preparing for a big event

[de-coder]

I'm curious to hear what people do to prepare for a big event like this. I'm not sure what the scedule is like for players in the WSOP ME, but I imagine it's pretty tough.

I've played in several pool tournaments in Vegas (APA 8-ball and 9-ball team championships along with some singles championship play) and I know THAT schedule is harsh... To get ready for the long hours (sometimes of constant play and sometimes just waiting around, which is worse) I work through a couple of exercises in the weeks (or longer if I've qualified early) prior to the event.

The first is a series of days where I would shoot pool, against any oponent, for 12 hours per day for 3 days straight (I also play in local tournaments to keep the competition level up). I try to do this every other week 3 or 4 times before the trip. You have to teach your body how to play tired and make correct decisions - not unlike playing poker, but more physical in addition to the mental side.

The second is concentration exercises while I'm playing and also during times where I deprive myself of sleep. The sleep deprivation takes 2 forms, the first is sleeping in nap-like 20 minute bursts only while the second is a flat out no sleep period. The concentration stuff are just little memory games, basic math, and reasoning problems. The idea being to keep your brain sharp when it's tired.

It doesn't hurt that I"m a computer consultant so I'm used to long and strange hours (mostly of waiting for something to happen and hoping it doesn't).