How to stay in a tournament after so many hours?!

[ScoobyNL]

I can play 12 hours and still feel fine

 

[VladB850]

Sometimes after many hours of playing I just take a break. I sit out for a couple of hands, take a shower or eat something. Is better to loose some blinds than the whole stack because you can't concentrate anymore

 

[Igor Popadyk]

you need to know your body and how to bring yourself into an optimal state. tea.coffee, etc.

 

[skrtel348]

Personally, and this is perhaps what penalizes me, I rarely play poker without doing something in the same time.
I often have two or three screens in front of me for other tasks. This way, the time passes quickly and I am not totally obsessed with the game.

 

[wavetune]

I initially with great difficulty sit for several hours in one place, and in tournaments, maybe after half an hour, I get the feeling that I don't want to play anymore, in fact, these tournaments are tedious

 

[black and]

I cheer myself up with coffee. I'm generally very motivated to play poker in the context of the chance to win money, so I rarely get tired, but overall I never play for more than 8-10 hours.

 

[IRINA70]

you need to take adrenaline drinks they will help you stay awake and relieve fatigue there should always be food in front of you to eat because the brain needs to think it gets tired and you can’t do without food

You should be careful with adrenaline drinks - such things borrow energy from the body, as if on credit. And all loans, as you know, are given with high interest.

 

[darkvick]

by what I see, I guess you need some resistance and experience. It comes with the time. Keep trying and you will get better each tournament.

 

[Acechador]

I personally can't go past 5 hours, it's extremely tiring for me, and I start playing all the wrong hands and I can't pay attention to the plays anymore. How is it for you? what do you do to be able to maintain long tournaments?

Well, I choose a quiet place, where no one bothers me, I usually have some food nearby to withstand hunger during the tournament and I have several playlists of music that I like so as not to get bored.

 

[Matt_Burns88]

Preparation is key.

I eat a light healthy meal, ideally half an hour before my session starts.
I make sure I am properly hydrated and maintain that throughout my session. I only drink water - caffeine is terrible for long term focus, because of the crash when it starts to work it's way out of your system.
I have some snacks to keep up my energy by eating things like dried fruit and nuts
I try to remove as many distractions as I can - this one is tough for me as I live in a flat with my girlfriend and daughter, so space is at a premium, but ideally a small office, with no TV or phone.

 

[jivkoptkv]

If you don't like playing for that long just search for tournaments with turbo structure. I personally love playing deepstack poker (100bb or more) with a slow structure because it's giving me the opportunity to play a wider range of hands (suited low cards). But in the end the most important part of your game is when you are at 30bb and less and you should always try to remain focused until the end.

 

[ASMautoneJr]

in my case it's worse, I can't stay more than three hours, sometimes the second hour arrives I start to lose concentration, anxious, and I can't stay focused anymore.
Sometimes I stretch during breaks, drink water, and I'll start something new, always keep something to eat during the tournament.
Sometimes I think there are supernatural forces at work in the mind. But this must be talk only for the "crazy"

 

[legend309]

It gets exhausting for sure. But near the end is when it gets exciting and my adrenaline is pumping. Not hard to concentrate then

 

[budweiser74777]

play very carefully - save your stack

 

[tiptools]

Everything is a matter of habit..in the beginning I couldn't play for more than 2-3 hours..now I play for 6-7 hours continuously without getting tired

 

[slevinzed]

i do have the same problem. I start to play the wrong hands the wrong way. I guess it"s a discipline to acquire, thats what make great players, keep it up

 

[Mauricio Perrotta]

Something similar happens to me, it must be because we are not used to that type of tournament. The only motivation is to get as close to the jackpot. But it is true that in a moment I only think about it ending.

 

[P86]

Yes it's very understandable after 5 hours you start loosing focus, usually i take breakes not only the 5min each hour but 10 or 15 even if it means folding a loosing BB. It helps in my case