Developing a Pre-Game Routine for Poker

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Like all longtime poker players, I have learned that my job doesn’t begin when I buy-into a game, nor does it come to an end when I cash-out for the night. To be a truly successful poker player you have to put in a lot of time and effort away from the poker tables, just like you do at the poker tables; this is assuming you want to succeed of course!

I was lucky in a way, because I became a student of the game before I ever played poker for what could be considered “serious money”. Because of this I have been working hard on my game from the very beginning, both at and away from the tables, by constantly reading books, visiting forums, and discussing poker with fellow players, but also by experimenting with other ways to improve my play, and maximize my study and preparation time for better results. One of the things I have experimented with in the past few years is having a specific pre-game routine.

I’ve always had a routine of sorts, but in initially it was never meant to help my game, it was simply habits I had fallen into. Nowadays I am now very cognizant of my pre-game routine and stick to it almost to the point of compulsion. I’ve also been analyzing just how much my current pre-game routine has helped my game (as well as eliminating some of my older “bad” habits), and the reasons why these subtle behavioral changes have had such a huge impact on my performance at the poker tables.

Before I delve into the pre-game routine I have implemented I want to make it clear that what works for me might not necessarily work for you, but even if you don’t follow my routine you can still glean some valuable information by dissecting my routine and looking at it in more general terms. This should allow you to make adjustments that will fit into your own schedule and jive with your personality and individual needs. Alright, with that caveat out of the way, let’s get down to business and talk about pre-game routines, and how you can go about developing one of your own.

Why Develop a Pre-Game Routine

Routines are prevalent in every aspect of life, and people who have developed specific routines tend to be more organized and efficient. Let’s start by think of it in its simplest terms: The morning ritual.

People who wake up at the same time and have a morning routine where they brew their coffee; take a shower; get dressed; drink their now brewed coffee and eat; and head out to work, are far more likely to not forget or overlook things, and are likely more efficient using less time to get ready. On the flipside if a person wakes up and hops in the shower before brewing coffee he has now cost himself perhaps 10 minutes. Not to mention that “winging it” requires the expenditure of more mental energy, than someone that can basically auto-pilot his way through his waking hours.

In addition to being efficient and organized your pre-game routine for poker should accomplish two other secondary things:

• #1 – it should put you into the proper mindset to play 12+ hour sessions (a common occurrence for tournament players)
• #2 – it should make more parts of your poker game more “automatic” (through practice) requiring less mental energy, which can then be devoted to other areas of their game

The reason you should develop a pre-game routine is to prepare you to play to the best of your ability and to eliminate any potential stresses from your workspace (AKA when you play poker) and give you added advantages that your opponents are not taking advantage of.

My Pre-Game Routine

Your pre-game routine doesn’t start 10 minutes before you sit down to play; it involves everything from your long-term sleeping and nutrition habits to your workspace, but these longer-term, all-encompassing, things will not be the focus of this article – perhaps at a later point I will delve into the benefits of proper long-term sleep and nutritional habits for a poker player. For now I want to focus on the moments leading up to a poker session, whether it’s an online tournament or a daily tournament at your local card-room, and how you prepare over the course of the specific day.

Here is a quick look at the checklist I go through as I prepare for a session of poker, as well as an explanation of why they will help your poker game:

• Get a good night’s sleep

In addition to a solid eight hours of sleep the night before a tournament, there are numerous studies that show an early afternoon nap (even one as short as 30 minutes) can refresh your brain and get you up to peak performance. So, if you find yourself registered in a late afternoon or evening event I highly recommend an afternoon nap; it will recharge your batteries so to speak.

• Perform 30 minutes of exercise earlier in the day (as close to the start time as possible)

Exercise (both regular and acute) helps get blood flowing and study after study shows better brain performance from exercise.  If you’re not convinced about the benefits of exercise as it relates to brain function you can check out this article from earlier this year: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/how-exercise-fuels-the-brain/

• Eat a light meal 1-2 hours before the tournament begins

Without turning into a nutritionist, you should make sure your meal is on the lighter side, balanced (proper distribution of Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fats), and healthy. A heavy, high-calorie meal can cause you to become lethargic –so don’t fret about not clearing your plate– whereas a balanced meal that is made up of about 40% proteins, 40% carbohydrates, and 20% fats will keep you from having an insulin spike (the sugar high people talk about where you get a quick burst of energy followed by a “crash”). As a poker player you don’t have to eat like a pro athlete, but you should still make some attempt to avoid saturated fats and high-glycemic carbohydrates.

• Solve a mental puzzle or read a provocative poker article/section of book

Much like a light warm-up and stretching will help you perform physical activities at a higher level, mentally stimulating your brain helps prepare it for use later on. Obviously you don’t want to overtax your brain and deplete your mental energy (so skip the 3-hour, master-level chess match the morning of a poker tournament) but a quick game of Tetris or some Sudoku puzzles should get your brain’s receptors firing just before a poker tournament. Reading also has this effect on the brain.

• Drink caffeine and ephedrine

If you’re not into supplements or don’t do well with caffeine you can skip this step. I have personally found a combination of roughly 200mg of caffeine and 20mg of ephedrine keeps my mind sharp and focused at the poker tables. If you’ve never used these stimulants before I suggest starting with smaller doses, in the range of 50mg of caffeine and low doses of Ephedrine. Overloading your body with caffeine or ephedrine can have the opposite effect, leaving you with a headache, nausea, or worse.

If you are unfamiliar with Ephedrine this article will give you a good base of information about the drug: http://astronutrition.com/blog/ephedrine_facts_and_info

*Even though it’s available over the counter, It’s easy to get somewhat hooked on Ephedrine considering it’s a stimulant, so it’s definitely not for everybody, and I highly suggest you do some research (starting with the link above) and consult your doctor before you start using it.*

• Make sure you’re logistically ready to play

When you need to focus on a specific task the less you have to worry about the better, so make sure you’ve taken care of all of your personal business earlier in the day. Also, make sure your phone and iPod are charged, you have the proper clothing with you, and that you have snacks, water, eye drops and anything else you may need on hand.

You should also have a plan for dinner, and have the area around the tournament section scouted out to find the quickest routes to bathrooms and food courts during breaks.

• Hit the bathroom

No explanation needed here!

• Find your “zone”

Whether it’s listening to some music or reciting some inspirational sayings, do what you need to do to get yourself fired-up and in a positive frame of mind for what will hopefully a very long session at the poker tables.