If you’re going to get hot on the poker felts, now is the ideal time of year. We’re just one month away from the start of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and major events like the World Poker Tour Championship are on the horizon. Faraz The-ToiletJaka (pictured) tuned up for these and other poker tournaments by winning the PokerStars Sunday 500 on the last day of March for $84,000.

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Jaka is always game for an interview with PocketFives, so we sat down with him to discuss his latest Sunday Major title.

PocketFives: Congrats on taking down the Sunday 500 outright for $84,000. Tell us how you’re feeling about the win three weeks later.

Faraz Jaka: The win is great, of course, but I try not to pay too much attention to the results and just focus on whether I am playing well. If I make mistakes, then regardless of my results, I need to review them and make sure I don’t make them again. A lot of players when they win a tournament or make a final table will always say they played well and then blame themselves when they lose and then review hands. Some players will just view their loses as them being unlucky or the game being unfair.

I’ve been through enough upswings and downswings to know that if I manage my bankroll well and just keep focusing on whether I am playing well, the rest is a variance-filled roller coaster that will take care of itself over time.

PocketFives: The Sunday 500 you won was loaded with poker talent down the stretch, including Jymaster0011(pictured), who finished third.

Faraz Jaka: The Sunday 500 is a funny tournament because it is certainly one of the toughest majors in terms of all of the talent that plays it. At the same time, the structure is so good that it allows you to bring out all of the tools in your poker arsenal because of how deep-stacked you are down the stretch.

The final table was certainly filled with a lot of talent and people making some pretty advanced plays that you usually can’t make in online tournaments. The combination of high-level players who know how to fold hands and a deep-stack structure creates a whole new dynamic. The Sunday 500 is a great event in terms of practice for live main events, which is why I love going deep in it because it feels like I’m playing a live event.

PocketFives: Speaking of live events, you finished second in the EPT London High Roller Eventfor $363,000. What’s the allure of entering High Roller Events?

Faraz Jaka: Although they are still tougher events, there is certainly money to be made, as there are a lot of wealthy locals who love coming out for those two- or three-day high buy-in events. Some of them don’t even play the main events because they cannot afford to take a whole week off work, but two or three days are doable.

I used to skip a lot of the High Rollers because they were only getting 20 to 30 entries, sometimes even fewer than that. But, as of last season, the EPT did away with the low turnout events and made the successful stops longer festivals. Pretty much all EPT High Rollers get great turnouts close to, if not over, 100 players.

PocketFives: Even with the presence of businessmen, wouldn’t the field of a High Roller still be mainly composed of pros you might not have much of an edge against?

Faraz Jaka: In the live realm, there are a lot of regulars who show up at every festival. You can call them pros, but they made their money outside of poker and are people you can have an edge over. Also, some players make money in softer fields because they are good at playing against weaker players, but not so much against stronger players. A pro like this might be a very profitable poker player, but not so much in the High Rollers.

The High Rollers also attract cash game players who don’t like to play small side events. They are great players, but when it gets deep in the money, they make a lot of mistakes that tournament players can exploit. So, even though there might be 70% pros in the field or whatever the number is, just because someone is a pro or a regular doesn’t mean they are profitable in these events.

Also, some players play these events because they want to play against other good players to increase their own skills. For stronger players, it is immediately profitable and for the up-and-comer, it is an investment in their learning at something that’s hopefully close to breakeven or only a small amount negative for them ROI-wise. It’s okay to take shots like these as long as you are responsible and not overdoing it regularly.

Sometimes, you might feel that you are playing an even stronger game and exploiting players in High Rollers more than you do in other events. Or, you might find yourself very uncomfortable and realize it’s not your cup of tea. The bottom line is you never know if you don’t try, so sell some action to lower your risk and jump in to get a feel for them yourself.

PocketFives: The 2013 WSOP is almost upon us. Can you talk about your plans?

Faraz Jaka: My WSOP schedule is pretty similar to the last few years. I am playing every No Limit event; there is pretty much a good No Limit event every day during the series. The few days the WSOP does not have a No Limit event, some of the other casinos like the Venetian, Wynn, and Bellagio will certainly have noticed and filled that gap with a higher buy-in No Limit event.

The next three months are pretty insane as far as the poker schedule goes. You have EPT Berlin, EPT Monte Carlo, SCOOP, the WPT Championship, and then straight into the WSOP. That’s about $300,000+ worth of buy-ins of good value poker tournaments and maybe five to seven days off in that entire three-month span!

For me, it’s time to get in my best grind mode: good schedule, good diet, good pre-game prep, cut out all of the tiddlywinks, and just get straight to business. I can have fun post-July when I have something to celebrate.

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