How Faraz Jaka Went from Bedridden to Bracelet Winner

Life Outside Poker w/ Connor Richards

Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level.

For the sixth episode, Connor spoke with longtime poker pro and coach Faraz Jaka, who was fresh off a runner-up finish in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship. Jaka talked about running up a six-figure bankroll in college, going broke and moving down stakes, battling back from a debilitating back injury to win his first bracelet in 2023 and running deep in this year's $25,000 Heads-Up Championship.

Jaka also talked about his site Jaka Coaching, discussed what makes a good poker coach and offered advice for players looking to grind the WSOP this summer.

This interview took place at the 2024 WSOP in Las Vegas and was filmed inside Horseshoe Las Vegas.

The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and iHeartRadio. You can also watch the interview with Faraz Jaka by heading to the PokerNews YouTube channel.

Be sure to follow Faraz Jaka and Connor Richards on X.

Time Stamps TIME TOPIC 1:05 Deep run in $25k Heads-Up Championship 5:35 Winning a bracelet in the 2023 Shootout 7:11 Back injury 13:57 WSOP routine advice 19:15 Growing up in San Jose 20:43 Running up a six-figure roll in college 21:56 The Poker House 25:04 Going from local celebrity to broke 29:03 Career highlights 30:53 Black Friday 34:26 Becoming a poker coach 36:28 What makes a good poker coach? 38:43 Standout Jaka Coaching students 44:25 Balancing life and poker 49:55 Advice for younger self 52:25 Favorite life lesson from poker