MANTIS! PREPARE FOR BATTLE

Besides not knowing when to get up from the table, one of the largest problems that poker players have is their inability to be prepared for a long session.
Face it, poker is a mental game, and if you aren't ready to think for hours on end, perhaps you shouldn't be playing at that time.
You're ready to play in the main event and you know that if you make it deep in the tournament, you're probably going to be playing for at least 10 hours. What can you do to prepare yourself for a long day at the table?
Making sure that your body is well-rested should be your primary concern. If you're out partying the night before, whether or not you'll be hung over is irrelevant. You need to be 100 percent focused on your task at hand. So get a good night's sleep.
And don't wake up 10 minutes before playing. Give yourself some time to really wake up. Take a shower, have some breakfast, and just get your body moving. Throwing yourself right into the fire isn't optimal.
Next, be physically fit. I know it's hard as a poker player. Exercise will not only help your body, but your mind as well. As crazy as this sounds, you'll have the stamina to sit at the table all day. ESPN.com's Bernard Lee even runs during the mornings of tournaments to help him get going for the long day.
Eat … but not too much. After the first level, do you really want to be counting the minutes until the dinner break? Be prepared and bring yourself snacks at the table so that you can last until dinner and avoid having your actions dictated by your stomach. However, at dinner time, don't stuff yourself. You need a good dinner, but the last thing you need is to be running to the bathroom or going into a "food coma" if you've eaten too much. No, I'm not a nutritionist.
Stretch. You'll be sitting for hours on end barring a couple of breaks, so limber up. It can't hurt, but might if you get up too quickly after two hours to run to the bathroom and hurt your hammy.
Don't drink … alcohol. Please don't throw away your money by getting wrecked at the table. If you want to have a beer to calm the nerves, OK. But don't have 10 of them and expect your 8-5 to hold up because in your stupor you put in all your chips. Do drink … water. Lots of it.
Finally, when nature calls, answer it. The last thing you need to do in the middle of a hand is wonder how long it will be until the level ends. If you miss picking up aces, you might also miss seeing them get cracked. Keep your head on straight by focusing on the game and nothing else. Take advantage of the breaks, but if you need to head to the restroom during a level, you'll be better off.
So for all of you that are planning on playing a big tournament in the near future, prepare your body first for a grueling day. After that day is over, hopefully you'll have a couple more to look forward to.

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