Very best of luck, this is what I call a challenge. I attempted a three-day poker marathon of sorts in Vegas without sleep but with regular breaks in between. Closing in the second day my head turned to mush and I was running about my hotel room doing handstands and cartwheels
Out of curiosity will the play always be heads-up or will you be hoping to encourage full ring games? This would make the challenge a whole lot easier plus you have got the added bonus of getting a couple of cheeky micro-sleeps in between hands.
Tank is correct all the games will be heads-up, I looked into playing stt's however I figured it was almost unworkable, eg what happens If i am knocked out first (which will become increasingly likely towards the end lol)? it would mean I am no longer playing poker and subsequently the attempt is over. With heads up, I can almost immediately start a new game.
Many people have asked how I am preparing; well I started a while back by embarking on a healthy eating and fitness campaign. I am eating low fat, low sugar, lots of fruit and veg and food days are rotating with high carb' high fibre and lots and lots of fluids (water). I am also trying to cut down on alcohol intake. During the attempt I will continue with the health eating and despite having red bull as one of the sponsors, I will be leaving out the vodka to go with it, as I won’t be drinking alcohol at all until Wednesday evening which is when the record is broken..from then on its party time!!
It would probably make sense to also try and quit smoking to, particularly as I won't be able to smoke while playing (unless we move the table and equipment outside at certain times) but to be honest I feel I have enough to concentrate on at the moment, and I do have one of those electronic cigarettes that has always served me well on fights to Vegas etc.
As for the exercise I am just doing things like sit-ups, press ups and general flexibility workouts with the odd bit of cycling and when at the gym cross trainer work and rowing. I am hoping this will build up stamina as opposed to muscle.
The training for the lack of sleep is going to be the key issue, many have jokingly commented that I am crazy enough and that staying awake for days on end is something that I have done lots of times in the past...well to be honest it is lol. I have quite often been awake and active for days on end partying, playing poker or just up drinking and hanging out with friends, but the record attempt will be in entirely different circumstances and if I'm honest will also become quite boring at times. However, I will be adjusting sleep patterns on the build up to the attempt by skipping nights of sleep and continuing on as long as possible, I am hoping that by doing so it won’t be such a shock to my body when doing the record.
During the attempt I am allowed to take breaks, I am allowed 5 minutes for every full hour of play, these 5 minutes can also be accumulated up, so for example if I play for 6 straight hours I can take 30 minutes break. Comfort breaks are counted as breaks too so I will probably try and do something like 3 hours with 15 mins’ break then 6 hours with then a 30 min break and in the 30 min breaks I will shower and change and get some fresh air...or maybe even a quick swim in the marina which is next to the library bar that’s certain to wake me up! Thankfully I am allowed to eat while playing, so there shouldn’t be any issues with having to rush down food.
We will be carrying out a 'dress rehearsal' on the 3rd of September to get things like the table, seating and camera positions all sorted out, as well as testing the bandwidth speed for the video streaming etc. The dress rehearsal will commence at about 4pm and run on until we are happy with everything, so your comments on how it comes across will be gratefully received.
Thanks again for your continued support.
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