WSOP Tips

It’s that time of year again. The World Series of Poker is right around the corner and everyone is gearing up. I’ve got my schedule set and I’ll be mostly playing the early mixed game tournaments and the main event. I’m very excited about the tournaments I’m playing this year as is hopefully everyone who is playing some WSOP events this year.

A woman in the game I was in last night, in fact, was talking about how excited she was because this is the first time she’s getting to play in the main event. As she put it “It’s what we all dream about.” She’s mostly right. I’m sure there are some people who don’t really want to play poker tournaments at all, but if you’re going to play one, the WSOP main event is the one to shoot for.

If you’re going to play WSOP events, it is important to be prepared for what you’re going to experience. Right now is the time of year where I get asked the most questions about tournaments. I get all kinds of questions about how to play the tournaments, but I’m not sure that’s the best thing to work on at this point. We’re so close to the tournaments themselves and they’re such a big, high-pressure stage that I’m not sure changing how you think about the game at this time is a good idea, especially if this is your first time playing a WSOP bracelet event.

Additionally, I wouldn’t work too much on your mental game right now either. I will take this time to promote Jared Tendler’s Mental Game of Poker series of books for future mental game learning, but attempting to learn new mental game strategies to the point of unconscious competence this close to a big event might not be the greatest strategy.
If you do attempt to do either of the above, start small. Try to learn something minor each day instead of overhauling your technical or mental game.

I think though, that the best thing you can do to get yourself ready for your first WSOP (or first main event) is to get your body ready. Again, I don’t mean making huge wholesale changes to your diet or workout regimen as that will overstress your body and be counterproductive. You can, however, get your body prepared for the grind if you’re playing multiple events this year or for a one shot tournament.

People vastly underestimate the stress that a poker tournament puts on your body and they come into them wildly underprepared for the physical demands of tournament poker. They see a chubby, hoodied poker player win and think that it doesn’t take much in the way of physical preparation to be ready for tournaments, but that isn’t the case. The ability to stay focused after long days and long nights is one of the most important skills a poker player can have in order to turn in a successful WSOP performance.

First things first. If you’re an early riser, you might have a little advantage this year. Start times have been pushed up to 11 am and 3 pm, much to the chagrin of many a night owl. Being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the ungodly hour of 11 am can really do wonders for your game. If you’re not used to getting up that early, start going to bed and waking up earlier now so you can be prepared for that time of day when it comes around. Getting plenty of sleep is one of the greatest keys to being successful in tournaments. You’ll be more focused and make sharper decisions if you’re not fighting off sleepiness all day. I have seen many poker players who were playing well all day lose their minds after the dinner break or late into the night because they couldn’t focus after a small setback due to being tired.

Speaking of dinner break, the food you choose to consume can really make a difference in your performance as well. Last year I started packing my own food instead of buying the heavy and unhealthy (not to mention overpriced) options at the Rio. I packed light but energy-dense food in order to keep my brain focused. I never splurged and had a big meal during dinner breaks because having that heavy meal late in the day and then going back to playing poker can really drag you down and cause you to be off your game.

Finally, have a good cool down routine. One of the toughest things for me is winding down after a full day of tournament poker. I’m wired from all the tension, especially after the end-of-day high leverage situations that can really get your adrenaline going. I’ve developed a good routine to decompress after a long day of poker that includes studying some hands that were bothering me if I have time or writing them down for future study if I don’t have time. That way, at least I’ll have them logged to review in the future and I don’t have to keep turning them over in my head. I also like to listen to podcasts on my drive home in order to get my mind off of poker. Once all the poker is out of my brain, I can relax much better.

Good tournament poker isn’t just about playing poker well. You have to be prepared to play your best for long hours and, hopefully, over multiple days. Being physically prepared for the stress that puts on your body might be the difference between profit and loss on a big scale. ♠

Gavin Griffin was the first poker player to capture a World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour title and has amassed nearly $5 million in lifetime tournament winnings. Griffin is sponsored by HeroPoker.com. You can follow him on Twitter @NHGG