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.

New to structured study? Start with our free poker training to lock in the 5 Keys framework before you build your plan.

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
➥ WSOP 2026 Prep: All 4 Guides in One Place

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.

➧ Do you know what poker math is and when to use it?
➧ Is it really that important for poker players to understand?
➧ Can you calculate in real time when a situation becomes profitable based on pot odds?

Let Team Fearless River show you how poker math works and how you can use it to improve your poker decisions and play your next session with more confidence.

Many people hate math, but there's no escaping its importance at the poker table. The truth is that you don't need to be an expert at poker math to beat the games. However, using poker math is something that differentiates the best poker players from the average ones.

So, if you want to upgrade your poker strategy and improve your win rate, make sure your poker math knowledge is up to par.

There are many different strategies in poker, but no matter which one you use or how your luck runs, poker is a game of probabilities.

When we use poker math, we use it to make the right decision and calculate if the odds are in our favor. This means poker math helps you decide whether a call is profitable.

Poker math tells us whether it's worth putting money into the pot to chase after a particular card and how likely you are to hit it.

To understand how poker math actually works you need to become familiar with two key elements: outs and pot odds. These two elements are crucial for the decision-making process.

So let's get started!

Poker Math: Outs

➧ What Are Outs? The cards that can come on the flop, turn, or river that are likely to improve your hand.

When evaluating a poker hand, the first step is to consider how many outs we have and how likely it is that an out will be dealt in the specific scenario.

To understand the basic concept of outs, you can watch Fearless River Strategy Episode 37, which explains how to do basic calculations to determine outs with easy-to-use shortcuts. If you haven't already reviewed the Strategy Episodes on outs and pot odds, you definitely should check those before diving into the world of poker math.

Poker Math: Pot Odds

➧ What Are Pot Odds? The odds a player gets to continue in the hand, specifically a ratio comparing the size of the pot to the size of the bet.

To determine pot odds, determine how much is in the pot and then compare that amount to how much it costs to call the bet. Note that any opponent's current bet is considered part of the pot.

Your poker decisions should be fundamentally based on pot odds. The key to profitable poker is understanding pot odds and basic math so that when it comes time for decisions, you will be able to consistently make profitable ones.

Understanding the odds is also key to playing draws effectively. After some practice, basic odds calculations won't take you a lot of time at the table and will help improve your poker strategy by using simple math. Your goal for learning about odds is to gain a repeatable skill to help evaluate decisions based on facts and data.

Math Shortcut: The Rule of 2

➧ The Rule of 2 is a shortcut to calculating your percentage chance of hitting one of your outs on the next card to come. To use the Rule of 2, multiply the number of outs x 2 and the result gives you the percentage chance of hitting one of your outs on the next card.

The best way to learn is from an example: We have 9♣8♣ and the board is 3♥4♣Q♣. We have a flush draw and we are heads up on the flop. Our single opponent bets $1000 into $1000 pot. Remember that when talking about pot odds, we have to include any bet from our opponent that is already in the pot. So in this situation, there is $1000 in the pot plus our opponent's $1000 bet meaning the total amount that we could potentially win by continuing is now $2000.

The next step is to compare the total amount we could potentially win to the amount it costs us to call. In this case, it costs us $1000 to continue and there is $2000 in the pot. So our pot odds are 2:1. There are two units to win, and it costs us one unit to call.

As a rule of thumb, you can know that any time you are facing a pot-sized bet you're getting 2 to 1 pot odds.

Now put it together. With 9 outs, the Rule of 2 gives you roughly an 18% chance of hitting your flush on the turn. Getting 2:1, you need to win at least 33% of the time to break even. Since 18% falls well short, calling is not profitable on pot odds alone. That’s where implied odds come in, which we cover below.

What About the Rule of 4?

➧ The Rule of 4 is applied in mostly the same fashion as the rule of 2 except that it can only be used on the flop when one player is all-in and you are facing the decision to call.

Let's use that same example: We have 9♣8♣ and the board is 3♥4♣Q♣. We have a flush draw and your opponent goes all-in.

In this case, you would determine how many outs you have to make your flush, then multiply by 4 to determine the percentage chance of hitting your flush. There are 13 total cards of each individual suit and we can see 4 of them currently (2 in our hand and 2 on the board), so we can subtract 4 from 13 and get a result of 9 outs.

Then using the rule of 4 we multiply 4 x 9 for a result of 36, so we have roughly a 36% chance of hitting our flush draw on the next 2 cards to come. It is important to only use the Rule of 4 for situations where you are on the flop facing an all-in and guaranteed to see the next 2 cards if you call.

TNow put it together. If the all-in is about the size of the pot, you’re getting 2:1 and need 33% to break even. With roughly a 36% chance to hit by the river, calling is profitable.

Here Are Some Tips for Practicing:

When practicing your poker strategy, start paying attention to pot odds and how to apply the Rule of 2 or The Rule of 4 to determine your percentage chance of winning.

Watch additional Fearless River Strategy Episodes on this subject to get comfortable with poker math and keep in mind the fundamentals of pot odds at all times. Check out Episode 41 and Episode 39 for more about this topic and others we are discussing in this article.

Now that you have the basics on determining pot odds and outs, we can introduce another key concept of poker math, implied odds.

Poker Math: Implied Odds

➧ What Are Implied Odds? Implied odds are basically when we're not getting the correct direct pot odds to call the current bet, however, if we call now we anticipate winning more chips on future streets.

Implied odds are an important factor when determining profitable preflop calling. A common guideline is to call with speculative hands, like small pairs and suited connectors, only when the call costs about 5% of the effective stack or less, in multiway pots.

We're investing a small amount now with the expectation of being able to win a larger amount later. That's at the heart of implied odds. We are hoping to make up for the fact that we're not getting the right direct odds right now in exchange for the possibility of winning more chips on later streets.

When it comes to using implied odds for decisions on the flop and turn, it's crucial to understand when you are getting them. A few factors can help you determine whether or not you are getting implied odds in a specific situation:

➧ Look at Chip Stacks
You need to ensure that there are additional chips to win on a future street to make up the difference. If your opponents are all-in or nearly all-in, then you may not be able to win enough chips to make up for calling without proper odds on previous streets. As a general rule of thumb, the deeper chip stacks are, the easier it is to win additional chips on a future street and more likely you have implied odds.

➧ Look at Your Position
When you’re in position, you act last, so you’ll win more on average than when out of position. Of course, like in every rule, there are a few exceptions but it's rare to have an advantage from out of position. Once you have position, it's easier to extract more chips from your opponent on future streets. That means that your implied odds go up when you're in position and go down when you're out of position.

➧ Look at the Number of Opponents
The more opponents in the hand, the more likely you are to get paid off. When you have just one opponent, they often just fold if you take aggressive action. So if you hit your draw on a future street against one opponent, many times they'll just check and fold. In the case of multiple opponents, you're much more likely to get paid off as the likelihood that one of your opponents will have a hand that they will continue with increases. The more opponents you have postflop, the better your implied odds are with your draw.

➧ Estimate Your Opponent's Range of Hands
Ask yourself how likely your opponent is to have a good hand or a premium hand. For example, if an opponent had raised in an early position at the table, then you're more likely to extract chips from that opponent postflop after you hit your draw. That is because their range is comprised of more premium hands and they are much more likely to have a hand to pay you off with. When an opponent raises from an early position or otherwise indicates they have a narrow range of hands or premium hand, then your implied odds go up. It will be much easier on average to win chips from an early position opponent when you hit your draw.

➧ Look at How Disguised Your Draws Are
It is well known that some draws are more evident than others. The most obvious draws tend to be flush draws, and you can spot flush draws on the flop fairly easily. More disguised would be the straight draws. Your implied odds tend to go up as you get more disguised with your draws. While straight draws have one fewer out than flush draws (eight vs nine outs), they actually have better implied odds because the straight draw is often more hidden.

You’ve learned how to determine the two most critical components of poker math (outs and pot odds). Now it's time to practice.

Stay focused on practicing counting your outs, looking at your pot odds, calculating your hand odds, and analyzing whether you have implied odds. Review episodes multiple times and remember, practice makes perfect.

Our goal with Fearless River is to empower players to ask questions, help them stay focused on the key factors that affect play, and provide answers from winning professionals through a solid game plan. We’ve helped players from around the world of all experience and skill levels, and we can help you find your leaks and learn new strategies that can help you have more fun playing poker.

Good luck and good playing,
Team Fearless River

If you have never played a hand of poker, start here.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em is the most widely played form of poker in the world. You see it on TV, at the World Series of Poker, on the World Poker Tour, and in most cardrooms and home games.

It is also a game you can learn the rules of in about twenty minutes.

That is what this page is for.

Below is a free video that walks you through the basics from start to finish, plus a written reference you can come back to any time. You’ll learn how a hand plays out, what beats what, your options when the action is on you, and a few simple rules to guide your play. No experience required. No account required.

If you already know the basics, unlock The 5 Keys Of Poker here. Free.

Start Here: The Quick Start Video

In this video, Fearless River instructor and 2x WSOP Bracelet winner Nick Binger covers everything you need to sit down and play:

• Poker hand rankings so you always know what beats what
• How the betting works, including proper technique so you do not give away information
• Handling your cards and chips at a live table
• Which cards to play at the start of each hand

Watch it before you play, then use the sections below as a reference.

🤔 What Does That Term Mean?

Run into a word you don't recognize? Poker has a lot of unique vocabulary, and nobody expects you to know every term right away. Click the magnifying glass 🔍 in the menu at the top of any page and type in the term.

You will get the plain-language definition, plus links to Fearless River strategy videos and tools that cover it. Here is what a sample search looks like for Big Blind. Try it with position, button, or any other term as you read on.

How a Hand of No-Limit Hold'em Is Played

Every hand follows the same rhythm. Once you have seen it a few times, it becomes automatic.

1. The blinds are posted. A dealer button marks one player at the table and moves one seat clockwise after every hand. The two players to the direct left of the button are required to put chips in the pot before the cards are dealt; these are called the small blind and big blind. The small blind is normally half the amount of the big blind. The amount is based on the blind level in tournaments or betting limit in cash games. The blinds are used to entice play.
2. You get two cards. Every player is dealt two cards face down. These are your hole cards. Only you see them and you need to protect them from other players' view. Never show your cards unless instructed by the dealer.
3. Preflop betting. Action always starts to the left of the big blind and moves clockwise. Each player folds, calls, or raises.
4. The flop. Three community cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. All players still in the hand share community cards to make their best five-card hand. Another round of betting follows.
5. The turn. A fourth community card is dealt. Another round of betting follows.
6. The river. A fifth and final community card is dealt. One last round of betting.
7. Showdown: When two or more players are still in the hand after the final round of betting, the winner is determined by shown cards. The best five-card hand, using any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards, takes the pot, and the dealer pushes it to that player. The last player who bet or raised turns their cards over first, then the rest follow in clockwise order.

There are two ways to take down a pot. Either you have the best hand at showdown or you bet and everyone else folds. You do not need the best hand to take the pot if everyone else folds.

Pro Tip: You are never required to show a losing hand. If you know you are beaten, you can muck, which means handing your cards to the dealer face down and giving up your claim to the pot.

Poker Hand Rankings: What Beats What

This is the one thing worth memorizing before you play. Hand rankings apply to every decision you make, and they never change.

A few things that trip up new players:

• Suits do not rank against each other. A flush in spades does not beat a flush in hearts. The highest-ranking card in the flush decides it.
• You make your best five-card hand out of seven. Your two hole cards plus the five community cards give you seven to choose from, and only the best five count. That can mean using both of your cards, one of them, or neither. When your best five-card hand consists solely of the five community cards on the board, you are said to be "playing the board". If no player has a hand that can beat the board, the pot is split among the players involved.
• An Ace can be high or low. A-K-Q-J-10 is the highest straight. A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest (known as a wheel).

Your Options When the Action Is on You

Every decision in poker comes down to one of these actions:

• Check: To defer your action to the next player in the hand. Only possible if nobody has bet ahead of you on that street.
• Bet: To voluntarily place money in the pot.
• Call: To match the amount of someone else's bet, rather than choosing to raise or fold.
• Raise: To increase the current bet. The amount of your raise must be at least the size of the last bet or raise. Example: If it is 100 to you, the smallest raise is to 200. If someone has already raised from 100 to 300, the smallest reraise is to 500, not 600. Multiple raises can occur in a given betting round.
• Fold: The action of surrendering your cards. Players who fold at any point before showdown are not eligible to win any portion of the pot and cannot re-enter the hand.
• All-in: A bet that commits your entire chip stack to the pot. This action can take place during any betting round. If you go all-in and no one calls your bet, you win the pot without needing to reveal your hand. However, if someone does call, you must win the hand at showdown to claim the pot. It is important to note that once you declare an all-in bet, you cannot retract it.

Two habits worth building from day one:

➧ Announce your action before you touch your chips. Verbal declarations are binding, so saying "raise" or "call" out loud protects you from misconstrued hand action.

➧ Put your chips out in one clean motion. Reaching back to your stack for a second handful after your chips have crossed the line can be ruled a call instead of a raise. Also known as a string bet.

Where You Sit Changes Everything

This is the first real strategy concept, and it is the one that separates new players from everyone else faster than any other.

Position in poker means where you sit relative to the dealer button. The later you act in a hand, the more information you have when it is your turn. The player on the button acts last on every betting round after the flop, which makes it the best seat at the table.

Quick tips to remember:

• Early Position = play fewer hands
• Middle Position = play more hands
• Late Position = play even more hands

Always count backwards from the button to figure out where you are sitting. Later into your study we'll show you which hands you should enter the pot with depending on your seat position.

What Comes Next: The 5 Keys of Poker

Once you know the rules and basic game flow, poker stops being a memory test and starts being a decision-making game. Most new players get overwhelmed with what to do next because they think every hand feels like a brand-new problem with no obvious answer.

That's not the case. Experienced players are not memorizing thousands of situations. They are filtering every decision through a small set of core factors. We call them the 5 Keys:

1. Position: Why acting last is the single biggest advantage in poker.
2. First-In Hand Ranges: Which hands to raise with from each seat and how to adjust.
3. Board Texture: How different types of flops, turns, and rivers affect your next move.
4. Number of Opponents: Why multiway pots (pots with more than 1 opponent) require completely different thinking.
5. Effective Stack Size: When stack depth calls for aggression and when it calls for control.

Get these five concepts right and you have a repeatable process for almost every decision you will face, from your first hand preflop to a river bet.

The 5 Keys training is free. You get five strategy videos, the First-In Hand Range charts download, poker quizzes, and training hands. No credit card, and you can unsubscribe any time.

Pro Tip: To build mental muscle memory for these concepts in real time, focus on the 5 Keys even when you are not in the hand. Watch what gets shown down, and you will start seeing patterns immediately.

Five Mistakes Almost Every New Player Makes

1. Playing too many hands. Most starting hands are not worth playing. Folding is not passive; it is a decision.
2. Calling first-in instead of raising. If a hand is good enough to put chips in with, it is usually good enough to raise with. Calling gives your opponents cheap chances to outdraw you.
3. Changing bet sizes based on hand strength. Raising to 600 with aces and 400 with nines makes you easy to read. Stay consistent.
4. Chasing every draw. Not every flush or straight draw is worth paying for. The rank of your flush cards, the size of the pot and the size of the bet decide that, not hope.
5. Judging decisions by results. A good decision can lose the pot, and a bad one can take it down. Results in a single hand tell you almost nothing. Focus on the process.

Build a Study Routine from Day One

Improving at poker is not about playing more hands. It is about reviewing the hands you already played. The simplest version costs nothing: when you face a tough decision, write it down. Pen and paper is fine to start. What matters is capturing the same details every time so you can spot patterns later.

Here is a simple checklist of 8 questions for tracking a hand:

1. ☐ What was my seat position at the table?
2. ☐ What were the seat positions of my opponents?
3. ☐ What was my chip stack to start the hand?
4. ☐ What were the chip stacks of my opponents to start the hand?
5. ☐ What were my 2 cards, specific rank and suit?
6. ☐ What were the community cards, specific rank and suit?
7. ☐ What were the specific actions in the hand? Which player opened the betting?
8. ☐ Did my opponents show down their hand, and if so, what were the specific cards?

When you are ready to move past pen and paper, the Fearless River Hand Input Tool (HIT) lets you enter hands from your phone, replay them, and share them with our pros for feedback.

One rule when you review: focus on the range of hands your opponent could have had instead of putting them on a specific hand (like pocket jacks). Use the first-in hand range charts from the 5 Keys to guide you. Trying to put your opponent on a single hand is the fastest way to talk yourself into a bad decision.

Common Questions from New Players

Q: Do I need to memorize hand rankings before I play?
A: Yes, and it takes less time than you think. Hand rankings are the one thing that never change and you need instantly at the table. Download the free chart above and give it ten minutes.

Q: How much money do I need to start?
A: Start at the smallest stakes you can find, or play free games online while the rules sink in. There is no reason to risk money you care about while you are still learning the mechanics. Home games with your friends are also a great way to get started.

Q: Is poker mostly luck?
A: Over a single hand, luck decides a lot. Over the course of hundreds of hands, the quality of your decisions ultimately determines the outcome. That is the entire reason studying works and why you see the best players in the world constantly at the final table.

Q: Is Fearless River for beginners or experienced players?
A: Both. Our content is filterable by skill level: Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced. You can train at the level that matches your game and skill level.

Q: Where should I start after this page?
A: The free 5 Keys training. It picks up exactly where this guide ends.

Ready to Keep Going?

We built Fearless River to make improving at poker as simple as possible, on your time and your terms. Small, consistent effort over time is the thing that separates students of the game from everyone else. Not talent.

➧ Start free. The 5 Keys training gives you five strategy videos, First-In Hand Range charts, and poker quizzes to test what you have learned.

➧ Ready for the full library? A Fearless River membership gets you 550+ strategy videos from WSOP Bracelet winners and WPT Champions, the GTO Trainer, live monthly study sessions, and the Ask a Pro Discord where you get your hands reviewed directly from our pros.

Your first month is $5. No contracts. Cancel anytime.

No matter how you choose to use Fearless River, there is a path for you to learn, improve, and have fun on your own time and your own terms.

Good luck and good playing,
– Team Fearless River

Have questions? Email our support team at [email protected] or click the 'Contact Us' button and they will be happy to help.

DECISION POINT: You’re playing a daily tournament and late registration is still open. The blinds are 250/500 with a 500 big blind ante. A player in Middle Position raises first-in to 1,100 and it folds to you in the Small Blind with J♠J♣. You 3-bet to 4,000, the Big Blind folds, and the original raiser calls. The flop comes 9♥6♠6♣ and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We're playing in a daily tournament. Late registration is still open and the blinds are 250/500 with a 500 big blind ante. We are dealt J♠J♣ in the Small Blind and the action folds to MP2 who opens to 1,100 chips. Everyone else folds and action is on us.

Out of the Small Blind we prefer to reraise with a linear range, meaning that we will be reraising for value with hands that are ahead of our opponent’s range. Our opponent in Middle Position should be opening with around 25% of total hands as the first-in raiser.

Our jacks are well ahead of that range, so they would be a part of a linear 3-betting range. Typical 3-bet sizing will be around 3x the opening raise size, but since we will be out of position the remainder of the hand, we want to reraise a bit larger to make up for the positional disadvantage. We elect to make it 4,000 chips and our opponent calls.

The flop is 9♥6♠6♣ and action is on us. As the preflop 3-bettor we have a large range advantage on this flop and have all the big overpairs in our range. MP2’s range consists mostly of bigger suited cards and middle pairs, most of which don’t connect very well with this board. Since we have such a tremendous range advantage, it is ideal to c-bet with our entire range.

Typically, we utilize a smaller bet size when c-betting our entire range. However, this situation is unique. The stack to pot ratio (SPR) is just under two. With so much money in the pot in relation to our stack, some hands in our range start to really benefit from protection.

In this case, our really strong hands like AA/KK and semi-bluffs, such as AKo/AQo type hands, prefer to bet around 25% of the pot. Our more vulnerable hands, like TT/JJ and A9s, want to bet a larger sizing of around 50% of the pot in order to protect against many of the potential overcards that connect with MP2’s range.

Betting half of the pot is the best play.

If you’re a fan of nonstop poker action in an award winning hotel casino where you can split time between fine dining, line dancing, and some time at the pool, then you need to get to Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, OK right now. Join Team Fearless River as we head back On Tour for the televised $3,800 World Poker Tour® Choctaw Championship Event featuring 50K in starting chips plus a massive $2 Million Guaranteed prize pool.

The 2024 WPT Choctaw Championship Event drew some of the best rounders on the planet and the prize pool swelled to over $2.1 Million. After a long final table battle, world-class player James Mackey captured the $361,600 first prize and his 2nd WPT Main Tour Title in the same event!

This year the Choctaw Festival returns featuring a huge new slate of exciting tournaments, epic schedule of satellites, and huge guarantees leading up to the highly anticipated WPT Main Tour Championship Event.

Do you have dreams of making the televised final table and sharing the stage with Vince, Lynn, and Tony but don’t quite have the bankroll? Good news - there are plenty of chances to parlay a small buy-in into a life changing score, and you’ll definitely want to take advantage of the Championship Event satellites starting as low as $130!

Get Championship Ready With Fearless River

Team Fearless River is here to give the tools and strategy you need to win your seat to the $3,800 WPT Choctaw Championship. Check out the strategies in this blog and you’ll be ready to jump in the action.

➧ Get In on the Action
➧ Satellite Keys and Basics
➧ Test Your Satellite Skills
➧ Understanding ICM at the Final Table
➧ Play Solved GTO Final Table Hands
➧ Launch Your Poker Game and Save 50%

Get an edge on your competition with poker strategies from proven winners and prepare to dominate the felt!

#TheCupAwaits 🏆

Get In on the Action at Choctaw ...

The 2025 Choctaw Casino & Resort Durant festival begins April 16th with the $250 buy-in $100K GTD "Kick-Off" and features some can't miss events including the $300K GTD $500 buy-in “Gargantuan“ on the 24th and the $600 buy-in $150K GTD “Choctaw Classic” on the 19th.

In addition to the satellites to the $3,800 WPT Choctaw Championship even starting as low as $130, you can also potentially parlay a low buy-in of $250 into a WPT package through Super Satellites that awards winners a seat to the $10,400 WPT World Championship in Vegas. There are also plenty of lower buy-in events scheduled nightly so you don’t have to stretch your bankroll to get to experience the fun and excitement of playing in a World Poker Tour event!

📅 Festival Dates:
Start: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
End: Monday, May 5, 2025
Click here for the full Festival schedule

Day 1 of the Televised Championship Event begins Thursday, May 1st with three starting flights and allows for unlimited re-entry until the start of level 9 on Day 1A-Day 1C - Click here for the structure.

📅 WPT Championship Event Schedule:
➧ Day 1A: Thursday, May 1, 2025 starting at 11 am CDT
➧ Day 1B: Friday, May 2, 2025 starting at 11 am CDT
➧ Day 1C: Saturday, May 3, 2025 starting at 11 am CDT
➧ Day 2: Sunday, May 4, 2025 starting at 11am CDT
➧ Day 3: Monday, May 5, 2025 starting at 11am CDT
➧ Final Table: Friday, May 30, 2025*

The $3,800 Championship event offers 50K in starting chips and the player's favorite WPT structure providing plenty of chances to chip up and build a final table stack.

*The final table of 6 will be played and filmed for television by the World Poker Tour at the HyperX Las Vegas at Luxor on May 30, 2025.

Should You Play a 🛰️ Satellite Differently?

Satellite poker tournaments are a great way to parlay a larger buy-in event at a lower price so you don’t need to have big bucks to be in contention for a game-changing score.

Strategies for Satellites can be very different from a normal Tournament, and yes, you’ll need to make some adjustments that may seem strange compared to standard tournament strategy.

Approaching satellite play with the same strategy used in a regular poker tournament will often result in busting out when you would otherwise have a seat to the target tournament locked up.

Watch this Strategy Episode from Fearless River Instructor Nick Binger as he discusses the key adjustments you need to make when playing Satellite Poker Tournaments.

Need Help Closing The Deal?

In this Fearless River Strategy Episode get invaluable perspective from a Pro as Nick Binger reviews several key hands from a Satellite to highlight the unique adjustments during the endgame.

These strategy concepts could help you avoid busting on the bubble and secure your seat to the WPT Choctaw Championship!

The Keys 🗝️ to Satellite Play

• Everyone gets paid the same prize
• Make sure you know the rules of the Satellite you are playing and how to secure your seat
• Satellites can be played a number of ways, from traditional freezeout, to milestone, to shootout format
• No incentive to build a large stack once you are likely to win a seat
• As the probability of winning a seat goes up, your ranges in all spots tighten up
• There are times in a satellite poker tournament when players should never continue against an all-in
• Satellites are the only form of poker where it can be correct to fold pocket Aces preflop
• Pay very close attention to stack sizes and level changes!
• Often in the satellite endgame 10BBs may be a big stack that is guaranteed to win a seat

Test Your Satellite Skills!

You are playing a Mega Satellite to the $2 Million guaranteed WPT Choctaw Championship with blinds at 50/100 and a 100 big blind ante. You are in the Small Blind with Q♠Q♥ and 4,600 chips (46BBs). An Early Position player limps, a visibly frustrated player in the MP2 seat makes it 300, and the Button flat calls.

Action is on you, what do you do here?

Click here to get a detailed analysis of this hand from Team Fearless River and learn more strategy behind the correct plays.

How Should You Adjust at a Final Table?

Strategy adjustments for various tournament stages must consider the impact of ICM (Independent Chip Model) and the specific factors in play at your table. When there are different stack sizes and a huge gap in pay between 1st and 9th place, making the most profitable decisions can seem daunting.

When you are the chip leader at a Final Table it’s also crucial to understand how dramatic ICM will affect your opponent’s strategy, and when you can use ruthless aggression to punish your foes on the way to victory. In both cases, the key to making better decisions with ICM in play starts with adjusting first-in hand ranges.

Watch this Fearless River.com Strategy Episode as Nick breaks down ranges and adjustments across stack sizes and describes how you should be approaching these spots at your next Final Table.

Playing Medium Pairs at A Final Table

Medium strength pocket pairs are a common source of frustration at the poker table for many players. Often with this hand category we are faced with difficult decisions to continue on many board textures, and can be challenged to make the right play when facing aggressive action.

At a Final Table when pay jumps are a big factor, it’s even more crucial to understand the correct strategy with medium pairs in order to avoid massive ICM blunders.

Here’s a breakdown from Fearless River Instructor Johan Schultz-Pedersen featuring pocket 8s at a Final Table to illustrate just how much ICM should affect your decisions in these spots.

Are You GTO Final Table Ready?

Picture yourself as one of 6 remaining players at the Final Table of the $3,800 WPT Choctaw Championship event. How do you play your 30 Big Blind stack against a call from a tough chip leader with two short stacks in play and the Mike Sexton Champions Cup on the line?

Play FREE solved hands from the WPT GTO Trainer to see firsthand how preflop ranges affect your decisions at the Final Table.

Here are some tips when practicing with the WPT GTO Trainer:

• Your goal is to select the action for each individual hand that is as close to 0.00 EV as possible
• EV Loss of 0.00 is the same action a GTO Player would take
• 0.00 EV Loss means you broke even against a GTO Player
• EV Loss Color Coding Hint:
  • Green = Near GTO Play
  • Orange = Take Caution
  • Red = Probable Leak in Your Game

Members can practice more hands from this scenario anytime by playing the 30BB Button Open Vs 70BB Big Blind Call WPT GTO Trainer Final Table pack! Not a Member? Join for just $5 your first month to play more WPT GTO Trainer scenarios like this.

At the Final Table Remember To...

• Play to avoid busting out to the chip leader
• You will check and call more often than bet or raise
• You still need some bluffs in your range to prevent the chip leader from exploiting you
• Almost never lead out from the Big Blind after calling preflop
• Don’t be afraid to fold marginal hands against big bets that could set up an all-in situation on a future street
• When facing an aggressive chip leader, you should often trap by check-calling with your big made hands

Launch Your Poker Game and SAVE 50%

Get your poker game ready for success with The Fearless River Launch No-Limit Hold'em Tournament Course and get 50% off with promotion code VEGAS50 at checkout. This course is the PERFECT way to level up your tournament skills with the WPT Champions and WSOP Bracelet winners on Team Fearless River.

Why are we so confident that Launch will help your game?

In 2024 not only did we see epic success from 2 Instructors who taught the Fearless River Launch Course, we also saw 2 students grab a WSOP Bracelet and 2 WSOP Circuit Rings (in 1 week!) after attending.

In short - We’ve got the results to prove it!

With Fearless River Launch you’ll get a highly structured upgrade to your tournament poker strategy from proven winners who are also expert teachers. The four sessions include more than 10 hours of lecture and in-depth hand examples to help align your game fast.

➧ Early Stage Play with Johan Schultz-Pedersen
➧ Responding to Aggression with Eric Lynch
➧ Turn and River Play with Michael Gagliano
➧ ICM and Bubble Play with Tony Dunst

In addition to the in-depth lecture sessions Fearless River Launch includes 30 strategy videos from our expansive library to supplement your training, downloadable range charts, poker hand quizzes after each section, and 20 WPT GTO Trainer packs for you to play, train, and drill hands based on the strategies you are learning. You’ll also have direct access to a private strategy Discord channel to ask questions to your coaches.

➧ Lifetime Access to the Course Videos and Tools
➧ No hidden fees, Fearless River.com Membership not required

Start the course NOW to prepare for the WSOP, WPT Championship, or any tournament that you are planning on playing!

Have FUN, Good Luck, and Good Playing!

Will we see you on the felt during the WPT Choctaw Festival? If you see Team Fearless River stop and say Hi 👋!

Check the Fearless River calendar to follow Team Fearless River On Tour as we travel the globe to play WPT Events.

Let us know if you are in the action during the WPT Choctaw Championship Event or side events on the Festival schedule!

Follow and tag us on social media to share your pic with members of Team Fearless River, show off your chip stack, or celebrate a deep run.

X @Fearless River | Facebook @learnwpt | Instagram @learn_wpt

We love to hear how Fearless River Students are doing and we can’t wait to share your success at the poker table!

Good luck and good playing,
-Team Fearless River

We hope you enjoyed these free strategies and tips from Team Fearless River! Subscribe for more FREE poker content.

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

Who's up for a Showdown in Hollywood? The poker world is ready to gather together once again at everyone’s favorite East Coast poker destination - the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL for the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event. There's no better combo than South Florida weather and the chance to make the TV Final Table and be crowned the next WPT Champion!

This action packed poker festival boasts an epic schedule of huge guaranteed events featuring a wide range of buy-in levels and game types. Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned grinder, there's a chance for everyone to become a Champion.

There are also tons of ways to win your seat directly into the massive $3 Million Guaranteed prize pool Championship event, with daily satellites to the $3,500 buy-in event starting on March 24th. The Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood consistently produces massive prize pools and incredible life-changing final table payouts, and there's no doubt that this year's edition will once again break records.

The 2024 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event drew some of the best rounders on the planet and the prize pool swelled to nearly $6 Million! After maintaining his impressive chip lead that began on Day 2 and coming into the Final Table 2nd in chips, Josh Reichard captured the $839,300 first prize and had his name engraved onto the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup alongside a prestigious list of World Poker Tour Champions.

Want the Cup? Get Aggression!

What single trait is shared by almost every player whose name is etched on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup?

If you guessed that they are willing to stay aggressive and put their opponents to tough decisions, you’d be right. These masters of the game know when to shift gears and exploit weaknesses and they don't need to have good cards to push the action.

Team Fearless River is here to show you specific plays that will add aggression to your game and build a fierce presence at the table. Watch these free videos from proven crushers and you’ll learn to identify more spots to make aggressive moves that won't break your game. Get the insight on how these pros pull the trigger more often in close spots, and get on the path toward the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship!

➧ Get In on the Action
➧ Maintaining Aggression
➧ Fold Less, Float More
➧ Bluffing with LuckyChewy
➧ Get Ready for Final Table
➧ Our Most Important Tip

Get In on the Showdown ...

The 2025 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Festival kicks off on Wednesday, March 19th with the $400 Deepstack $1,000,000 guaranteed opener. There are plenty of lower buy-in events including a $600 Deepstack $2M GTD event on March 26th, and a ton of satellites into the Championship Event, so you don’t have to stretch your poker bankroll to join the fun!

📅 Poker Showdown Festival Dates:
Start: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
End: Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Click here for the full Festival schedule
Follow the live updates for action from all the events

The headlining WPT Poker Showdown Championship event begins Friday, April 4th with two starting flights and unlimited reentry through the start of level 9 - Click for the tournament structure.

📅 WPT Championship Event Schedule:
Day 1A: Friday, April 4, 2025 starting at 11 a.m. EDT
Day 1B: Saturday, April 5, 2025 starting at 11 a.m. EDT
Day 2: Sunday, April 6, 2025 starting at 12 p.m. EDT
Day 3: Monday, April 7, 2025 starting at 12 p.m. EDT
Day 4: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 starting at 12 p.m. EDT
Day 5: The Final Table of 6 will be played and filmed for television at the HyperX Las Vegas at Luxor in May

AJo at the $10K WPT Final Table - Your Move?

Maintaining aggression in the face of big pay jumps under the bright lights of the World Poker Tour Final Table can be a daunting task. It feels like every decision is magnified and one wrong move could end your dream run...

In this Fearless River Strategy Episode Nick Binger breaks down a pivotal hand from the $10K buy-in WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale. Learn how calculated aggression can frustrate a skilled opponent and create fold equity in a tough ICM spot vs the chip leader.

Fold Less, Float More!

Tired of playing against THAT player who always seems to be dragging pots with preflop raises and constant continuation bets? Take away their equity advantage and turn aggression on its heels with the Float.

Tune in to this Strategy Episode as Nick gives you step-by-step guidelines to identify the best situations to Float vs a frequent c-bettor. Utilize the power of position to turn aggression around on your opponents and add Floating to your game plan.

Bluffing With LuckyChewy

To build huge stacks and be in contention for a World Poker Tour Title, you will almost certainly need to pull off a few bluffs along the way.

You simply won't get enough good cards to keep up the pace with the rising blinds and antes, and when you do flop a big hand it won't always hold up. In this Strategy Episode Fearless River Instructor and poker legend Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger walks through his thought process when overbet bluffing the river.

Get Your Game Final Table Ready 🏆

To make sure you are prepared to shine for the cameras and show off your skills, we’ve got some essential strategy adjustments to help you get ready. Final Table strategy can differ dramatically from the early stages of a tournament, especially with huge pay-jumps and the prestige that only comes with winning a World Poker Tour title.

Most poker players aren’t prepared for the sudden increase in intensity caused by playing in front of an audience with life-changing money at stake. When you are facing the pressure of big pay jumps and the studio lights seem just a little too bright, it’s important to stay focused and make objective decisions.

Tips To Sharpen Up Your Game for Showtime

• Be aware of stack sizes and pay jumps at all times, even the slightest changes in stack sizes can shift strategy dramatically
• When short stacks exist, there is extra pressure on the bigger stacks to avoid busting out
• The chip leaders can use this extra pressure to win many pots while the short stack is in play
• As a medium stack vs larger stacks be cautious with any bets and raises and try to take marginal hands to showdown passively
• Preflop ranges shift quite a bit at final tables due to this effect with big stacks playing much wider ranges and medium stacks much narrower ranges
• Do not be afraid to ramp up your aggression against players that are playing tight in the hopes of laddering up

Not a Fearless River Member? Join for just $5 your first month to get more Final Table strategy.

Can You Stay Aggressive at The Final Table?

You are at the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Final Table. You min-raise 2BBs on the Button with a 30BB stack and the Big Blind with 50BBs calls. Click below to play a free Final Table sample pack of this spot from the WPT GTO Trainer to see firsthand how decisions change at the final table.

Here are some tips when practicing with the WPT GTO Trainer:

• Your goal is to select the action for each individual hand that is as close to 0.00 EV as possible
• EV Loss of 0.00 is the same action a GTO Player would take
• 0.00 EV Loss means you broke even against a GTO Player
• EV Loss Color Coding Hint:
  • Green = Near GTO Play
  • Orange = Take Caution
  • Red = Probable Leak in Your Game

Members can practice more hands from this scenario and get expert feedback from the Fearless River Pros on their play with the 30BB Button Open Vs 50BB Big Blind Call WPT GTO Trainer pack!

Not a Fearless River Member? Join for just $5 your first month to play more hands using the WPT GTO Trainer.

Have FUN, Good Luck, and Good Playing!

Will we see you on the felt during the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Festival? If you see Team Fearless River stop and say Hi 👋!

Check the Fearless River calendar to follow Team Fearless River On Tour as we travel the globe to play WPT Events.

Let us know if you are in the action during the WPT Poker Showdown Championship Event or side events on the Festival schedule!

Follow and tag us on social media to share your pic with members of Team Fearless River, show off your chip stack, or celebrate a deep run.

Facebook @learnwpt | Instagram @learn_wpt | X @Fearless River

We love to hear how Fearless River Students are doing and we can’t wait to share your success at the poker table!

Good luck and good playing,
-Team Fearless River

We hope you enjoyed these free strategies and tips from Team Fearless River! Subscribe for more FREE poker content.

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

The second ever WPT® World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas saw record breaking prize pools, exciting off the felt activities, and set the standard for all future poker festivals. Almost every poker event crushed the guaranteed prize pools and we saw multiple players walk away with over $1,000,000 for their efforts.

The 2023 World Championship Festival awarded more than $110 Million in prize money and the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship saw an incredible conclusion as Dan Sepiol etched his name on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup and took home $5,282,954 for a well earned first prize.

The Fearless River Team capped off the festival with huge results seeing Member Bob Buckenmeyer making the WPT Prime Championship Final Table and Instructor Andrew Lichtenberger Final Tabling the flagship WPT World Championship.

Are you ready to be part of history (again!)?

Your chance to join an exclusive list of Champions and take part in the most talked about poker event of the year is here! Team Fearless River is ready to dominate the felt and we want to make sure you're ready to rise above as you compete in the Championship Event.

Let's get started...

🌎 Festival Schedule
🌎 The Who, What, and Where
🌎 FREE Tips and Strategy
🌎 Who We're Watching
🌎 WPT Off the Felt Events
🌎 Have FUN, Good Luck, and Good Playing!

Be Part of Poker History at Wynn Las Vegas

Returning to Wynn Las Vegas for the third consecutive year, the December 3-23, 2024 WPT World Championship Festival will offer more than 60 tournaments and a first-of-its-kind $5 Million Freeroll Invitational sponsored by ClubWPT Gold.

WPT Prime Championship: $5 Million GTD Prize Pool

Buy-In: $1,100 | December 8th - 14th | Schedule | Structure
➧ Day 1A - Sunday, Dec 8th 11am PT
➧ Day 1B - Monday, Dec 9th 11am PT
➧ Day 1C - Tuesday, Dec 10th 11am PT
➧ Day 1D - Wednesday, Dec 11th 11am PT
➧ Day 2 - Thursday, Dec 12th 12pm PT
➧ Day 3 - Friday, Dec 13th 12pm PT
➧ Livestreamed Final Table - Saturday, Dec 14th 4pm PT
A single (1) re entry is permitted for each starting flight
⚡ Live Updates

WPT World Championship

Buy-In: $10,400 | December 14th - 21st | Schedule | Structure
➧ Day 1A - Saturday, Dec 14th 11am PT
➧ Day 1B - Sunday, Dec 15th 11am PT
➧ Day 1C - Monday, Dec 16th 11am PT
➧ Day 2 - Tuesday, Dec 17th 12pm PT
➧ Day 3 - Wednesday, Dec 18th 12pm PT
➧ Day 4 - Thursday, Dec 19th 12pm PT
➧ Day 5 - Friday, Dec 20th 12pm PT
➧ TV Final Table - Saturday, Dec 21st 4pm PT
One entry per day maximum (freezeout per flight)
⚡ Live Updates

ClubWPT Gold Freeroll Invitational: $5M GTD Prize Pool

Buy-In: Freeroll | December 13th - 15th | Schedule | Structure
➧ Day 1 - Friday, Dec 13th 10am PT
➧ Day 2 - Saturday, Dec 14th 10am PT
➧ TV Final Table - Sunday, Dec 15th 4pm PT
⚡ Live Updates

For more ways to win your ClubWPT Golden Passport click here.

WPT Ladies Championship: $250K GTD Prize Pool

Buy-In: $11,100 | December 6th - 8th | Schedule | Structure
$1,100 discounted ladies buy-in
➧ Day 1 - Saturday, Dec 14th 11am PT
➧ Day 2 - Sunday, Dec 15th 11am PT
Unlimited re-entry is allowed until the close of registration
⚡ Live Updates

With more than 60 events on the calendar, the 2024 Festival is where every poker player needs to be this December. There are plenty of can’t miss events that offer a wide range of buy-ins including over a dozen live Milestone Satellites awarding over 250 seats to the World Championship!

The Festival kicks off with a $1 Million Guaranteed, $800 No-Limit Hold’em multi-flight tournament followed by player favorites including the $250,000 guaranteed WPT® Ladies World Championship, $5 Million Guaranteed WPT® Prime Championship, the ever-popular Mystery Bounty featuring a $1 Million guarantee, multiple Seniors events (50+) and a $10,000 buy-in Seniors High Roller.

Multiple mixed game tournaments are also available throughout the Festival, ranging from the $2,200 HORSE Championship, PLO, Mixed Triple Draw, Big Mix Bet, TORSE, Big O, and more! With Satellites and Tournaments ranging from $200 - $10,580 the WPT World Championship Festival has something for every player!

➧ Click here for the full schedule of events
➧ For results, chip counts, redraws, and more visit: www.wynnlasvegas.com/casino/poker
➧ Follow the Wynn Poker Room Twitter page for nightly updates

📍 The Who, What and Where...

With so much action going on at the Wynn Las Vegas where do you begin? Here are some quick tips:

➧ If parking or arriving by taxi cab or rideshare instruct your driver to drop you off at the main entrance of Encore (not Wynn)
➧ If driving, parking in Encore self-park is the quickest way to the Encore ballroom & registration for main events
➧ Players must have a Wynn Player card - you can get one from the Wynn Rewards counter in the Encore Casino area
➧ You will need a verified WPT.com Player Account to play in any World Poker Tour events. Signing up takes about 30 seconds.

• Click here to get started
• Enter your information and click ‘Create Account’
• Click the link in the Confirmation Email
• Click ‘Sign Player Release’ - That's it!

➧ Most events will be played in the Encore Ballroom - you can register in the Debussy Ballroom (next to the Encore Ballroom)
➧ If an event is played in the Poker Room - you can register in the Poker Room located in the Encore Casino area
➧ Registration in the Ballroom opens each day 2 hours prior to the earliest event (typically 9am PT) and closes approximately 10pm PT
➧ Registration is available for any event 24/7 in the poker room

The Encore at Wynn is marked with signage for easy navigation. Click here for the Wynn property map.

Fearless River Members Are Ready To Dominate 💪

Team Fearless River hosted 6 Warm-Up 📚 Study Sessions for Members to get their game ready to dominate the 2024 WPT World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas.

For each Session we provided Members with a strategy that focuses on specific concepts essential for tournament success - now let’s get YOUR game ready with FREE strategy videos and tips from Team Fearless River! Let's get started...

① Warm-Up Session: The Mental Game

We'll kickstart your poker study by outlining valuable strategies for managing routines, building confidence, and dealing with adversity. We’ll also talk about preparing for long tournament days and using physical fitness and nutrition to optimize your play.

⦿ Tournament Prep With Tony, Chewy, and Johan

Huge Tournament Series like the WPT World Championships at Wynn Las Vegas bring excitement and tons of opportunity. To make the most of these gigantic fields and massive prize pools, it's important to plan ahead for the unique challenges that you may encounter.

In this Strategy Episode hear firsthand from Fearless River Instructors Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger, Tony Dunst, and Johan Schultz-Pedersen about how they prepare for peak performance during a long poker tournament series.

Many players ignore Mental Game issues that prevent growth in their game including fear, anger, and frustration. Building Endurance through exercise, rest, and nutrition is key to excelling during a long tournament series.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Mental Game Session

② Warm-Up Session: Preflop Strategy

In this Session we are focusing on the one decision you must make in every hand you play - what to do when action folds to you preflop. We'll also discuss strategies such as 3-Betting that will give you the opportunities to exert skill edge against your opponents.

🛑 Know Your First-In Hand Ranges

During the course of a poker tournament you are likely to face dozens of stressful decisions. Your ability to stay present in the moment and focus on the 5 Key Factors will likely decide whether you make a deep run or bust out on Day 1. Luckily there are some things you can start doing now to take away distractions and help make high quality strategic decisions under pressure.

Spend just a few minutes each day reviewing the Game Theory Optimal (GTO) Preflop Hand Ranges. Over time you will gain a solid grasp of each positional range and your preflop decisions will feel less stressful. You’ll free up mental energy to work on other areas of your game and be able to maintain sharp focus when facing tough spots postflop.

Watch this Strategy Episode from Fearless River Instructor Nick Binger as he gives you a detailed breakdown of which hands you should play from each seat position when raising first-in to the pot.

If you are a tournament player and haven't added these first-in hand ranges to your game plan you are missing opportunities to grow your chip stack and gain a balanced preflop attack. Understanding what hands to act with preflop from Early, Middle, or Late Position is crucial to your success!

Here are a few points from this Episode 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

➧ Download a copy of the GTO First-In Hand Ranges

Use these rock solid Game Theory Optimal hand ranges and you'll be well on your way to an award winning performance at the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas!

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.

Quick Tips for Using the First-In Charts:

• Use the Position Graphic to determine your position at the table and reference the appropriate range chart for your seat - Helpful Tip: Always count backwards from the Button to determine your position
• You should 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.
• Stay consistent with your raise sizing. 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)

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

Knowing how and when to make moves preflop is one of the keys to getting a hold of chips in a poker tournament. Understanding how to adjust for specific stack sizes and positions will give you opportunities to exert a skill edge.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Preflop Strategy Session

③ Warm-Up Session: Defense Strategy

In this Session we'll be talking about the specific strategies you can use when facing aggression in common Defense situations at the poker table. We'll also dive into the factors that you need to consider when deciding to defend in position vs out of position.

⦿ Turn and River Play With Tony Dunst

With more opportunities to Defend your Big Blind, you’ll definitely be in some interesting postflop situations facing a wider range of hands. In many of these spots you’re likely to face a continuation bet so understanding which board textures are favorable and when bluffing may be an option is valuable. Navigating these pots from out of position without the equity advantage translates to more difficult decisions on every street.

To gain a true understanding of how tough these spots can be, it’s essential to analyze postflop decisions in Big Blind Defense situations away from the table.

Join Fearless River Instructor Tony Dunst as he explores 3 hands from recent sessions to break down optimal play on the turn and river when defending from the Big Blind. Watch this Strategy Episode as Tony uses PioSolver to demonstrate how ranges interact in this spot and what factors you should be accounting for.

Tips for Defending Your Big Blind Like a Pro:

• Avoid calling with offsuit hands, suited hands and speculative hands are best
• This strategy only applies when you are up against 1 opponent and in the Big Blind
• Make sure you only defend by calling with specific hands. Don’t remove 3-Betting from your game plan!
• Defend with tighter calling range against larger open raise sizes
• Default to checking the flop after you call the raise, no matter what cards you hold

Blind and Button Defense Strategy in a poker tournament each have unique considerations and hand range constructions that help you target specific opponents in position and develop criteria for check-raising frequent c-bettors.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Defense Strategy Session

④ Warm-Up Session: Postflop Strategy

This Study Session is all about getting you geared up to attack flops with properly sized c-bets, identify spots to float aggressive opponents, and give you the tools to make huge laydowns and big hero calls when the pressure is on. We’ll discuss how to approach tough opponents and break down exploitative adjustments to max value when you have a skill edge.

⦿ C-Betting Vs Tough Opponents

Whether in a cash game or tournament, continuation betting is a key part of postflop strategy. A strong default c-betting strategy will put most opponents on the defensive and result in winning many uncontested pots.

However, as you face more skilled opponents additional factors must be considered to ensure your c-bets are profitable. When facing tougher opponents, you’ll need to upgrade your approach and adjust how frequently you fire again on the flop after raising first-in.

Watch this Strategy Episode as Nick Binger explains how equity advantage, nut advantage, and your perceived range help you decide when to c-bet against tough opponents. Plus, Nick outlines the common spots vs tough opponents that are the most challenging.

Deeper stacked poker tournaments feature more decision points and create tougher Postflop Considerations. Understanding how board texture and ranges interact will have a big impact in your ability to win uncontested pots.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Postflop Strategy Session

⑤ Warm-Up Session: ICM & Satellite Strategy

In this Study Session we focus on the factors you need to consider when facing a tough decision on the Bubble, as well as specific differences between satellites and traditional multi-table tournaments. We’ll discuss how ICM (Independent Chip Model) influences hand ranges and betting, plus outline specific strategy for Milestone Satellites.

🛰️ Satellite Your Way Into a WPT Championship!

Approaching satellite play with the same strategy used in a regular poker tournament will often result in you busting when you would otherwise have a seat to the target tournament locked up.

Watch this Strategy Episode from Fearless River Instructor Nick Binger as he discusses the key adjustments you need to make when playing Satellite Poker Tournaments.

Tips for Milestone Satellite Play

In a Milestone Satellite a player must accumulate a specific chip stack amount designated by the poker room ("The Milestone") to be awarded the tournament prize. The Milestone amount required to win the seat for each tournament is usually noted in the rules and structure sheet (under Milestone Rules).

As in a traditional satellite format, players may also win a seat by surviving until the number of seats available in the prize pool equals the number of players remaining, however achieving a verified Milestone stack at any point in the Tournament automatically guarantees that player a seat to the target event.

Example: You are playing a $1,100 buy-in Milestone Satellite to the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship with a starting chip stack of 20,000 and the "Milestone" is 220,000 chips. Once a player's chip stack reaches 220,000 chips they are instantly awarded a seat into the event and their chips removed from play.

The satellite will conclude when the number of players remaining is equal to the number of $10,400 prizes generated based on the Tournament Prize formula, less the amount of players who have previously won by reaching The Milestone.

• Milestone Satellites prioritize a more risky playing style than traditional satellites, similar to bounty tournaments
• Specific opponent tendencies play a big factor in your approach and dictate whether going for the Milestone is a priority
• Larger raise sizes may have increased fold equity against opponents close to the Milestone (within 5-10BBs) due to poor risk/reward
• Don’t lose sight of the Milestone in later stages when effective stacks are shallow - a few preflop steals could be enough to secure your seat
• The endgame of a Milestone satellite can be chaotic - stay focused on the best strategy for your stack size and specific table conditions
• Remember that you don’t always have to get to the Milestone to win a seat, you can still use traditional satellite strategy and have a good chance

Take these strategies to the Wynn Las Vegas poker room and play a $400 Double Play Milestone Satellite to secure your seat into the $1,100 WPT Prime or Ladies Championship, a Milestone Satellite to $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship, or other Wynn Festival events.

During the 2023 Festival Milestone Satellites sent nearly 500 winners to the WPT World Championship field last year. Fearless River wants to help you win YOUR seat!

Click here for the current schedule of satellites and tournaments

Follow the Wynn Poker Room on social for updates to the satellite schedule and more. X @WynnPoker | Instagram @wynnpoker

➧ Click for tips and videos from the ICM and Satellite Session

⑥ Study Session: Exploits and Intuition

This Session is all about using your strategic knowledge to punish bad plays and cultivate your feel for the game. A common trait shared by most successful tournament players is the ability to identify when an opponent is making an obvious mistake and knowing when to shift gears and use Exploits to maximize their edge.

⦿ Extracting Maximum Value With Gags

Opponents may change several times in any given poker tournament, so developing a specific player profile can be difficult, if not impossible. Bet-Sizing errors are often the best indicator of an opponent who is deviating from sound strategy and are most likely to make big mistakes postflop

Exerting your skill edge in these spots means staying alert and avoiding autopilot, especially when you flop a huge hand.

The difference between a small profit and a life changing score could lie in your ability to capitalize on obvious strategic errors. Watch as Fearless River Instructor Michael "Gags30" Gagliano breaks down hands where he uses exploitative lines to extract maximum value and demonstrates how to weigh the potential risk/reward of bet sizing to determine the best approach.

Poker is a game of incomplete information but if you’re focused and prepared to play, opponents will give off several cues that can be used to your advantage. Whether it’s odd bet-sizing, frequent over-calling, or taking too many hands to showdown, these mistakes must be capitalized on if you want to stay ahead of the field.

➧ Click for tips and videos from the Intuition & Exploits Session

Members can rewatch Study Sessions anytime from the Webinars Dashboard. Not a Member but want to watch the Live Study Sessions? Join for just $5 your first month of Membership!

We’re in the home stretch now! Fearless River Members - make sure to submit any questions or hands on trouble spots to the Ask a Pro Discord and we’ll get you ready to conquer Vegas!

Team Fearless River On the Felt and in the Action!

The Fearless River Family capped off the 2023 Festival with huge results seeing Member Bob Buckenmeyer making the WPT Prime Championship Final Table and taking home $380K and Instructor Andrew Lichtenberger taking 3rd and over $2.7 Million in the flagship WPT World Championship. Fearless River Students have been putting in the time and effort and are now ready to put their skills into play by winning their way into the WPT Championship.

LET'S KEEP IT GOING …

We’ll be keeping an eye on our ClubWPT Golden Passport winners, WPT Prime Championship Satellite winners, Members, and Coaches as they take to the felt for their chance at poker glory.

To kickoff the 2024 WPT Championship at Wynn Las Vegas Fearless River Instructors and world-class Pros Niall Farrell "Firaldo87", Eric “Rizen” Lynch, and Tony Dunst spent 3 days with 27 students in the Fearless River Live Poker Lab to get them Championship ready! On December 8th the Fearless River Live Poker Lab students will take to the felt in an exclusive satellite where we are awarding 3 seats to the WPT Prime Championship.

During the Fearless River Launch Digital Workshop, Jerry came out the victor to win his seat to the WPT Prime Championship seat in an exclusive Satellite on ClubWPT.com. Andrew, Matthew, Christopher, and Robert will be playing for the $1M first place prize in the $5M GTD ClubWPT Gold Freeroll Invitational after winning their seats by signing up with the Fearless River promo code.

The entire Fearless River Team will be at the Wynn Las Vegas helping cheer on our winners (and coaches) - Help us wish them luck!

➧ Fearless River Launch WPT Prime Seat Winner: Jerry Drew
➧ Fearless River Live Poker Lab WPT Prime Seat Winner: Mark Swafford
➧ Fearless River Live Poker Lab WPT Prime Seat Winner: Punal Patel
➧ Fearless River Live Poker Lab WPT Prime Seat Winner: Shen Sidana
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Andrew Stern
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Matthew Drager
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Christopher Gilley
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Robert Koller

Your Fearless River Instructors Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger, Adrian Naggy, Brian Altman, Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Johan Schultz-Pedersen, Michael “Gags30” Gagliano, Niall Farrell "Firaldo87", and Tony Dunst will be at the Wynn and in the action.

Stay tuned for updates from our 2024 satellite winners!

LET'S GO TEAM LEARNWPT 🏆

WPT Special Events for Players

The non-stop poker action, massive prize pools, and the chance to go down in history as a WPT World Champion are only part of the excitement happening in Vegas this December! The World Poker Tour and Wynn Las Vegas have created a one of a kind poker experience that is sure to BRING THE FUN during the Championship Festival!

Whether you’ve dreamed of playing a few hands vs Phil Ivey, wanted to make a guest cameo in Brad Owen's Vlog, be entertained by amazing halftime shows and performances, or dance the night away with the WPT Family in an epic Player’s Party that could only be held in Vegas, there are plenty of off the felt activities to enjoy.

WPT Gold Booth - Win Your Seat (or a Supercar??)

Visit the ClubWPT Gold Booth from December 8th - December 17th for more chances to win! Sign up at the booth and pull an envelope for a chance to win big - Prizes include:

➧ A McLaren valued at $250,000
➧ Entry into the Ultimate Cash Booth to win up to $50K
➧ Over 100 Gold Passports into the $5M GTD Freeroll
➧ VIP Experience at Wynn Field Club with Brad Owen
➧ Entry into the Cash Booth to win up to $500
➧ Arsham Chip set valued at $5,000
➧ ClubWPT Gold coins, Wynn gift cards, and more

📍 Located in front of Mozart at Encore (10:30 am - 8pm PT)

ClubWPT Super SATurday Workshop With Fearless River

Fearless River has teamed up with ClubWPT to give online qualifiers even more opportunity to make a huge score at the Wynn.

Team Fearless River will be offering LIVE poker coaching to ClubWPT Super SATurday qualifiers to help enhance their strategies, just in time for Day 1D of the WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

Learn more about the ClubWPT.com Super SATurday Membership and start playing to win your seat to the 2025 WPT World Championship and get free access to the Fearless River CHAMP Membership!

🥳 WPT Thank You Players Party at AREA15

Players are invited to the Thank You Players Party at AREA15 on Thursday, December 12th at 8 pm - 1 am. Complementary shuttle service is available, departing every 30 minutes from the Encore shuttle area, starting at 7:30 pm. Team Fearless River will see you there!

To join the party, just present your satellite receipt to or tournament receipt from the WPT Ladies Championship, WPT Prime Championship, WPT World Championship, or your Golden Passport.

📍 AREA15 Las Vegas

WPT Premier 💰 Meet Up Game (MUG)

Join the fun at the Premier Meet Up Game December 17th from 9am-12pm in the Wynn Poker Room. PLUS other prizes will be awarded during live-action play. Play some $1/$3 and $2/$5 cash with WPT Ambassadors including Vince Van Patten, Lynn Gilmartin, Tony Dunst, Matt Savage, Brad Owen, Phil Ivey, and special guests.

📍 Wynn Poker Room

2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ ClubWPT Members Take to the Live Felt

Congratulations and good luck to the 200+ players ClubWPT is sending to the 2024 WPT World Championship Events!

ClubWPT Members and Qualifiers always receive the royal treatment and will enjoy several fun events including additional ways to win seats into the Championship Events live on-site at Wynn Las Vegas.

ClubWPT fosters a tight knight community of players who love to compete and share the excitement of competing at the WPT World Championship Festival in Las Vegas each December. We love helping ClubWPT Qualifiers and Stream Team Members prepare to play their best poker and can’t wait to sweat the action as they look to make deep runs and bag big scores.

Good luck and good playing!

Have FUN, Good Luck, and Good Playing!

Are you playing any of the WPT Championship Events at Wynn Las Vegas? Stop and say Hi 👋 to Team Fearless River!

Your Fearless River Instructors Tony Dunst, Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger, Brian Altman, Michael "Gags30" Gagliano, Johan Schultz-Pedersen, Niall Farrell “Firaldo87”, and Adrian Naggy will be at the Wynn and in the action.

Let us know if you are in the action during the WPT Championship Events or side events on the Festival schedule! Follow and tag us on social media to share your pic with members of Team Fearless River, show off your chip stack, or celebrate a deep run.

Facebook @learnwpt | Instagram @learn_wpt | X @Fearless River

We love to hear how Fearless River Students are doing and we can’t wait to share your success at the poker table!

Good luck and good playing,
-Team Fearless River

Train With Fearless River Champions for Just $5

Meet Team Fearless River - Combined the Fearless River Instructors have amassed 5 WPT Championships, 14 WSOP Bracelets, 8 WSOP Circuit Rings, 9 High Roller titles, 2 Poker Masters Championships, over $60 Million in live Tournament winnings, 5 decades of coaching experience, and authored 5 acclaimed poker books.

Ready to train and learn from these Pros? Join them NOW!

Fearless River Members have access to over 100 hours of on-demand video Strategy Episodes featuring key poker concepts and real world examples demonstrating specifically how to use them in your game - all for just $5 your first month of Membership!

Whether you are brand new to poker training or you’re an experienced student this is your chance to learn from world-class professional poker players in a friendly community using state of the art tools.

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

The second ever WPT® World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas saw record breaking prize pools, exciting off the felt activities, and set the standard for all future poker festivals. Almost every poker event crushed the guaranteed prize pools and we saw multiple players walk away with over $1,000,000 for their efforts.

The 2023 World Championship Festival awarded more than $110 Million in prize money and the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship saw an incredible conclusion as Dan Sepiol etched his name on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup and took home $5,282,954 for a well earned first prize.

The Fearless River Team capped off the festival with huge results seeing Member Bob Buckenmeyer making the WPT Prime Championship Final Table and Instructor Andrew Lichtenberger Final Tabling the flagship WPT World Championship.

Are you ready to be part of history (again!)?

Your chance to join an exclusive list of Champions and take part in the most talked about poker event of the year is here! Team Fearless River is ready to dominate the felt and we want to make sure you're ready to rise above as you compete in the Championship Event.

Let's get started...

🌎 Festival Schedule
🌎 The Who, What, and Where
🌎 FREE Tips and Strategy
🌎 Who We're Watching
🌎 WPT Off the Felt Events
🌎 Have FUN, Good Luck, and Good Playing!

Be Part of Poker History at Wynn Las Vegas

Returning to Wynn Las Vegas for the third consecutive year, the December 3-23, 2024 WPT World Championship Festival will offer more than 60 tournaments and a first-of-its-kind $5 Million Freeroll Invitational sponsored by ClubWPT Gold.

WPT Prime Championship: $5 Million GTD Prize Pool

Buy-In: $1,100 | December 8th - 14th | Schedule | Structure
➧ Day 1A - Sunday, Dec 8th 11am PT
➧ Day 1B - Monday, Dec 9th 11am PT
➧ Day 1C - Tuesday, Dec 10th 11am PT
➧ Day 1D - Wednesday, Dec 11th 11am PT
➧ Day 2 - Thursday, Dec 12th 12pm PT
➧ Day 3 - Friday, Dec 13th 12pm PT
➧ Livestreamed Final Table - Saturday, Dec 14th 4pm PT
A single (1) re entry is permitted for each starting flight

WPT World Championship

Buy-In: $10,400 | December 14th - 21st | Schedule | Structure
➧ Day 1A - Saturday, Dec 14th 11am PT
➧ Day 1B - Sunday, Dec 15th 11am PT
➧ Day 1C - Monday, Dec 16th 11am PT
➧ Day 2 - Tuesday, Dec 17th 12pm PT
➧ Day 3 - Wednesday, Dec 18th 12pm PT
➧ Day 4 - Thursday, Dec 19th 12pm PT
➧ Day 5 - Friday, Dec 20th 12pm PT
➧ TV Final Table - Saturday, Dec 21st 4pm PT
One entry per day maximum (freezeout per flight)

ClubWPT Gold Freeroll Invitational: $5M GTD Prize Pool

Buy-In: Freeroll | December 13th - 15th | Schedule | Structure
➧ Day 1 - Friday, Dec 13th 10am PT
➧ Day 2 - Saturday, Dec 14th 10am PT
➧ TV Final Table - Sunday, Dec 15th 4pm PT

WPT Ladies Championship: $250K GTD Prize Pool

Buy-In: $11,100 | December 6th - 8th | Schedule | Structure
$1,100 discounted ladies buy-in
➧ Day 1 - Saturday, Dec 14th 11am PT
➧ Day 2 - Sunday, Dec 15th 11am PT
Unlimited re-entry is allowed until the close of registration

With more than 60 events on the calendar, the 2024 Festival is where every poker player needs to be this December. There are plenty of can’t miss events that offer a wide range of buy-ins including over a dozen live Milestone Satellites awarding over 250 seats to the World Championship!

The Festival kicks off with a $1 Million Guaranteed, $800 No-Limit Hold’em multi-flight tournament followed by player favorites including the $250,000 guaranteed WPT® Ladies World Championship, $5 Million Guaranteed WPT® Prime Championship, the ever-popular Mystery Bounty featuring a $1 Million guarantee, multiple Seniors events (50+) and a $10,000 buy-in Seniors High Roller.

Multiple mixed game tournaments are also available throughout the Festival, ranging from the $2,200 HORSE Championship, PLO, Mixed Triple Draw, Big Mix Bet, TORSE, Big O, and more! With Satellites and Tournaments ranging from $200 - $10,580 the WPT World Championship Festival has something for every player!

➧ Click here for the full schedule of events
➧ For results, chip counts, redraws, and more visit: www.wynnlasvegas.com/casino/poker
➧ Follow the Wynn Poker Room Twitter page for nightly updates

📍 The Who, What and Where...

With so much action going on at the Wynn Las Vegas where do you begin? Here are some quick tips:

➧ If parking or arriving by taxi cab or rideshare instruct your driver to drop you off at the main entrance of Encore (not Wynn)
➧ If driving, parking in Encore self-park is the quickest way to the Encore ballroom & registration for main events
➧ Players must have a Wynn Player card - you can get one from the Wynn Rewards counter in the Encore Casino area
➧ You will need a verified WPT.com Player Account to play in any World Poker Tour events. Signing up takes about 30 seconds.

• Click here to get started
• Enter your information and click ‘Create Account’
• Click the link in the Confirmation Email
• Click ‘Sign Player Release’ - That's it!

➧ Most events will be played in the Encore Ballroom - you can register in the Debussy Ballroom (next to the Encore Ballroom)
➧ If an event is played in the Poker Room - you can register in the Poker Room located in the Encore Casino area
➧ Registration in the Ballroom opens each day 2 hours prior to the earliest event (typically 9am PT) and closes approximately 10pm PT
➧ Registration is available for any event 24/7 in the poker room

The Encore at Wynn is marked with signage for easy navigation. Click here for the Wynn property map.

Our Members Are Ready To Dominate 💪

Team Fearless River hosted 6 Warm-Up 📚 Study Sessions for Members to get their game ready to dominate the 2024 WPT World Championship Festival at Wynn Las Vegas.

For each Session we provided Members with a strategy that focuses on specific concepts essential for tournament success - now let’s get YOUR game ready with FREE strategy videos and tips from Team Fearless River! Let's get started...

① Warm-Up Session: The Mental Game

We'll kickstart your poker study by outlining valuable strategies for managing routines, building confidence, and dealing with adversity. We’ll also talk about preparing for long tournament days and using physical fitness and nutrition to optimize your play.

⦿ Tournament Prep With Tony, Chewy, and Johan

Huge Tournament Series like the WPT World Championships at Wynn Las Vegas bring excitement and tons of opportunity. To make the most of these gigantic fields and massive prize pools, it's important to plan ahead for the unique challenges that you may encounter.

In this Strategy Episode hear firsthand from Fearless River Instructors Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger, Tony Dunst, and Johan Schultz-Pedersen about how they prepare for peak performance during a long poker tournament series.

Many players ignore Mental Game issues that prevent growth in their game including fear, anger, and frustration. Building Endurance through exercise, rest, and nutrition is key to excelling during a long tournament series.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Mental Game Session

② Warm-Up Session: Preflop Strategy

In this Session we are focusing on the one decision you must make in every hand you play - what to do when action folds to you preflop. We'll also discuss strategies such as 3-Betting that will give you the opportunities to exert skill edge against your opponents.

🛑 Know Your First-In Hand Ranges

During the course of a poker tournament you are likely to face dozens of stressful decisions. Your ability to stay present in the moment and focus on the 5 Key Factors will likely decide whether you make a deep run or bust out on Day 1. Luckily there are some things you can start doing now to take away distractions and help make high quality strategic decisions under pressure.

Spend just a few minutes each day reviewing the Game Theory Optimal (GTO) Preflop Hand Ranges. Over time you will gain a solid grasp of each positional range and your preflop decisions will feel less stressful. You’ll free up mental energy to work on other areas of your game and be able to maintain sharp focus when facing tough spots postflop.

Watch this Strategy Episode from Fearless River Instructor Nick Binger as he gives you a detailed breakdown of which hands you should play from each seat position when raising first-in to the pot.

If you are a tournament player and haven't added these first-in hand ranges to your game plan you are missing opportunities to grow your chip stack and gain a balanced preflop attack. Understanding what hands to act with preflop from Early, Middle, or Late Position is crucial to your success!

Here are a few points from this Episode 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

➧ Download a copy of the GTO First-In Hand Ranges

Use these rock solid Game Theory Optimal hand ranges and you'll be well on your way to an award winning performance at the 2024 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas!

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.

Quick Tips for Using the First-In Charts:

• Use the Position Graphic to determine your position at the table and reference the appropriate range chart for your seat - Helpful Tip: Always count backwards from the Button to determine your position
• You should 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.
• Stay consistent with your raise sizing. 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)

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

Knowing how and when to make moves preflop is one of the keys to getting a hold of chips in a poker tournament. Understanding how to adjust for specific stack sizes and positions will give you opportunities to exert a skill edge.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Preflop Strategy Session

③ Warm-Up Session: Defense Strategy

In this Session we'll be talking about the specific strategies you can use when facing aggression in common Defense situations at the poker table. We'll also dive into the factors that you need to consider when deciding to defend in position vs out of position.

⦿ Turn and River Play With Tony Dunst

With more opportunities to Defend your Big Blind, you’ll definitely be in some interesting postflop situations facing a wider range of hands. In many of these spots you’re likely to face a continuation bet so understanding which board textures are favorable and when bluffing may be an option is valuable. Navigating these pots from out of position without the equity advantage translates to more difficult decisions on every street.

To gain a true understanding of how tough these spots can be, it’s essential to analyze postflop decisions in Big Blind Defense situations away from the table.

Join Fearless River Instructor Tony Dunst as he explores 3 hands from recent sessions to break down optimal play on the turn and river when defending from the Big Blind. Watch this Strategy Episode as Tony uses PioSolver to demonstrate how ranges interact in this spot and what factors you should be accounting for.

Tips for Defending Your Big Blind Like a Pro:

• Avoid calling with offsuit hands, suited hands and speculative hands are best
• This strategy only applies when you are up against 1 opponent and in the Big Blind
• Make sure you only defend by calling with specific hands. Don’t remove 3-Betting from your game plan!
• Defend with tighter calling range against larger open raise sizes
• Default to checking the flop after you call the raise, no matter what cards you hold

Blind and Button Defense Strategy in a poker tournament each have unique considerations and hand range constructions that help you target specific opponents in position and develop criteria for check-raising frequent c-bettors.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Defense Strategy Session

④ Warm-Up Session: Postflop Strategy

This Study Session is all about getting you geared up to attack flops with properly sized c-bets, identify spots to float aggressive opponents, and give you the tools to make huge laydowns and big hero calls when the pressure is on. We’ll discuss how to approach tough opponents and break down exploitative adjustments to max value when you have a skill edge.

⦿ C-Betting Vs Tough Opponents

Whether in a cash game or tournament, continuation betting is a key part of postflop strategy. A strong default c-betting strategy will put most opponents on the defensive and result in winning many uncontested pots.

However, as you face more skilled opponents additional factors must be considered to ensure your c-bets are profitable. When facing tougher opponents, you’ll need to upgrade your approach and adjust how frequently you fire again on the flop after raising first-in.

Watch this Strategy Episode as Nick Binger explains how equity advantage, nut advantage, and your perceived range help you decide when to c-bet against tough opponents. Plus, Nick outlines the common spots vs tough opponents that are the most challenging.

Deeper stacked poker tournaments feature more decision points and create tougher Postflop Considerations. Understanding how board texture and ranges interact will have a big impact in your ability to win uncontested pots.

➧ Click for more tips and videos from the Postflop Strategy Session

⑤ Warm-Up Session: ICM & Satellite Strategy

In this Study Session we focus on the factors you need to consider when facing a tough decision on the Bubble, as well as specific differences between satellites and traditional multi-table tournaments. We’ll discuss how ICM (Independent Chip Model) influences hand ranges and betting, plus outline specific strategy for Milestone Satellites.

🛰️ Satellite Your Way Into a WPT Championship!

Approaching satellite play with the same strategy used in a regular poker tournament will often result in you busting when you would otherwise have a seat to the target tournament locked up.

Watch this Strategy Episode from Fearless River Instructor Nick Binger as he discusses the key adjustments you need to make when playing Satellite Poker Tournaments.

Tips for Milestone Satellite Play

In a Milestone Satellite a player must accumulate a specific chip stack amount designated by the poker room ("The Milestone") to be awarded the tournament prize. The Milestone amount required to win the seat for each tournament is usually noted in the rules and structure sheet (under Milestone Rules).

As in a traditional satellite format, players may also win a seat by surviving until the number of seats available in the prize pool equals the number of players remaining, however achieving a verified Milestone stack at any point in the Tournament automatically guarantees that player a seat to the target event.

Example: You are playing a $1,100 buy-in Milestone Satellite to the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship with a starting chip stack of 20,000 and the "Milestone" is 220,000 chips. Once a player's chip stack reaches 220,000 chips they are instantly awarded a seat into the event and their chips removed from play.

The satellite will conclude when the number of players remaining is equal to the number of $10,400 prizes generated based on the Tournament Prize formula, less the amount of players who have previously won by reaching The Milestone.

• Milestone Satellites prioritize a more risky playing style than traditional satellites, similar to bounty tournaments
• Specific opponent tendencies play a big factor in your approach and dictate whether going for the Milestone is a priority
• Larger raise sizes may have increased fold equity against opponents close to the Milestone (within 5-10BBs) due to poor risk/reward
• Don’t lose sight of the Milestone in later stages when effective stacks are shallow - a few preflop steals could be enough to secure your seat
• The endgame of a Milestone satellite can be chaotic - stay focused on the best strategy for your stack size and specific table conditions
• Remember that you don’t always have to get to the Milestone to win a seat, you can still use traditional satellite strategy and have a good chance

Take these strategies to the Wynn Las Vegas poker room and play a $400 Double Play Milestone Satellite to secure your seat into the $1,100 WPT Prime or Ladies Championship, a Milestone Satellite to $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship, or other Wynn Festival events.

During the 2023 Festival Milestone Satellites sent nearly 500 winners to the WPT World Championship field last year. We want to help you win YOUR seat!

Click here for the current schedule of satellites and tournaments

Follow the Wynn Poker Room on social for updates to the satellite schedule and more. X @WynnPoker | Instagram @wynnpoker

➧ Click for tips and videos from the ICM and Satellite Session

⑥ Study Session: Exploits and Intuition

This Session is all about using your strategic knowledge to punish bad plays and cultivate your feel for the game. A common trait shared by most successful tournament players is the ability to identify when an opponent is making an obvious mistake and knowing when to shift gears and use Exploits to maximize their edge.

⦿ Extracting Maximum Value With Gags

Opponents may change several times in any given poker tournament, so developing a specific player profile can be difficult, if not impossible. Bet-Sizing errors are often the best indicator of an opponent who is deviating from sound strategy and are most likely to make big mistakes postflop

Exerting your skill edge in these spots means staying alert and avoiding autopilot, especially when you flop a huge hand.

The difference between a small profit and a life changing score could lie in your ability to capitalize on obvious strategic errors. Watch as Fearless River Instructor Michael "Gags30" Gagliano breaks down hands where he uses exploitative lines to extract maximum value and demonstrates how to weigh the potential risk/reward of bet sizing to determine the best approach.

Poker is a game of incomplete information but if you’re focused and prepared to play, opponents will give off several cues that can be used to your advantage. Whether it’s odd bet-sizing, frequent over-calling, or taking too many hands to showdown, these mistakes must be capitalized on if you want to stay ahead of the field.

➧ Click for tips and videos from the Intuition & Exploits Session

Members can rewatch Study Sessions anytime from the Webinars Dashboard. Not a Member but want to watch the Live Study Sessions? Join for just $5 your first month of Membership!

We’re in the home stretch now! Fearless River Members - make sure to submit any questions or hands on trouble spots to the Ask a Pro Discord and we’ll get you ready to conquer Vegas!

On the Felt and in the Action!

The Fearless River Family capped off the 2023 Festival with huge results seeing Member Bob Buckenmeyer making the WPT Prime Championship Final Table and taking home $380K and Instructor Andrew Lichtenberger taking 3rd and over $2.7 Million in the flagship WPT World Championship. Fearless River Students have been putting in the time and effort and are now ready to put their skills into play by winning their way into the WPT Championship.

LET'S KEEP IT GOING …

We’ll be keeping an eye on our ClubWPT Golden Passport winners, WPT Prime Championship Satellite winners, Members, and Coaches as they take to the felt for their chance at poker glory.

To kickoff the 2024 WPT Championship at Wynn Las Vegas Fearless River Instructors and world-class Pros Niall Farrell "Firaldo87", Eric “Rizen” Lynch, and Tony Dunst spent 3 days with 27 students in the Fearless River Live Poker Lab to get them Championship ready! On December 8th the Live Poker Lab students will take to the felt in an exclusive satellite where we are awarding 3 seats to the WPT Prime Championship.

During the Fearless River Launch Digital Workshop, Jerry came out the victor to win his seat to the WPT Prime Championship seat in an exclusive Satellite on ClubWPT.com. Andrew, Matthew, Christopher, and Robert will be playing for the $1M first place prize in the $5M GTD ClubWPT Gold Freeroll Invitational after winning their seats by signing up with our promo code.

The entire Fearless River Team will be at the Wynn Las Vegas helping cheer on our winners (and coaches) - Help us wish them luck!

➧ Fearless River Launch WPT Prime Seat Winner: Jerry Drew
➧ Fearless River Lab WPT Prime Seat Winner: Mark Swafford
➧ Fearless River Lab WPT Prime Seat Winner: Punal Patel
➧ Fearless River Lab WPT Prime Seat Winner: Shen Sidana
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Andrew Stern
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Matthew Drager
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Christopher Gilley
➧ ClubWPT Golden Passport Winner: Robert Koller

Your Fearless River Instructors Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger, Adrian Naggy, Brian Altman, Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Johan Schultz-Pedersen, Michael “Gags30” Gagliano, Niall Farrell "Firaldo87", and Tony Dunst will be at the Wynn and in the action.

Stay tuned for updates from our 2024 satellite winners!

LET'S GO TEAM 🏆

WPT Special Events for Players

The non-stop poker action, massive prize pools, and the chance to go down in history as a WPT World Champion are only part of the excitement happening in Vegas this December! The World Poker Tour and Wynn Las Vegas have created a one of a kind poker experience that is sure to BRING THE FUN during the Championship Festival!

Whether you’ve dreamed of playing a few hands vs Phil Ivey, wanted to make a guest cameo in Brad Owen's Vlog, be entertained by amazing halftime shows and performances, or dance the night away with the WPT Family in an epic Player’s Party that could only be held in Vegas, there are plenty of off the felt activities to enjoy.

WPT Gold Booth - Win Your Seat (or a Supercar??)

Visit the ClubWPT Gold Booth from December 8th - December 17th for more chances to win! Sign up at the booth and pull an envelope for a chance to win big - Prizes include:

➧ A McLaren valued at $250,000
➧ Entry into the Ultimate Cash Booth to win up to $50K
➧ Over 100 Gold Passports into the $5M GTD Freeroll
➧ VIP Experience at Wynn Field Club with Brad Owen
➧ Entry into the Cash Booth to win up to $500
➧ Arsham Chip set valued at $5,000
➧ ClubWPT Gold coins, Wynn gift cards, and more

📍 Located in front of Mozart at Encore (10:30 am - 8pm PT)

ClubWPT Super SATurday Workshop With Fearless River

Fearless River has teamed up with ClubWPT to give online qualifiers even more opportunity to make a huge score at the Wynn.

Team Fearless River will be offering LIVE poker coaching to ClubWPT Super SATurday qualifiers to help enhance their strategies, just in time for Day 1D of the WPT Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

Learn more about the ClubWPT.com Super SATurday Membership and start playing to win your seat to the 2025 WPT World Championship and get free access to the Fearless River CHAMP Membership!

🥳 WPT Thank You Players Party at AREA15

Players are invited to the Thank You Players Party at AREA15 on Thursday, December 12th at 8 pm - 1 am. Complementary shuttle service is available, departing every 30 minutes from the Encore shuttle area, starting at 7:30 pm. We'll see you there!

To join the party, just present your satellite receipt to or tournament receipt from the WPT Ladies Championship, WPT Prime Championship, WPT World Championship, or your Golden Passport.

📍 AREA15 Las Vegas

WPT Premier 💰 Meet Up Game (MUG)

Join the fun at the Premier Meet Up Game December 17th from 9am-12pm in the Wynn Poker Room. PLUS other prizes will be awarded during live-action play. Play some $1/$3 and $2/$5 cash with WPT Ambassadors including Vince Van Patten, Lynn Gilmartin, Tony Dunst, Matt Savage, Brad Owen, Phil Ivey, and special guests.

📍 Wynn Poker Room

2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ ClubWPT Members Take to the Live Felt

Congratulations and good luck to the 200+ players ClubWPT is sending to the 2024 WPT World Championship Events!

ClubWPT Members and Qualifiers always receive the royal treatment and will enjoy several fun events including additional ways to win seats into the Championship Events live on-site at Wynn Las Vegas.

ClubWPT fosters a tight knight community of players who love to compete and share the excitement of competing at the WPT World Championship Festival in Las Vegas each December. We love helping ClubWPT Qualifiers and Stream Team Members prepare to play their best poker and can’t wait to sweat the action as they look to make deep runs and bag big scores.

Good luck and good playing!

Have FUN, Good Luck, and Good Playing!

Are you playing any of the WPT Championship Events at Wynn Las Vegas? Stop and say Hi 👋 to Team Fearless River.

Your Fearless River Instructors Tony Dunst, Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger, Brian Altman, Michael "Gags30" Gagliano, Johan Schultz-Pedersen, Niall Farrell “Firaldo87”, and Adrian Naggy will be at the Wynn and in the action.

Let us know if you are in the action during the WPT Championship Events or side events on the Festival schedule! Follow and tag us on social media to share your pic with members of Team Fearless River, show off your chip stack, or celebrate a deep run.

Facebook @fearlessriver | IG @fearlessriver | X @_FearlessRiver

We love to hear how our students are doing and we can’t wait to share your success at the poker table!

Good luck and good playing,
-Team Fearless River

Train With Fearless River Champions for $5

Meet Team Fearless River - Combined our Team have amassed 5 WPT Championships, 14 WSOP Bracelets, 9 WSOP Circuit Rings, 9 High Roller titles, 2 Poker Masters Championships, over $65 Million in live Tournament winnings, 5 decades of coaching experience, and authored 5 acclaimed poker books.

Ready to train and learn from these Pros? Join them NOW!

Fearless River Members have access to over 150 hours of on-demand video Strategy Episodes featuring key poker concepts and real world examples demonstrating specifically how to use them in your game - all for just $5 your first month of Membership!

Whether you are brand new to poker training or you’re an experienced student this is your chance to learn from world-class professional poker players in a friendly community using state of the art tools.

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

DECISION POINT: You are currently eight-handed in the middle stages of a major weekend online tournament with blinds at 500/1,000 and a 1,000 big blind ante. Most of the stacks at the table have around 50BBs and 75% of the field is still in play. The UTG player raises to 2,000 and it folds to you in the Small Blind with Q♥Q♦. You reraise to 9,000, the Big Blind folds, and the original raiser calls. The flop comes 6♦4♣3♠ and action is on you. What do you do here?

PRO ANSWER: We are in the early to middle stages of a major weekend online tournament. Most of the stacks at the table, including us, have around 50 big blinds. Around 75% of the field is still playing. The blinds are 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. We are dealt QhQd in the Small Blind with eight players at the table. The UTG player opens to 2,000 and the action folds around to us.

While this raise came from an opponent seated Under the Gun, this opening range should still be as wide as 18-20% of overall hands when using a small opening raise size and with a big blind ante in play. Our specific hand pocket queens is well ahead of that range. Due to being out of position we are heavily incentivized to push our equity edge preflop by reraising rather than taking a passive line and playing out of position postflop with relatively deep stacks. We reraise to 9,000 chips, the Big Blind folds, and the original UTG raiser calls.

The flop is 6d4c3s and with a stack to pot ratio (SPR) of around 2, our pocket queens are very strong and we are near the top of our range, so folding should not be a consideration at any point in the hand. Given that is the case our main concern here is finding the best way to get money into the pot against their range. When the UTG player just calls our preflop raise, their range is usually condensed to pairs as well as some suited aces and suited broadway hands. Although AK might just call sometimes preflop, many players would just move all-in preflop with that hand so we can discount it from our range assessment. This means that when we’re ahead our opponent is likely drawing to somewhere between 2-3 outs, the exception being the times they specifically have combinations of A5s and 55.

The big temptation that many players have here is that they want to bet big and just get the hand over with.

If we really think about UTG’s range our hand isn’t that vulnerable when we’re ahead on this flop. You’re not likely to make big hands at a high frequency in any given tournament, so it’s vital that we’re able to maximize our value when spots like this do occur. If we bet big here our opponent may continue with some of their overpairs, however most of their defending range will be composed of hands that are drawing super thin on this flop such as JTs/ATs.

Consulting the output from a GTO solver for this spot, we see that the preferred line actually checks with our hand at a high frequency here to induce a stab from the portion of UTG’s range that just contains overcards. In addition to checking the solver recommends sometimes betting with a mix of sizing between 25-50% pot. Using a sizing any larger than half pot will likely force our opponent to play closer to “perfect”, by folding all their hands that have little equity against us and only continuing with their strongest holdings.

In real-world games our decision in this spot will be influenced by any tendencies we’ve observed from our opponents.

If we have observed that the UTG player might aggressively take a stab at the pot if we check, this is a great place to play our hand a bit deceptive and check the flop. Against more passive opponents it’s crucial to start betting now and to choose a small sizing that will allow UTG to continue with hands we are dominating.

Both checking and betting small are the best plays.

If you’re a fan of nonstop poker action in an award winning hotel casino where you can split time between fine dining, line dancing, and some time at the pool, then you need to get to Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, OK right now. Join Team Fearless River as we head back On Tour for the televised $3,800 World Poker Tour® Choctaw Championship Event featuring 50K in starting chips plus a massive $2 Million Guaranteed prize pool.

The 2023 WPT Choctaw Championship Event drew some of the best rounders on the planet and the prize pool swelled to over $2.1 Million. After a long final table battle, world-class player Jared Jaffe captured the $400,740 first prize and his 2nd WPT Main Tour Title

This year the Choctaw Festival returns featuring a huge slate of new exciting tournaments, epic schedule of satellites, and huge guarantees leading up to the highly anticipated WPT Main Tour Championship Event.

Do you have dreams of making the televised final table and sharing the stage with Vince, Lynn, and Tony but don’t quite have the bankroll? Good news - there are plenty of chances to parlay a small buy-in into a life changing score, and you’ll definitely want to take advantage of the Championship Event satellites starting as low as $130!

Get Championship Ready With Fearless River

Team Fearless River is here to give the tools and strategy you need to win your seat to the $3,800 WPT Choctaw Championship. Check out the strategies in this blog (and on site on May 2nd!) and you’ll be ready to jump in the action.

➧ Get In on the Action
➧ Win a FREE $500 Satellite Seat
➧ Satellite Keys and Basics
➧ Test Your Satellite Skills
➧ Understanding ICM at the Final Table
➧ Play Solved GTO Final Table Hands
➧ Launch Your Poker Game This Summer!

Get an edge on your competition with poker strategies from proven winners and prepare to dominate the felt!

#TheCupAwaits 🏆

Get In on the Action ...

The 2024 Choctaw Casino & Resort Durant festival kicked off on April 17th with the $300 Monster Stack $50K GTD opener and features some can't miss events including the $100K GTD $130 buy-in “Gargantuan“ on the 18th and the $400 buy-in $200K GTD “Choctaw Classic” event on the 25th.

In addition to the satellites to the $3,800 WPT Choctaw Championship even starting as low as $130, you can also potentially parlay a low buy-in of $250 into a $14,100 WPT package satellite that awards winners a seat to the $10,400 WPT World Championship in Vegas this December. There are also lower buy-in events scheduled nightly so you don’t have to stretch your poker bankroll to get to experience the fun and excitement of playing in a World Poker Tour event!

📅 Festival Dates:
Start: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
End: Monday, May 6, 2023
Click here for the full Festival schedule

Day 2 of the Televised Championship Event begins Friday, May 3rd with two starting flights and allows for unlimited re-entry until the start of level 9 on Day 1A and Day 1B - Click here for the structure.

📅 WPT Championship Event Schedule:
➧ Day 1A: Friday, May 3, 2024 starting at 11 am CDT
➧ Day 1B: Saturday, May 4, 2024 starting at 11 am CDT
➧ Day 2: Sunday, May 5, 2024 starting at 11am CDT
➧ Day 3: Monday, May 6, 2024 starting at 11am CDT
➧ Final Table: Thursday, May 30, 2024*

The $3,800 Championship event offers 50K in starting chips and the player's favorite WPT structure providing plenty of chances to chip up and build a final table stack.

Win a FREE $500 Satellite Seat and Train With Team Fearless River - May 2nd!

Satellite poker tournaments are a great way to parlay a larger buy-in event at a lower price so you don’t need to have big bucks to be in contention for a game-changing score. Strategies for Satellites can be very different from a normal Tournament, and you’ll need to make some adjustments that may seem strange compared to standard tournament strategy.

To help get you ready for the WPT Choctaw Championship Event we're inviting you to join Team Fearless River Instructors Eric "Rizen" Lynch and Adrian Naggy for a FREE 30 minute introduction to Satellite Strategy Workshop LIVE at 12PM CDT on May 2nd prior to the start of the Championship Event Satellites.

You’ll get specific examples of how to change up your play to take advantage of the unique factors in a satellite, including how to adjust for each stage of the tournament, surviving as the shortstack, monitoring stacks and other tables, and navigating the bubble.

The Workshop is free to all and will be held in the Willow Room (located in the Conference Area next to The Grand Theater) on May 2nd at 12PM CDT - look for the Fearless River banners!

Immediately following the FREE strategy session, we’ll go down to the tournament floor in the Grand Arena and play in an exclusive freeroll satellite for attendees with 1st prize awarding a $500 seat to the 4PM Mega Satellite to the WPT Choctaw Championship!*

➧ Save your seat by registering below or clicking here

*Entry limited to attendees of the Free Fearless River Satellite Strategy Workshop on May 2, 2024 at 12PM CDT. Attendees must register prior to the start of Satellite. First Prize in the Fearless River Freeroll Satellite awards one (1) seat to the $500 Mega Satellite to the WPT Choctaw Championship Event on May 2, 2024 at 4PM CDT. First Prize is only valid for the $500 Mega Satellite to the WPT Choctaw Championship Event on May 2, 2024 at 4PM CDT. First Prize non-transferable and not redeemable for cash value.

P.S. After the Workshop jump into the $500 Mega Satellite at 4 pm or the $250 Super Satellites at 6 pm and 9pm to win your seat into the $3,800 WPT Choctaw Championship Event.

Can't make the FREE Introduction to Satellite Workshop? Use the poker strategies below to sharpen your focus and who knows, maybe you’ll turn a few bucks into a huge payday.

Should You Play a 🛰️ Satellite Differently?

YES YOU SHOULD!

Approaching satellite play with the same strategy used in a regular poker tournament will often result in you busting when you would otherwise have a seat to the target tournament locked up.

Watch this Strategy Episode from Fearless River Instructor Nick Binger as he discusses the key adjustments you need to make when playing Satellite Poker Tournaments.

Need Help Closing The Deal?

In this Fearless River Strategy Episode get invaluable perspective from a Pro as Nick Binger reviews several key hands from a Satellite to highlight the unique adjustments during the endgame.

These strategy concepts could help you avoid busting on the bubble and secure your seat to the WPT Choctaw Championship!

The Keys 🗝️ to Satellite Play

• Everyone gets paid the same prize
• Make sure you know the rules of the Satellite you are playing and how to secure your seat
• Satellites can be played a number of ways, from traditional freezeout, to milestone, to shootout format
• No incentive to build a large stack once you are likely to win a seat
• As the probability of winning a seat goes up, your ranges in all spots tighten up
• There are times in a satellite poker tournament when players should never continue against an all-in
• Satellites are the only form of poker where it can be correct to fold pocket Aces preflop
• Pay very close attention to stack sizes and level changes!
• Often in the satellite endgame 10BBs may be a big stack that is guaranteed to win a seat

Test Your Satellite Skills!

You are playing a Mega Satellite to the $2 Million guaranteed WPT Choctaw Championship with blinds at 50/100 and a 100 big blind ante. You are in the Small Blind with Q♠Q♥ and 4,600 chips (46BBs). An Early Position player limps, a visibly frustrated player in the MP2 seat makes it 300, the Button flat calls, and action is on you.

What do you do here?

Click here to get detailed analysis of this hand from Team Fearless River and learn more strategy behind the correct plays.

Final Table ICM Pressure on Preflop Ranges

Strategy adjustments for various tournament stages must consider the impact of ICM (Independent Chip Model) and the specific factors in play at your table. When there are different stack sizes and a huge gap in pay between 1st and 9th place, making the most profitable decisions can seem daunting.

When you are the chip leader at a Final Table it’s also crucial to understand how dramatic ICM will affect your opponent’s strategy, and when you can use ruthless aggression to punish your foes on the way to victory. In both cases, the key to making better decisions with ICM in play starts with adjusting first-in hand ranges.

Watch this Fearless River.com Strategy Episode as Nick breaks down ranges and adjustments across stack sizes and describes how you should be approaching these spots at your next Final Table.

Playing Medium Pairs at A Final Table

Medium strength pocket pairs are a common source of frustration at the poker table for many players. Often with this hand category we are faced with difficult decisions to continue on many board textures, and can be challenged to make the right play when facing aggressive action.

At a Final Table when pay jumps are a big factor, it’s even more crucial to understand the correct strategy with medium pairs in order to avoid massive ICM blunders.

Here’s a breakdown from Fearless River Instructor Johan Schultz-Pedersen featuring pocket 8s at a Final Table to illustrate just how much ICM should affect your decisions in these spots.

Are You GTO Final Table Ready?

Picture yourself as one of 6 remaining players at the Final Table of the $3,800 WPT Choctaw Championship event. How do you play your 30 Big Blind stack against a call from a tough chip leader with two short stacks in play and the Mike Sexton Champions Cup on the line?

Play FREE solved hands from the WPT GTO Trainer to see firsthand how preflop ranges affect your decisions at the Final Table.

Here are some tips when practicing with the WPT GTO Trainer:

• Your goal is to select the action for each individual hand that is as close to 0.00 EV as possible
• EV Loss of 0.00 is the same action a GTO Player would take
• 0.00 EV Loss means you broke even against a GTO Player
• EV Loss Color Coding Hint:
  • Green = Near GTO Play
  • Orange = Take Caution
  • Red = Probable Leak in Your Game

Members can practice more hands from this scenario anytime by playing the 30BB Button Open Vs 70BB Big Blind Call WPT GTO Trainer Final Table pack!

Not a Member? Join for just $5 your first month to play more WPT GTO Trainer scenarios like this.

At the Final Table Remember To...

• Play to avoid busting out to the chip leader
• You will check and call more often than bet or raise
• You still need some bluffs in your range to prevent the chip leader from exploiting you
• Almost never lead out from the Big Blind after calling preflop
• Don’t be afraid to fold marginal hands against big bets that could set up an all-in situation on a future street
• When facing an aggressive chip leader, you should often trap by check-calling with your big made hands

Have FUN, Good Luck, and Good Playing!

Will we see you on the felt during the WPT Choctaw Festival? If you see Team Fearless River stop and say Hi 👋!

Check the Fearless River calendar to follow Team Fearless River On Tour as we travel the globe to play WPT Events.

Let us know if you are in the action during the WPT Choctaw Championship Event or side events on the Festival schedule!

Follow and tag us on social media to share your pic with members of Team Fearless River, show off your chip stack, or celebrate a deep run.

X @Fearless River | Facebook @learnwpt | Instagram @learn_wpt

We love to hear how Fearless River Students are doing and we can’t wait to share your success at the poker table!

Good luck and good playing,
-Team Fearless River

We hope you enjoyed these free strategies and tips from Team Fearless River! Subscribe for more FREE poker content.

Fearless River Launch Digital Strategy Workshop!

Join Team Fearless River for the upcoming Fearless River Launch Digital Tournament Strategy Workshop to get your game ready for the Summer Tournament Series - all from the comfort of home!

Fearless River Launch is an interactive Workshop that consists of 4 Digital Training Sessions conducted over a span of 2 Weeks (starting May 14th). Each Session is highly structured and designed to deliver the maximum impact to your game over 8 Immersive Hours of Instruction with Team Fearless River.

PLUS attendees have a seat in a private Tournament hosted on ClubWPT.com* to win a $2,500 WPT Prime Championship Passport!

Fearless River Launch is your chance to train directly with Tony Dunst, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, Michael "Gags30" Gagliano, and Johan Schultz-Pedersen on your time and from the comfort of your home.

With a combined resume including a WPT Championship, 5 World Series of Poker Bracelets, 3 WSOP Circuit rings, best selling author, over 3 decades of coaching experience, plus countless other high profile final tables and huge scores, Team Fearless River has the tools and knowledge to make this your best summer on the felt yet.

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