Lessons from a 26 Hour Session
Playing live poker for 26 hours straight is an experience I wouldn't necessarily recommend everyone try, but it was good for me (at least this once). I needed to know if I could still function and play under extreme conditions, and with the WSOP coming so soon, and the extra day off for the holiday, this past weekend seemed like as good a time as any to find out.
Unlike an actual marathon, I plan to do it again sometime, but with a few adjustments. Some of what I list below may seem obvious, but it wasn't to me at the time.
1. Hygiene
Nothing is worse in a card room than having that guy sit down next to you that clearly hasn't showered in a week, and towards the end of my run I became extremely self conscious about being that guy. Although I was repeatedly assured by other patrons and dealers that there was no discernable funk emanating from my person, next time I plan on taking a break to run home for a shower and change of clothes somewhere around the 16 hour mark. Getting a room in the hotel for this purpose is another option, but seems wasteful.
2. Location
As much as I like Sam's Town, it just doesn't have the clientele to keep a selection of good games running all night. I've been told the Bellagio is the perfect place to attempt this sort of thing, so I'll have to suck up my hatred of the strip (and the cattle that graze there) and go scout it out.
3. Get in shape
Even though Sam's Town has some of the nicest chairs one could expect from a poker room, sitting in them for extended periods of time is not exactly comfortable. I know from past experiences that the better condition I am in physically, the easier it is to tolerate the minor aches and pains that arise from these conditions. If nothing else, I need to start running again. Running in Vegas is a pain. I absolutely suck at getting out of bed early, and any other time of day is deadly. I'll have to figure something out.
4. Caffeine
Although it was necessary this time around, extended use of caffeine has major problems, the beneficial effects constantly decrease while causing an upset stomach and other physical ailments. The solution here is to lower my dependency on caffeine, preferably to the point of giving it up completely. I've already take steps towards this, quitting cold turkey on Monday. Today is the first day without the headache that accompanies the withdrawal process, and it is not by coincidence that it took me so long to get this post typed up. Hopefully I'll stick with it.
5. Food
I always play better on a full stomach, and being vegan (as in vegetarian, not Vegas) has its drawbacks when it comes to convenience. There is a Subway recently opened in Sam's Town, but they aren't open 24 hours, and even if they were they wouldn't be satisfying enough. Next time I'll need to bring some food and snacks along with me. Going home to shower and change as noted above may also be a good time to fill up, but something tells me that the combination will instead cause me to just go to bed.
6. Driver
On Sunday night I should have called Designated Drivers to get me home. I honestly wish I could say that I had. Nothing bad happened on the drive home, but it could have. I try not to drive when I'm drunk, and sleep deprivation causes the same symptoms. I can live the rest of my life knowing I got myself killed, but I couldn't handle my conscience if my irresponsible actions killed someone else. If you live in Vegas and don't have their number (702.456.RIDE) stored in your cell phone, you suck. If you're coming to Vegas and plan to drive, you should definitely have it handy. For $40 they'll take you AND your car from any place in the city to any place in the city. Conside the cost of a cab over the same distances, and the problems with retrieving your car later, and you'll understand why it is that when I use them I always tip an extra $20 minimum.
7. iPod
I need a way to recharge my iPod. When the battery finally gave out, I had a very hard time adjusting. Most noticeably (aside from the lack of music), I kept thinking something was in my ear. It damn near drove me nuts, and people were looking at me funny when I kept rubbing my ears to get rid of the sensation.
8. Be willing to stop
I am as stubborn as they come, and that's not good. There were several times when I considered going home, but instead decided to "just wait one more hour and see how it goes". Nothing bad came of staying, but certainly could have. Now that I've proven to myself that it can be done, perhaps the next time I'll be more willing to call it quits if things aren't going as optimally as they could be.
And there you have it. It seems like I had more to say on the matter a few days ago, but not getting it written down has caused me to lose it. There were a few anecdotes I was going to throw in as well, but in the end they were all just variations of, "at about 4am, this drunk idiot sucked out on me", and that makes for a boring read.
I can always add more in another post if I think of anything later.
-Tommy
P.S. "Harrington on Hold 'em: Expert Strategies for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. III--The Workbook" shipped today. Hooray!
Unlike an actual marathon, I plan to do it again sometime, but with a few adjustments. Some of what I list below may seem obvious, but it wasn't to me at the time.
1. Hygiene
Nothing is worse in a card room than having that guy sit down next to you that clearly hasn't showered in a week, and towards the end of my run I became extremely self conscious about being that guy. Although I was repeatedly assured by other patrons and dealers that there was no discernable funk emanating from my person, next time I plan on taking a break to run home for a shower and change of clothes somewhere around the 16 hour mark. Getting a room in the hotel for this purpose is another option, but seems wasteful.
2. Location
As much as I like Sam's Town, it just doesn't have the clientele to keep a selection of good games running all night. I've been told the Bellagio is the perfect place to attempt this sort of thing, so I'll have to suck up my hatred of the strip (and the cattle that graze there) and go scout it out.
3. Get in shape
Even though Sam's Town has some of the nicest chairs one could expect from a poker room, sitting in them for extended periods of time is not exactly comfortable. I know from past experiences that the better condition I am in physically, the easier it is to tolerate the minor aches and pains that arise from these conditions. If nothing else, I need to start running again. Running in Vegas is a pain. I absolutely suck at getting out of bed early, and any other time of day is deadly. I'll have to figure something out.
4. Caffeine
Although it was necessary this time around, extended use of caffeine has major problems, the beneficial effects constantly decrease while causing an upset stomach and other physical ailments. The solution here is to lower my dependency on caffeine, preferably to the point of giving it up completely. I've already take steps towards this, quitting cold turkey on Monday. Today is the first day without the headache that accompanies the withdrawal process, and it is not by coincidence that it took me so long to get this post typed up. Hopefully I'll stick with it.
5. Food
I always play better on a full stomach, and being vegan (as in vegetarian, not Vegas) has its drawbacks when it comes to convenience. There is a Subway recently opened in Sam's Town, but they aren't open 24 hours, and even if they were they wouldn't be satisfying enough. Next time I'll need to bring some food and snacks along with me. Going home to shower and change as noted above may also be a good time to fill up, but something tells me that the combination will instead cause me to just go to bed.
6. Driver
On Sunday night I should have called Designated Drivers to get me home. I honestly wish I could say that I had. Nothing bad happened on the drive home, but it could have. I try not to drive when I'm drunk, and sleep deprivation causes the same symptoms. I can live the rest of my life knowing I got myself killed, but I couldn't handle my conscience if my irresponsible actions killed someone else. If you live in Vegas and don't have their number (702.456.RIDE) stored in your cell phone, you suck. If you're coming to Vegas and plan to drive, you should definitely have it handy. For $40 they'll take you AND your car from any place in the city to any place in the city. Conside the cost of a cab over the same distances, and the problems with retrieving your car later, and you'll understand why it is that when I use them I always tip an extra $20 minimum.
7. iPod
I need a way to recharge my iPod. When the battery finally gave out, I had a very hard time adjusting. Most noticeably (aside from the lack of music), I kept thinking something was in my ear. It damn near drove me nuts, and people were looking at me funny when I kept rubbing my ears to get rid of the sensation.
8. Be willing to stop
I am as stubborn as they come, and that's not good. There were several times when I considered going home, but instead decided to "just wait one more hour and see how it goes". Nothing bad came of staying, but certainly could have. Now that I've proven to myself that it can be done, perhaps the next time I'll be more willing to call it quits if things aren't going as optimally as they could be.
And there you have it. It seems like I had more to say on the matter a few days ago, but not getting it written down has caused me to lose it. There were a few anecdotes I was going to throw in as well, but in the end they were all just variations of, "at about 4am, this drunk idiot sucked out on me", and that makes for a boring read.
I can always add more in another post if I think of anything later.
-Tommy
P.S. "Harrington on Hold 'em: Expert Strategies for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. III--The Workbook" shipped today. Hooray!
posted by Tommy at 9:12 AM
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