Preparing For a Tournament Series

My very first trip to Las Vegas to play at the World Series of Poker gave me a lot of insight about properly preparing to play long series’ of tournaments. For those that don’t know what I am talking about, a tournament series is a group of tournaments put on by a particular casino. The World Series of Poker is a great example. Over 50 events spread out over 6 months makes this the biggest tournament set each year. Many other casinos hold smaller sets and for many, these sets offer a great way to make some money against weaker competition. Preparing for these events can mean the difference between being ready to play at your best and just taking up space.

First, try to arrive early enough to give yourself a day to rest up or prepare for the event. If you are to start playing on Tuesday, try to arrive to your destination on Monday if you must travel there. Another purpose that this can serve is to provide a cushion in the event that your flight is delayed and you must arrive the day after you planned. My first year playing at the WSOP, I had intended to arrive two days before so that I could play a warm-up tournament. This was negated when my plane was delayed in Cincinnati and I couldn’t fly in until the next day. I arrived 10 minutes before the start of my warm-up tournament. Fortunately, I had that day as a cushion for the first WSOP event I had intended on playing.

Next, be sure to get adequate rest the night before. That means getting at least 8 hours of sleep the night before. For those of you that require more sleep, then get the required amount of sleep the night before.

Also, lay off the alcohol the day before the event. You want your head to be as clear as possible the next day. A hangover is not an asset at the poker table.

If you have a pre-game routine, then follow it. If you have a pair of lucky socks to wear, then wear them if you think that they will help you. Do you have a movie, video, or song you like to listen to in order to pump you up? If so, then pump yourself up. Some of you may think that I am telling you to entertain superstitions. Actually, I am to a degree. It is proven that a player plays well when their mind is at ease. If your ritual or superstition puts you in a better frame of mind to play the event, then do it.

Also, it is always helpful if you can go purchase your tournament entry the day before the event. Personally, if I know for a fact that I am playing a certain number of events, I will go ahead and purchase into several of them directly ahead of time to save time. At worse, I will buy the entry the day before. This allows me to go straight to my table and avoid the line.

I also like to take some time the day before and play some of the game I will be competing in. If the next day’s game is Limit Holdem, I may find myself a table online to play. If the tournament set offers a Limit satellite, I will try and play it. I may even play a Limit cash game. I play the game some the day before more to get my mindset into the game I will be playing. Some of you may think that this is an unnecessary step if you are a good player. I would recommend rethinking this, especially if you don’t play certain games that often. When you play one game for a long period of time, your poker thinking gets stuck in that mode. Switching can be more difficult than one may recognize. Playing some the day before helps you to begin the transfer of thinking over to the game you are playing.

Plan out your course to get to the event the next day. For some tournament series, this isn’t an issue, but for some, this can be a nightmare. At the World Series of Poker for example, don’t assume you can always find a nearby parking space or be able to use valet. You will have to arrive earlier or just plan to park in the back of the lot and give yourself ample time to get there. In other tournament sets, you may to consider factors such as traffic to the event, where the event is at in the casino, and the type of event. A No Limit event will draw a significantly larger crowd than a Stud event.

The day of the event, be sure to eat a proper meal before you play. For many, this means to eat a good breakfast. However, if you cannot eat properly, at least eat. Give your body some type of fuel to burn on while you are at the table. With that being said, don’t overeat. If you eat too much before the beginning of a tournament, you will feel bloated and perhaps even sick. For some people, eating too much will make them sluggish and fatigued, which is not a good way to start off a tournament.

Playing in a tournament series takes more planning than going to play a single tournament or just going to the casino to play in a cash game. You must plan out your tournament so that things run smoothly so that you may put out maximum effort in the events. By following some of the tips above, you will be able to plan out your events so that the only thing you will need to worry about is your individual poker strategy and the other players at the table.

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