Dealing with fatigue

Hi all,

I played some freeroll at Absolute Poker last night, 2000 players. After 4 hours I made it into the paid ranks (18). By that time I was already pretty beat. Focus went to hell at times and I made a few errors due to that. Then came a time where I just didn't care anymore so I ended up 16th (after close to 5h). This was special as it was already 2am my time, Germany, and I just didn't care to play another 2 hours or so. Playing when tired is not a good idea in general so what do you do when playing long hours in order to stay fresh. I do the obvious, in the breaks, throw some cold water in my face and back of the neck and go outside for a minute to get some fresh air. But what else can I do as I still find myself losing concentration after a few hours of playing?

I agree with you lots of times after a few hours i get tired and lose it, its like you dont care,but you are right its not a good idea to play unless you up for it. Ive lost lots of tourneys cause i get tired and then you think to yourself, 4 or 5 hours for what, nothing or 25 cents. the 2 times i won one i was fresh and up for it and it makes a difference. gl next time>>>buckster436

i agree as well. when you get tired, you start to play stupid. you probably go in on some dumb stuff. it would probably have been better to just sitout, go to bed, and probably finish higher.

i try not to play unless im ready for several hours of card playing. some of thoses games last a long time. and i get burned out

i usually always start off good, then when i get tired i play lazy and lose

I once played in a tournament and through most of it had a splitting headache and felt dizzy. Surprisingly, I did well.

I used to get tired playing as well when I first started playing in larger games. After a while you do get some stamina - but . . . I've found if you play for the 1 hour intervals and look at it that way - it seems less tiring. Then take that 5 minute break and change your scenery, refill your drink, stretch, jump up and down, and take a bathroom break - you'll be refreshed for the next hour.

I play in cardrooms and home games and sometimes play in excess of 8 hours almost consecutively. Depending on the blind structure and my chipstack, when I get super tired, I will take a break and just get blinded off for a good 10 or 15 minutes. Get some fresh outside air, wash my face with soap and warm water, and have a caffinated drink, usually Mountain Dew. Another thing I started doing in place of the aforementioned method was during recent games instead of playing until I am exhausted then taking a long break, I will start taking micro breaks every 30 minutes from the time I sit down. If I know I'm sitting for a long session (over 6 hours) ill take 4-5 minutes every half-hour. It seems to keep me more fresh and prevents the "hitting the wall" effect that I used to play up to. Plus, it adds up to only 9 or 10 minutes per hour and keeps me from losing blinds on a 15 minute break.

It's a good idea (for me anyway) to take a nap before a multi table tournament. I get tired easily, and it destroys my game.