The countdown to the 2024 World Series of Poker is on. Each day until the start of the series on May 28, we'll bring you tips and insider info from some of the biggest names in the game.
Greg Raymer is the 2004 WSOP Main Event champion. He has also won multiple Heartland Poker Tour titles, and earned more than $8,000,000 in career cashes. Follow Greg on X/Twitter.
How should people prep for the summer grind?
There is no one answer to this question. You need to do what works best for you. I require a lot of sleep, and so I never stay up late playing cash games the night before a bracelet event that I plan to enter. I get a solid meal in me before we start playing, or on the first break at the latest. If your blood sugar crashes, you have no shot at being your best.
Plan ahead for the long day you are hoping to have. Bring some snacks if that helps. Bring some aspirin or ibuprofen, maybe an allergy medication or a decongestant, anything that you know might be needed.
Plan out what you will do on the dinner break. If you have a partner or friend with you, maybe they can get some take-out and be waiting for you. That way you can eat with no time rush, and have extra time to decompress, or run through some sims. Whatever will put you in the best frame of mind to finish the day strong.
What event are you most looking forward to playing?
The Main Event is obviously the most important one. However, I really love 2-7 no-limit single-draw, and I can pretty much never play that game except during the summer in Las Vegas. So, I will be sure to focus on those events also.
And I’m excited for Event #1 this year, the Champions Reunion. With a bounty on my head worth double the buy-in, it should make for some interesting strategy adjustments.
What's the biggest event you will play?
The Main Event is the biggest there is. However, if you mean maximum buy-in, probably nothing bigger than that.
Back in 2005-12 or so, there was a lot of value to be had in the larger buy-in events. There were plenty of players with money who would enter an event like the $10K Stud Hi-Lo, or the $50K H.O.R.S.E., and really have almost no clue how to play those games. But they had the money, and figured since the fields were so small, it gave them a better shot at winning a bracelet. And that is true.
It probably is easier to beat 50-100 players in a game you don’t know, as opposed to beating 3,000 players in a game where you excel. But it also created a lot of value for those of us who know those games well. But in today’s poker world, there just isn’t much dead money in those events, so I rarely play them anymore.
Check out the full schedule for the 2024 WSOP and plan which events you're going to target this summer. If you're looking at the lower end of the buy-ins, check out The Rec's guide to the WSOP. If you're looking for action with a bigger budget, follow what Jennifer Tilly is doing.
