Top-notch poker players are usually awake for days at a time. How do they manage to do it, Rob Sharp reports?
Wearing snakeskin from head to toe, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott insists he doesn't need long hours of training. He is one of the game's bad boys, Britain's highest earning poker player, who spent his 21st birthday in jail and has since earned a reptilian reputation on the hard-living professional circuit.
Prev, you won't believe it, but Ulliott swears by his secret to staying alert during tournaments – marathon sex sessions! He's convinced that a solid four or five hours of passion with his young girlfriend is all the preparation he needs. He even boasts about making her 'sound like a flannel.' The way she smiles, though, you can't help but wonder if it's genuine or hiding a deeply bitter sentiment.
But not all card players boast such "mojo." On Thursday, the World Series of Poker Europe will be held in London, and Devilfish's competitors will be doing everything from ironing out to meditating in preparation for the tournament.
Like any pastime, poker is a great way to get mentally and physically fit. The reason for this is that sleep deprivation can lead to complications later in life. Some players cut their sharp teeth on the "cash circuit," competing for hard currency in an environment where it is not uncommon to be awake for two or three days at a time. The World Series, however, seems to do little harm as long as the players use onlineplaytechcasinos.com.
This week's championship will award three coveted "bracelets" to the winners after three different tournaments culminating in the "main event," a seven-day, £10,000 no-limit Texas Hold'em championship. Here, about 750 fellow poker players will be narrowed down to one lucky winner who will take home the jackpot, believed to be £1.5 million. No one wants to be the one who loses by dropping an important hand, misinterpreting the "tell," or folding when they should stick around.
According to Dr. Chris Izikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Center, as the night goes on in Texas Hold'em, players have to contend with the increased risk-taking and suggestibility that sleep deprivation brings. He says, "Laboratory studies tend to use card games to demonstrate that sleep-deprived people are more likely to take risky bets or be induced to do so."
Devilfish has won about $5 million (£2.5 million) in poker tournaments to date. According to Izikowski, 4 a.m. is the time of day when competitors are most vulnerable. Izhikovsky recommends regular physical activity.
One person who is blowing the important horn at the physical fitness level is Annie Duke, one of the world's most successful female athletes. She says. 'For the most part, the top players are the ones who work out a lot, and playing for five long weeks can be tiring, but if you're in good physical condition, you're in good shape. If your body is in good condition, your mind is less likely to deteriorate.
Duke says she has noticed a difference in her poker performance when she is not physically fit and emphasizes "mental workouts" to overcome her fears. On her website, she notes that she used to tear up when she lost a lot of money. Now, she claims, she has learned that being "upset" negatively affects her chances in subsequent rounds. 'So I've learned to lose at poker,' she says. "
Another leading player who has suffered from sleep deprivation is Phil Hellmuth, who holds the record for the most bracelets won in a World Series. Once, while playing for Wales, he claimed to have not slept for 36 hours before a tournament; before two hours off, he went to the gym and "worked out really hard."
Hellmuth is no stranger to sleep deprivation. He was just diagnosed with sleep apnea, a sleep disorder caused by shortness of breath that can wake him up six times an hour during the night. I've dealt with fatigue for years," he says.
Besides this, one of the major problems faced by U.S.-based players like Hellmuth is adjusting their body clocks to different time zones. The World Series, says World Series spokesman Ty Stewart, "is a very different time zone from the one in which we live. The home team advantage exists in poker, too. Weary from international travel, the hustle and bustle of London may affect the outcome. If you go all-in, you don't get a second chance. Any chance of history, fame, or fortune is gone in an instant if you lose your wits," he says.
Victoria Coren, journalist and winner of last year's European Poker Tour, believes that many young people in the game like to brag about their fitness because they don't want to admit that they spend their lives just sitting around. 'There is something childlike about poker. It's the adrenaline, the thrill, the risk that keeps you awake," she says.
According to Coren, it's more often the case that she can't sleep after an exciting game. Despite sad stories to the contrary, she says players don't take drugs.
No one takes anything at a serious level," she continues. 'Because cocaine makes them feel important and makes it harder to make decisions. You have to keep your cool. The more wholesome and respectable the game becomes, the better." It may become less poetic, though."
Dr. Izhikovsky sees no long-term health risks from staying awake for long periods of time. He says the main downside is related to heart and stomach problems caused by eating at odd hours of the day, but other than that, it's safe as long as you get a good rest between bouts.
Meanwhile, Devilfish emerged from the Independent cafeteria where he had just spoken, holding a 30-peso banana as loosely as a revolver.
"I stole this, okay?" I ask, looking into the distance in Hal's Vegas-scented croaky voice. There is no limit to this man's gall. After getting his hands on Paul McKenna's hypnotic tapes, he confessed to indulging in bizarre meditations on every little act other than stealing.
Apparently, the tape can put you in a trance when you get sleepy. Perhaps Fish has a softer side. Does he perform the same routine before every game? He points to the women again. 'I get inside their heads and see what turns them on. Devilfish is always talking cards.
More Source