How to make sure your A-Game is a perfect TEN

On this PilipinasPoker forum thread, a poster asked about how to prep for a big tourney.  My mind immediately wandered into strategic considerations that I personally prepare:

--> What is the size of the field?
--> What is the starting stack and blinds?  Duration of each level?
--> What is the expected average quality of the competition?  TAGGY or LAGGY?  Or just mostly DONKEY?
--> How long am I expecting to sit before level breaks / day-end breaks?
--> Is the venue climate warm, cold, dingy, etc...?


These, and other factors I consider, eventually help me decide if I am going to small-ball or nit up.  Will I be an incessant blind-stealer, or am I going to be the sitting-sitout-artist?


As I pondered how to phrase this into digestible advice, I then thought of something more basic that will surely help this poster... after all, people can come up with countless strategies that I may not agree with, but the bottom-line will always be this:  "make sure you have your goddamned A-Game on!"

 ...or else, no strategy can be excuted properly.



So instead of cluttering minds with stategic advice, notes and research methods, and a regimen of practice sessions pre-tourney, this is my eventual reply to the post, based on one of my favorite pickups from "The Eightfold Path to Poker Enlightenment"...


Make sure your A-Game is a TEN.

On the night before the tourney, get some sleep - turn in early and make sure you are up in the morning.  This might get you excited and impatient, so you will have to calm down.  This is your chance to actually practice calming yourself down and getting into a "TEN" mode.  You will be doing this all throughout the length of the marathon big tourney.

You can do this calming exercise standing still or while walking around. 

Inhale deeply through your nose, then hold your breath for two seconds.  Then as you exhale through your mouth, make sure the duration of your exhale is stretched out to double the time you took inhaling.  This will slow your body down and sharpen your mind by eliminating clutter and creating space.

Then as you exhale, count ""one"

Go all the way to "ten"

If you lose count, start over.  If you cannot make it to ten, you are not mentally sharp to play, so keep focusing, unless you are happy with an "eight"...?

After ten, you are ready to play. 

Now get a full meal and a full bathroom session in before you even head out towards the tourney venue.  Time it so you get to the tourney venue just about ten minutes before it starts.  Don't worry about registration of missing the first few deals.  Get into the mindset that you will be here a loooong time.

If you feel antsy - like you wanna fucking play already - breathe...and do not sit down till after "ten"

Now play your "ten" game ;-)