Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?
Faraz Jaka: I was playing in dorm games with my friends in college. Eventually, I found my way online. It was a little more convenient. I started taking stabs putting $50 online and trying to work my way up, playing way out of my bankroll. I had no concept of bankroll management back then. I started playing my way into $25/$50 games with a $10,000 bankroll, got lucky, and worked up from there.
PND: While playing poker, you’ve been able to travel around the world. Can you tell us about some of your experiences?
Faraz Jaka: I’ve been going to European Poker Tour (EPT) events ever since I was about 19. Now that I’ve graduated, I’ve been doing it more regularly. I love the opportunity to be able to go out and see different cities, so it’s nice to be able to kill two birds with one stone. The games in Europe seem a lot softer to me because their boom happened about two years later than in the United States. It’s nice to be able to go out there and play in a few softer games.
PND: How have your friends and family viewed your poker career?
Faraz Jaka: My friends have been a great help. Without them, I don’t think I’d be where I am. It’s definitely huge to have people to talk to when you’re in doubt. If you make a mistake in a tournament, you can save the hand history and then go ask them about it.
PND: How would you describe your basic poker tournament strategy?
Faraz Jaka: My play is a bit more unorthodox than most players. I started as much more of a feel player, but eventually learned the fundamentals. I’m definitely known to be a little bit unpredictable. I try to do things differently and stay ahead of the curve because the game is constantly changing.
PND: What is the toughest type of opponent you could have at your table in a tournament?
Faraz Jaka: A loose-aggressive guy to my left. They are constantly playing back at you. It’s tough having that pressure.
PND: Who has been there to support you and help you out with your game?
Faraz Jaka: One of my best friends is Ben LeFew, who is “chong94” online. He was the first guy I met in poker. He helped me when I was starting out with some of the fundamentals. From there, I also met Andy “BKiCe” Seth, who was new to the game at the time. Ben was teaching Andy how to play and now he’s turned into such a great player. Andy is one of the guys I always go to for advice. It’s funny how that works.
PND: Does being a player who relies on feel give you an edge in live poker tournaments?
Faraz Jaka: A lot of live players aren’t playing with the same math that online players are. A lot of the online players expect certain ranges out of live players and that’s not necessarily the case. There are a lot of other little things I do that don’t involve math that are a big part of the reason for my success.
PND: What tournament format do you enjoy the most? Do you enjoy deep stack tournaments, turbos, or perhaps six-handed events?
Faraz Jaka: I don’t have a preference. I know there are a lot of people who say that they don’t want to play in a tournament because of its structure. To me, it doesn’t matter as long as I adjust. What makes me happy is that there are different structures. A lot of people don’t adjust enough and just stick to their standard strategy. In tournaments with a worse structure, there’s a lot more pushing going on and I’m happy with that. Live players don’t know that as well.
