How to Prepare for Poker Tournaments – Daily Routine

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Watching a poker tournament is great for high stakes entertainment. Playing in a poker tournament, however, can be a nerve-wracking experience, filled with tense strategy and copious amounts of adrenaline. If you’re entering a poker tournament, or thinking of doing so in the future, there are a few key habits that will improve your chances of winning.

Your best chance of success lies in disciplined, health-conscious behaviors. Of course, there is an element of luck involved, but any winner will tell you that skill and strategy are the biggest benefits you can give yourself. Exciting poker moments can often take you by surprise, which is why you need to be in top shape both physically and mentally if you want to win.

If you’re entering your first tournament, know the ropes already, or simply see yourself as more of a casual player, there’s still plenty of reason why these tips will be beneficial to you. From eating habits to brain exercises, following our recommendations for your daily routine will provide numerous benefits for your overall well-being.

1. Diet

Like with any other competitive activity, professional players have practically made a science out of poker training. In the same way that pro athletes have to adhere to strict diets, some foods and drinks are more beneficial to competitive poker players than others. For instance, food that leaves you feeling lethargic or tired is generally a bad idea. On the other hand, nutritious foods that provide a high boost to energy always come highly recommended.

Healthy eating habits demonstrably improve concentration levels, endurance/stamina, and overall health. If you’re serious about winning and want to take poker seriously, this is the biggest lifestyle change you can make. If you’re a casual player it wouldn’t hurt to consider a healthy diet either.

Nutritionists have advanced food science to the point where any person with a basic smartphone can track all sorts of food-related metrics. It’s become incredibly easy to monitor your eating habits, but it still takes a significant amount of willpower to change any bad habits. At the end of the day, a healthy, balanced diet is needed to ensure you’re performing to the best of your ability.

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2. Exercise

Picture this scenario; you’re on the fifth day of a major tournament, with four days of 10-12 hour rounds behind you. You’ve been eating well, but you haven’t exercised in months. Now imagine that your opponents are all triathletes. Who do you think has the edge in terms of endurance and concentration?

As on-the-nose as the aforementioned example may be, it effectively highlights the importance of health and wellness, and the difference they can make from a competitive point of view. The simple truth is that the fittest, healthiest players make the least amount of mistakes. In a game like poker, where one wrong move can knock you out of the game, you should aim for every competitive edge you can get.

Fitness activities, preferably of the outdoor variety, will help you keep your mind fresh, ready to endure prolonged periods of time in the competition. Poker tournaments are rarely outdoor events, so you want to get as much fresh air as possible heading into a competition. Getting fit while out in nature is also a great way to reduce general stress levels, avoid many health issues, and build mental fortitude.

If possible, take at least an hour out of each day and dedicate that time to exercise. You can run, hike, cycle, swim, or just hit the gym for weight training. Regardless of your preference, any exercise is better than nothing at all. Combined with healthy eating habits, a regular exercise routine will make you feel good, help you to keep calm under pressure, and bump up your overall performance metrics considerably.

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3. Practice

The more you practice, the greater your chances of success. Ask any pro athlete and they will tell you the same thing. As the saying goes, practice does indeed make perfect. Practice allows you to gain experience, test out strategies, and learn from your mistakes… all without the added pressure of a high-stakes game. It gives you insight into how others play and provides the opportunity to practice how well you can ‘read’ other players.

Training your mental and physical skills can be achieved through practice, but research and learning are also extremely important. For example, there are several well-known strategies that many new players will use when playing poker. Strategies can be tight or loose, aggressive or based on the Rock technique. The only way to know the differences between these strategies is to learn about them, to try them out for yourself, and see how effective they might be.

If you practice daily, maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine, as well as keep your stress at a manageable level, you can rest assured in the knowledge that you are well-prepared for any poker tournament. Start off with minor habits if too much change is overwhelming for you. Plan a daily schedule if you’re finding it hard to stick to good habits. Don’t hesitate to seek out support if you need it. Remember, it takes a whole team of people to help a pro athlete maintain a high degree of success and, in many ways, poker is no different from any other competitive sport.

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