
Tournaments with unlimited entries and multiple start days can be very frustrating as you can get eliminated in the final level on day one and have to try again the next day. Player and coach Faraz Jaka created an interesting thread on his Twitter to mentally prepare for this type of tournament.
Here are his words:
One of the most frustrating things about playing live poker tournaments is playing all day long, having to get knocked out on the last level of the first day, and repeat the next day. Open House and start over. I will provide a mental model with tips for handling this type of re-entry tournament.
The first thing you should do is determine why you were eliminated and see if you made a mistake. If you have doubts, you can ask other players or join a study group. If you know why, you can be at ease and learn to correct things.
Are you mad at Bad Beats or Cooler’s? If you have been playing poker for a while, you should find a way to prevent these normal and expected events from affecting your spirit.
With respect to pre-tournament re-entry, consider how many balls you can spend relative to your bankroll, and the big blind you’re willing to go into the next day if the tournament allows it. Money aside, think how frustrated you would be if you re-entered X times. Everyone is different.
Having to make the decision to resume play after being eliminated drains your mental energy. It’s best to think ahead about how you’re going to react on autopilot and save energy for the complicated decisions you’ll have to make while playing the game.
If you decide to reboard on the same day, do not go directly to the cashier to reboard. A good habit is to spend 15 minutes doing something relaxing to recharge your batteries, such as meditation, breathing exercises, stretching, or just walking around.
Once you decide to start over the next day, use the rest of the day to lower the decibels, recharge your batteries, and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep. If you check out late at night, you can take advantage of the late check-in the next day to get 8 hours of sleep.
You can see the original post on his twitter:
One โโof the most frustrating ๐ค things about tournaments ๐ poker Progressing Several levels ended up getting knocked out during the first day of multiple flights. I have to finish everything the next day.
Here is my mental model of how to handle it, with some tips to help you think about going back๐
โ Faraz Jaka (@FarazJaka ) April 9, 2022
According to The Hendon Mob, Faraz has 156 cash prizes (58 at the WSOP), 46 final tables and 3 live circuit wins for a profit of $6,936,175. His best finish came in 2009 when he finished second in the Bellagio Cup 15K, earning $774,780.

This text provides valuable insights and tips from professional player and coach Faraz Jaka on how to mentally prepare for re-entry tournaments. Jaka’s experience and success in the poker world add credibility to his advice, making it worth considering for players in similar situations.