by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor
The fundamental difference between online poker and any other sport, if you will, is the sometimes seemingly endless element to a game or tournament. Not only can a table game last upwards of ten or more hours, but when on a winning streak, it’s hard to know when to quit. Many an online player has lost his grit after a grueling work day of poker – plus overtime. How can you keep on top of your game when you’re suffering from sleep and hygiene deprivation?
The first thing to realize when you’ve committed yourself to a day-long tournament is that excessive use of the computer takes an enormous toll on your eyes. When you’re in an online poker room, you’re constantly straining your eyes to see the monitor, whether you notice it or not, and this causes fatigue. Exhaustion is the most common cause for making the biggest mistakes in poker. Have you ever tried to read a book for eight hours straight? It’s much the same.
Make sure that your computer is set up for long term usage. Frequent computer users are at a high risk for glaucoma and it is therefore very important that to rest your eyes often during an online poker game. Keep your monitor slightly below eye level and the lights on to reduce the strain put on your eyes.
Do not rely on coffee and energy drinks to keep you awake. I am an excessive coffee drinker, and I can tell you, a caffeine high lasts for about an hour; after that, you will crash…hard. Eat three regular meals, drink water and exercise. Sit with perfect posture. This hurts most of us, but it will keep you awake. Play some music. I prefer a little Van Morrison, Cab Calloway or Stevie Wonder for poker – it really sets the mood.
Most importantly, get a good night’s sleep ahead of time. If you need to take a nap during a game, do so. Fortunately, online poker rooms give you the option of sitting out for a hand or two or three – or ten. Take advantage of this. You have not evolved as a human being – give yourself a break from the game or it will catch up to you. Get up and stretch your legs, take a shower, have a beer or a smoke and whatever else it takes to relax. If you don’t feel comfortable with leaving your table for that long, use the auto-check/call/fold features and walk around, checking in every few minutes or so. This will help you stay focused on the game when you return to the computer and decrease the amount of stupid plays you make because you weren’t paying attention.
There have been several occasions where I myself have played for too long and have made reckless mistakes because of it; I’ve confused straight draws for straights, flush draws for flushes, and many times there will be a draw on the table that I’ve completely overlooked. I’ve made some BS bluffs with an unnoticed draw on the table and paid dearly for it. Don’t let it happen to you.
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