Faraz Jaka is a well-known name on the poker circuit. With over $7 million in live cashes, Faraz became known for traveling the world playing poker while leading a nomadic lifestyle, (sometimes referred to as the "homeless millionaire lifestyle"). Nowadays, he is a renowned coach and mentor, along with a respected figure in the poker community.
His school, JAKAcoaching, is famous for transforming recreational players into winners. His students have achieved impressive results in the world's biggest tournaments.
Apparently, some of the school's protégés even come up with poker strategy gold.
One of Jaka's protégés is Pol Vela, a Spanish player from Barcelona, who achieved two impressive results in the WSOP Main Event: 218th place in 2023, for a prize of $58,500; and 129th place in 2024, for a prize of $85,000. This year, he opted out of the tournament, as he is caring for a five-week-old baby. Even so, he made a point of sharing four key tips he learned from his deep run campaigns in JAKAcoaching.
The suggestions attracted so much attention that Faraz Jaka himself decided to publish them on his social media, highlighting the importance of the advice for those who intend to play the WSOP Main Event.
Check out Pol Vela's advice below, based on his experience in previous editions of the world's biggest poker tournament.
1. Table Awareness = Everything
Day 1-3 are full of week players. Build you stack by targeting them.
- Look for preflop sizing tells.
- Figure out who's passive, who's capable of bluffing, and who plays ABC—and adjust accordingly.
- Exploit. Don't ego-battle regs.
2. Know When Not to Bluff
In general, aggression pays—but most players are scared to bust.
If someone calls flop and turn, be very cautious bluffing rivers.
They're not floating light. They usually have it—or think they do.
3. Prioritize Sleep Once You're Deep
After Day 3, fatigue becomes real. Even one night of poor sleep can tank your decision-making.
Melatonin, meditation, noise-canceling headphones—do whatever helps you shut off and recover fast.
4. Don't Play Scared
If you treat the Main Event like it's sacred, it'll mess with your game.
Play it like a $1k with a good structure.
It's just another tournament.
Scared players don't go deep—they become the targets.
Don't be one of them.
During the 2025 WSOP, Faraz is posting tons of content to his Instagram. You'll be able to see over-the-shoulder runouts, bits of strategy, and chip counts from successful runs. So far, Faraz has already generated over $54,000 in cashes from 5 different events:
- $ 3,500 + 1,500 No Limit Hold'em – Super Turbo Bounty (Bracelet Event #87) — 31st for $20,946
- $ 5,000 No Limit Hold'em – 6-Handed (Bracelet Event #62) — 92nd for $10,496
- $ 1,500 No Limit Hold'em – Freezeout (Bracelet Event #52) — 71st for $6,513
- $ 3,000 No Limit Hold'em – 6-Handed (Bracelet Event #49) — 205th for $6,000
- $ 2,500 No Limit Hold'em (Bracelet Event #29) — 46th for $10,539
