What Does Your Sleep Have to Do With Poker? A variety of poker-related thoughts

Hi. Come on in. I've cooked up a mess of red beans and rice, heavy on the Cajun gravy. When I served honorably in my nation's defense many years ago, we were fed this delicacy every Tuesday noon. Many of the new players to the game of hold'em have poker fever to such an extent that they can barely tear themselves away from the table. And many veteran players claim they can play marathon sessions and still be at the top of their game after 24 or 36 hours. Maybe they can – and maybe they're just too groggy to recognize that the quality of their play has deteriorated.

Those veteran players are a hopeless cause, but the new players should be aware that a lack of rest will cause a chemical change in your brain and a serious loss of judgment abilities. It's rather like being slightly inebriated but thinking you can still drive your car as well as when you are sober. "It ain't necessarily so."

So, boys and girls, here's another of Roy's Rules. These are rules by which I guide my poker life. None of them are chiseled in stone. As a free citizen, you may accept or reject them as you wish. (However, keep in mind that if they hadn't already proven to be of value to my students over the years, I wouldn't be wasting my time or energy bringing them to you.)

"Play rested – play fresh."There's nothing startling there. That seems to make good sense. Playing tired just doesn't make it. Your attentiveness falls off. You're not as alert. You miss some of what's going on around you, so you make decisions with less information than you would normally possess if you were rested. You mind seems to work more slowly. Plus, one of the biggest problems with playing tired is that most people tend to get irritated easily, which further contributes to putting them off their best game. If you can't play your best, don't play.

Some random thoughts about limit hold'em that I have been relearning: It's true that good hands in good (late) position are what make the money. But there are times when you are better off being in early (usually unfavorable) position. As an example, you joyfully discover a pair of aces in your preflop hand. Your next thought is that you are the first to act. You have bad position, tough break, but let's look at the bright side.

A tied-in random thought: Keep that same pair of aces, but now we'll seat you on the button. That's a favorable position – maybe. Seven players, including the blinds, are in by the time the action gets to you. Your raise might cause the blinds and perhaps one other player to fold. That still leaves you with four opponents, which makes it more likely that you will be outdrawn.

Now, I require repose. Take a baggie of the red beans and rice for your breakfast. And kill the light on your way out. ♠

Roy West, best-selling poker author, continues giving his successful poker lessons in Las Vegas for both tourists and locals. Ladies are welcome. Get Roy's toll-free 800 number from his ad on Page 150.