stay in flow all summer in Las Vegas. We put one question to each of them:

❝ What advice would you give players when preparing for the WSOP based on the time before the start of their first event? ❞

We've assembled their answers along with FREE videos, strategies, and tips plus expert advice from Tony Dunst, Michael Gagliano, Eric Lynch, and Johan Schultz-Pedersen to make sure you are ready to crush starting hand 1. ⤵

➧ Tony Dunst:

❝ While it’s never a bad idea to form study habits, I think trying to change too much about your game or approach to poker 60 days before the summer is probably overkill. But if you’re someone who mostly plays and doesn’t study, I think it’s smart to use this time to start gradually building the habit of studying 30-60 minutes a day several times a week. Studying poker is kind of like working out, where nothing dramatic happens in one session but if you build it into your routine, you make consistent progress over a long period of time. ❞

➧ Michael "Gags30" Gagliano:

❝ Two months before playing in larger live events is the perfect time to work on your game and put in some study time. A lot of players wait until the final days before an event to study, but you really want to make sure you give yourself time to digest what you're learning and also take some time to practice your strategies so you're comfortable with them. If you're going to try anything new or make any larger changes to your game, this is the time to do so. ❞

➧ Eric "Rizen" Lynch:

❝ If you've identified the event(s) you want to play, then how you prepare will depend somewhat on the event types/structures that you want to play. If you're playing a huge field event that moves fast like the Colossus, you probably want to focus your time studying sub-30BB (or even 10BB-20BB) play, as the structure is fast and most of your critical decisions will be made with a smaller stack size. If you're playing something like a WSOP/WPT Main Event structure, you'd want to focus more on ~50BB play as the structures for those often have the average stack in the 40BB range throughout the tournament. So, identify the types of events you want to play and what sort of decisions will be most critical in that tournament format/structure and develop a study plan that focuses on those items. If you already feel strong at the key stack level of the event(s) you're targeting, move on to the next most important skill you would need for the event. Focus on the things that will come up most often first, (for example, preflop play if you need to work on that, then playing heads-up single raised pots, heads-up three bet pots, and so on), then focus on things that come up less frequently. ❞

➧ Johan Schultz-Pedersen:

❝ A month or two before the first event starts, I recommend playing a few online sessions to get back into the rhythm of playing. Online poker allows you to play many more hands in a short amount of time compared to live poker. ❞

Simple advice, but getting reps in before arriving in Vegas can make a significant difference in your comfort level at the table!

➧ What To Focus On Now:

If you’ve got at least 2 months to prepare your training should focus on strengthening fundamentals while plugging leaks. These Fearless River Strategy Episodes are a great place to start.

Let's start with one of the biggest leaks in poker. Many players approach preflop play without clear guidelines and often become too cautious or over aggressive in the wrong situations. First-In Hand Ranges give you a structured way to decide when to play and what to play, based on your stack size and seat position at the table.

In this Strategy Episode, you’ll get a detailed breakdown of which hands you should play from each seat position when raising first-in to the pot, so you’ll start hands with confidence instead of uncertainty.

Here are a few points from this video to remember...

Think in Hand Ranges:

• A range includes all hands a player may have in a given situation
• Avoid trying to put your opponent on a specific hand
• Position, action, and stack depth help determine ranges
• Analyzing hand ranges is best done away from the table

These charts will tell you what hands to play when you are the first person to put money into the pot at the poker table. They'll keep you on very solid, profitable ground and ensure that you aren't playing bad poker hands.

You'll develop muscle memory for preflop play by simply reviewing the charts and then putting them into practice at the table!

Quick Tips for Using the First-In Hand Range Charts:

• Use the Position Graphic to determine your position at the table and find the appropriate range chart for your seat. Tip: Count backwards from the Button to determine your position.
• Raise with all hands highlighted in PINK. Do not call the minimum bet amount - RAISE!
• Your raise sizing should be between 2.3 and 3 times the big blind amount depending on stack depth.
• Be consistent. If you raise a larger amount with a specific hand and smaller amounts with others, you will be easier to read at the table (IE don't raise to 600 with AA, but 400 with 99)

Remember, these charts are intended for use when you are the first person to put chips in the pot before the flop aside from the blinds (forced bets). If someone else has already voluntarily put chips in the pot before your turn to act, these charts do not apply.

➧ Go Deeper: Members-Only Strategy Episodes

With 60 days to work with you have time to go beyond the fundamentals. Members can log in and watch these anytime:

➥ Episode 305: First-In Hand Ranges (Watched Above)

Knowing when and how to defend properly is one of the most exploitable leaks in tournament play, and these two episodes will tighten that up fast.

➥ Episode 463: Big Blind Defense
➥ Episode 405: Button Defense

With 60 days to work with, strengthening your 3-bet strategy is an excellent use of study time. Most players at the WSOP are uncomfortable in 3-bet pots, and these episodes will make you dangerous in them.

➥ Episode 525: 3-Betting Strategy Part 1
➥ Episode 530: 3-Betting Strategy Part 2

Not a member yet? Join now for just $5 your 1st month and get instant access to all these episodes above plus 550+ strategy videos and downloadable tools. No contracts, cancel anytime.

➧ Staying in Flow With Team Fearless River

We’ve got the strategies to help you play better poker this summer no matter how much prep time you have before your 1st tournament. More FREE tips and strategies are on the way:

➥ Prep Time = 30-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 7-Day Prep Guide
➥ Prep Time = 1-Day Prep Guide - Just Released!

If you are a member of the Fearless River family and will be here in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, we want to cheer you on! Let us know what you are playing or share your success at the table. Tag us on social media or email [email protected] with your photos and updates from the felt.

X @_FearlessRiver | Facebook @fearlessriver | IG @fearlessriver

Good luck and good playing,
- Team Fearless River

Have Questions about Fearless River? Send an email to our Support Team at [email protected] or click the CONTACT US button.

DECISION POINT: You’re playing in a two-day regional tournament and have noticed your tablemates are using appropriate ranges based on hands seen at showdown. The blinds are 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. The UTG player raises to 2,200 and MP1 reraises to 6,500. Action folds to you on the Button with J♠J♣. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are playing in a two-day regional event with a reasonable structure. The blinds are 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. So far, we’ve seen solid hands at showdown from every player at the table and can assume we are up against competent opponents.

We are dealt J♠J♣ on the Button and the UTG player raises to 2,200 chips. Following a fold from UTG+1, the player in the MP1 seat reraises to 6,500 chips and everyone else folds to us. This is a spot where many players make the mistake of thinking about their hand’s absolute value instead of their hand’s relative value in the specific situation. Pocket jacks is one of the top 5 starting hands in poker, and we are going to want to continue in some fashion preflop in the majority of situations.

In this scenario, however, the initial raise came from an early position player followed by a reraise from MP1 with 40 big blind effective stacks. In this spot, MP1 should be raising fewer than 5% of total hands. To give an idea of what this looks like, MP1’s reraising range should only include hands such as TT+/AKs/AQo+ along with a few bluffs for balance. A true GTO 3-betting range for MP1 versus UTG open would include 88-QQ all mixing with some frequency, where pocket pairs 88-JJ are doing more calling than raising. Combine MP1’s narrow range with the fact that any action preflop will very quickly become pot committing for us, and our hand doesn’t look near as nice.

If we had some sort of information that our opponents were on the more aggressive side with their preflop ranges, we might be able to continue exploitatively. In longer events that are well-structured, players will often be even more passive than optimal ranges would suggest, which would make continuing here with pocket jacks even more problematic.

It can be incredibly frustrating to be dealt a top 5 starting hand in No-Limit Hold’em and have to fold preflop facing multiple raises. When the action suggests that one of your opponents is likely holding something that is stronger, finding folds and preserving your stack for more favorable situations is a huge edge.

Folding is the best play.

DECISION POINT: You're in the early stages of a daily tournament with no significant reads on your tablemates, with the exception that they mostly have been showing down reasonable hands. The blinds are 200/400 with a 400 big blind ante and you have 20,000 chips to start the hand. The action folds to you in the Cutoff with 7♠7♥, you open to 1,000, and only the Big Blind calls. The flop comes K♠5♥2♦. Your opponent checks, you c-bet 900, and they call. On the 3♠ turn the Big Blind leads out for 1,500 and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are in the earlier stages of a daily tournament with blinds of 200/400 and a 400 big blind ante. Most of the players have been showing down reasonable hands when we’ve had the opportunity to see them, and we otherwise haven’t developed any significant reads to this point in the session.

With 20,000 chips to start the hand in the Cutoff and holding 7♠7♥ we make a standard raise to 1,000 chips, and everyone folds to the Big Blind who just calls. The flop is K♠5♥2♦ and the Big Blind checks to us. This is a board where the preflop raiser from the Cutoff will have a significant range advantage and we will frequently continuation bet with our entire range. In game we make the preferred choice and bet 900 into the 2,600 pot, and the Big Blind just calls.

The turn is the 3♠ and surprisingly, our opponent leads for 1,500. When an opponent takes a line where they lead into the aggressor on the turn, there is often one of several factors at play.

First, the Big Blind will often lead the turn when picking up additional equity, which in this case would mostly be flush draws but does include some Ax, 6x, and 4x hands.

Second, they could have turned two-pair or better with hands including A4, K3, 33, 53, and 32s, and are trying to build a pot fearing we may not fire again on this board texture. Lastly, this turn lead may be intended to deny equity since we are betting such a wide range on the flop. Many of the 5x combos in the Big Blind’s range benefit greatly from generating folds from some of our random overcards, such QJo, that still have significant equity.

Given these assumptions, the Big Blind’s leading range likely consists of some draws, some bigger hands, and some medium-strength hands looking to clear out equity. Our pocket sevens are doing fairly well against that range. However, there is little reason to raise as our opponent is likely to fold medium-strength hands we dominate, continue with the hands that dominate us, and proceed with draws only if getting the correct price.

Calling is the best play.

DECISION POINT: You have late registered for a daily tournament with a fast structure. The blinds are 250/500 with a 500 big blind ante. It folds to you in MP1 with 9♥9♣ and you raise first-in to 1,000. Action folds to the Big Blind who just calls. The flop comes 7♣6♣5♥ and your opponent bets 1,000. Action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We have just entered a daily tournament with a fast structure and are jumping in a few levels after the start. The blinds are 250/500 with a 500 big blind ante. We are dealt 9♥9♣ in MP1 with our 10,000 starting stack. Everyone folds to us, and since pocket nines are a part of our first-in hand range from this position, we open to 1,000 chips. Everyone folds except the Big Blind, who just calls.

The flop is 7♣6♣5♥ and our opponent leads for 1,000 chips. Unlike our recent decision from a cash game session, this is a spot where a good opponent should be doing some leading based on theory. This board does connect well with a Big Blind defense calling range, but they have many hands that benefit from protection, and this is a board we won’t be expected to continuation bet often.

The Big Blind’s range should include a lot of 1-pair hands, especially those that have some sort of straight and/or flush draw to provide some backup equity. They will also lead with some overcard combinations that include flush draws, both backdoor and direct, as well as some 2-pair hands for balance. When we look at this situation closely, the Big Blind should be leading with around 50% of their range on this board.

From our perspective, we have an overpair with an inside straight draw and a stack to pot ratio (SPR) of around 3. This is not a spot we would ever be looking to fold our hand, so the main question we have to ask is if we should just call or raise. When considering the potential leading range for the Big Blind as discussed above, we can assume:

• We are well ahead of most of their 1-pair hands
• We still have significant equity against many of their 2-pair hands
• Many of their overcards have significant equity against us

It is important to consider that if we were to raise now, many of their hands that we are well ahead of will call, while many of the overcard combos that have significant equity against us will fold (with the exception of direct flush draws using both hole cards). When our opponent will continue against aggression with hands such as 74s but folds hands such as JhTh or KcTh, that is a huge win for us.

Raising is the best play.