eating well before a big tourney.........

[jwvdcw]

Note: I obtained info from many online sources as well as quoted some of my previous writings from either this message board or Footballguys.net. I try to cite my references at all times, but I was unable to do so everywhere. Please understand that not everything here is all my own thoughts(although I did organize it all, tie it into poker, and I added plenty of my own words). I would love to hear more discussion on this.
Often times we, as poker players, ignore critical aspects of improving our game, as we instead focus on superfluous issues such as played reading, patience, aggression, semi-bluffing, outright bluffing, value betting, and much more. I think one of these overlooked areas is the issue over proper diet. Theres no question that many events, partiucarly, the WSOP can drain on a player both mentally and physcially.

Dan Harrington, just this year at the WSOP, was repeatedly on ESPN saying how he thinks the younger crowd has a distinct advantage due to the now very lenghty tourney taking an affect on the older players. Moreover, you will notice that Harrington did indeed start playing much differently than normal at this year's final table, which is when he would be the most tired.

Without trying to be either funny or insensitive, neither of the past two WSOP champs appear to be in great shape. Add that in to the lack of posts here about it, and I hypothesize that we are clearly ignoring the aspect of physical fitness. Moreover, since so many of us spend insane amounts of time either in front of our computers or at a card room, I think that eating right might be our best bet to combat this issue, rather than to attempt to squeeze in an intense workout plan.

So what foods exactly should be eaten? Wade Boggs, former baseball great, always ate chicken before a big game. I believe that we as poker players should also eat the same thing before each tourney. But it shouldn't be chicken. No, it should be tuna.

First off, the last thing we want is a lot of fat right before we play. Oddly enough, protein has been ignored in the area of 'jump starting' your day. It has gotten a reputation as merely a muscle buidler, but protein is also an important part of our attempt to keep our minds fresh and ready. Without protein, the body "the body begins to devour its muscle tissue like a hungry vulture"(reference: http://pages.ivillage.com/shondafoster/protein.html). Does that really sound like the state you want to be in during an important poker tourney? Canned tuna in light water has 25+ grams of protein per serving and only one gram of fat! What other foods will offer you that? Beef, pork, fish, and even chicken all have much higher fat contents.

Still don't believe me about protein helping your mind? Consider this study recently done by the bright young minds over at Rutgers University:

"Rutgers researchers have discovered what could be the newest target for drugs in the treatment of memory and learning disabilities as well as diseases such as Alzheimer's and fetal alcohol syndrome: a protein known as cypin.

Cypin is found throughout the body, but in the brain it regulates nerve cell or neuron branching. Branching or dendrite growth is an important process in normal brain function and is thought to increase when a person learns. A reduction in branching is associated with certain neurological diseases.

"The identification of cypin and understanding how it works in the brain is particularly exciting since it opens up new avenues for the treatment of serious neurological disorders," said principal investigator Bonnie Firestein, assistant professor of cell biology and neuroscience at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. "This paves the way to designing new drugs that could target this protein molecule."

Proteins or the genes that code for them have become the targets of choice for developing precisely focused, effective new drug therapies – one of the outcomes of the many revelations provided by the Human Genome Project.

Firestein first identified and isolated cypin in 1999 during her postdoctoral research. She is currently focusing on how it works in the hippocampus, a structure in the brain associated with the regulation of emotions and memory.

"We knew that cypin existed elsewhere in the body where it performs other functions, but no one knew why it was present in the brain," Firestein. Her new research determined that cypin in the brain works as an enzyme involved in shaping neurons.

"One end of a neuron looks like a tree and, in the hippocampus, cypin controls the growth of its branches," she explained. "An increase in the number of branches provides additional sites where a neuron can receive information that it can pass along, enhancing communication."

Maxine Chen, a graduate student in Firestein's laboratory, helped substantiate the connection between cypin and dendrite growth. When she looked closely at neurons in the lab, she found cypin only in certain neurons – "neurons that tended to be more fuzzy," as she described those with increased dendrites. Stimulating neurons in a dish also produced an increase in the protein overall. This has been shown to increase dendrite growth.

Fellow graduate student Barbara Akum further verified the connection between the protein and branching. She used a new molecular technique developed by Samuel Gunderson, a Rutgers assistant professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. With this new tool, Akum reduced the expression of cypin and observed a consequent decrease in branching.

"We also found something else that is really exciting," said Firestein, referring to the molecular mechanics by which cypin affects dendrite growth. Cypin appears to act as a glue that cements other molecules together into long chain structures that extend through the branches of a dendrite as a skeleton.

"Cypin works on tubulin, a protein that is a structural building block of the dendrite skeleton," explained Firestein. "If you just take our purified protein and mix it with tubulin in a test tube, the cypin on its own will actually cause these skeletal structures to grow." (reference: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/01/040119083346.htm)"

Atkins dieters are all were aware of my next point: If you're going to be sitting around all day without getting much exercise aside from an occassional DAAAAAAA!! screaming session, then you don't want a ton of carbs sitting inside your system. Without exercise, these carbs are eventually turned into fat. Well, most brands of tuna have zero carbs! How amazing is that? Perfect! Tuna really is incredible.

So no fat or carbs and a lot of proteint....seems perfect, right? Well there is one problem. Theres also very little fiber in it. Fiber is what makes your body feel full. Without it, you'll be having hunger pains, which could definitely affect your poker playing and concentration. Therefore, tuna isn't going to cut it alone. I would suggest that you take in perhaps some bran flakes or fiber bar to supplement your tuna intake. Here is a bit I wrote on fiber at another message board:

"Fiber is definitely one of the most overlooked nutrients. I have consulted with numerous chess and poker players and out of all of them very few were taking in adequate amounts of fiber in their nutritional plan. Let's face the bold truth here for a minute. Fiber is not one of those really tasty nutrients that are going to make your mouth water. It usually comes in the form of bland foods that really don't go down like a Krispy Kreme donut.

Increasing your fiber intake will most definitely have a positive effect on your increased cholesterol level. Cholesterol levels that are not in check can really cause a tremendous amount of health problems down the road for the poker player. It's a good idea to keep them in check because it can lead to arteriosclerosis which is the hardening of the arteries in your heart. Latter on this condition can lead to a heart attack.

I have noticed a higher incidence of heart attacks among poker players than some of the other types of business people that I consult with. I believe this is due the fact that many poker players consume too much saturated fat and ignore their fiber intake. This combo can really wreak havoc on the cardiovascular system especially when there is also very little cardiovascular exercise included in their training program.

One way to start getting more fiber in your nutrition plan is to start eating sources that provide adequate fiber a few times per day. Don't try and get all your daily intake of fiber in one meal. This will just make you feel like you swallowed a blowfish. Start including more vegetables and fruits in your plan. As with most poker players that I have worked with, fruits and vegetables are put to the side for tastier higher fat and refined carbohydrate food choices. Try to get more salads into your plan as well.

One excellent source that should be included into all quarterbacks's plans is rolled oats. Oatmeal as you may call it is an excellent source of complex carbs but it also provides a very good source of fiber. Another very good source of fiber is the many different high fiber cold cereals that are now available. Bran flakes and All Bran are very good sources of fiber and should be included in your meal plan.

Not only is the increased fiber going to help bring down your cholesterol level, but it is also going to help prevent another health problem that plagues so many American men and that's colon cancer. If you are not getting enough fiber in your diet then you are setting yourself up for a increased rate of getting colon cancer in latter years."

Now, I can hear you asking now..."What about those poker players who are down on their luck and might not have the necessary funds to pay for a plethora of tuna each and every day. I have a simple answer for you that will shock you: dirt!

Other than water, what little stuff poker players have inside them is largely dirt. Admittedly, this dirt is sometimes highly processed before they receive it, but most solids that make up humans and other creatures either are now or recently were dirt (the simple stuff that stripes the outer surface of our world, the thin paste that raises us above rocks) transformed by sunlight into plants or animals. Most poker players prefer the dirt they eat in the form of cows and sheep and carrots and squash and bison and sorghum. Other dirt they'd just as soon scrape from their feet and leave at the door.

But not everyone wishes to be so far removed from the stuff of mud pies and mucilage. On every continent (except, possibly, Antarctica), some intentionally eat dirt, and we are joined in this practice by a myriad of rats, mice, mule deer, birds, elephants, African buffalo, cattle, tapirs, pacas, and several species of primates (1). Most scientists consider animal geophagy “normal,” probably because most soil consumption by animals has no obvious adverse effects and is sometimes beneficial (2); however, some of these same scientists consider most (or all) human geophagy “abnormal.”

Many of us believe that poker players should only eat food. We consider the consumption of nonfood items pathological, even though we know that what people define as “food” varies dramatically by region and ethnicity. We call the pathological act of eating nonfood items pica. Pica is a disease, but a disease different from polio or smallpox. No infectious agent is obviously associated with pica. Pica is a disease only because we believe normal “undiseased” persons would not eat anything but traditional human foods; some of those who do, some of the time, are at considerable risk because of their unusual appetites.

Pathological consumption of soil, “soil pica,” is associated with several psychological abnormalities. But all ingestion of soil is not soil pica. How much soil a person has to eat to be considered ill is not known. One report described soil pica in a developmentally disabled person who regularly consumed more than 50 g of soil per day (3). Most of us would consider that level of geophagy at least potentially pathological, although I am not sure why.

In June 2000, the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry appointed a committee to review soil pica. The committee settled on pathological levels as consumption of more than 500 mg of soil per day but conceded that the amount selected was arbitrary (3). Soil consumption is defined as pathological according to the amount eaten (no normal person could possibly eat that much dirt) and the severity of health consequences (lead poisoning, parasites). Because underlying psychological or biologic abnormalities are not easy to establish, I explore only what appears to be nonpathological dirt eating in pregnant women (especially in sub-Saharan Africa), migrants from sub-Saharan cultures to other parts of the world (notably the United States), and children worldwide.

Why is it, that in spite of all the times they’ve been told not to, poker players still eat dirt? This is a very complex question with many possible answers. And while each proposed answer has its advocates, no single answer seems satisfactory to all—except one. Almost everyone agrees on one cause of geophagy, inadvertent consumption of air-, water-, and foodborne dirt. Contaminated food, soiled hands, and inhaled dust add soil to our diets. Children quarterbacks ingest considerable amounts of soil in these ways. My children did. Of course, my children also ate dirt on purpose. But child or adult, each of us inadvertently eats a little dirt every day. This dirt can pose a health threat, especially near sites of industrial contamination, but dirt we eat intentionally poses a greater challenge. Intention may indicate something biologic that drives some of us (sometimes regularly, sometimes religiously, sometimes ritually) to eat dirt.

For centuries, indigenous peoples have routinely used clays (decomposed rock, silica and aluminum or magnesium salts, absorbed organic materials) in food preparation. The clays were used to remove toxins (e.g., in aboriginal acorn breads); as condiments or spices (in the Philippines, New Guinea, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America); and as food during famine (4). Clays were also often used in medications (e.g., kaolin clay in Kaopectate). But the most common occasion for eating dirt in many societies (the only occasion in some societies) is pregnancy. When sperm and egg collide, the world changes. That is obvious. But why pregnant women eat dirt is not.

Wiley and Katz (5) have proposed that eating clay serves different purposes during different periods of pregnancy, soothing stomach upset during morning sickness in the first trimester and supplementing nutrients (especially calcium) during the second and third trimesters, when the fetal skeleton is forming. This type of geophagy occurs most commonly in cultures of sub-Saharan Africa and their descendants (5). The timing of dirt ingestion and amounts consumed vary with tribes and individual persons, but soil comes consistently from certain sites. In some cultures, well-established trade routes and clay traders make rural clays available for geophagy even in urban settings. Clays from termite mounds are especially popular among traded clays, perhaps because they are rich in calcium (5). Whatever the underlying reason, geophagy in Africa does not appear to be a recent cultural development; it may predate [censored] sapiens.

Women eat dirt during the first, second, or third trimester or throughout pregnancy (5), often throughout the day, as a supplement rather than a meal. Most commonly consumed are subsurface clays, especially kaolin and montmorillonite (5), 30 g to 50 g a day (sometimes much more) (3). However, eating dirt is not always confined to pregnant women, even among the cultures of sub-Saharan Africa (4), nor is it limited to tribes with little or no access to dairy-derived calcium (5), so these hypotheses do not adequately explain local tastes for dirt.

Soil, including kaolinitic and montmorillonitic clays, contains considerable amounts of organic material, including many live microorganisms. The human gut is the largest area of direct contact between a person and the world. Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) is a major site of T-cell differentiation and selection in adults and of intense immunologic activity (including T lymphopoiesis) in children and adults (6–9). And while it is not entirely clear why some gut-introduced antigens promote tolerance of microorganisms and others immunize against them (10), it is clear that immunization via the gut is a major source of immunoglobulin (Ig) A, both locally and systemically (6–10).

Regular consumption of soil might boost the mother’s secretory immune system. Monkeys that regularly eat dirt have lower parasite loads (1). In some cultures, clays are baked before they are eaten, which could boost immunity from previous exposures. For decades we have used aluminum salts, like those found in clays, as adjuvants in human and animal vaccines. Adjuvants are compounds that nonspecifically amplify immune response, probably because of their effects on innate defenses such as macrophages, dendritic cells, and the inflammatory response. Aluminum compounds make effective adjuvants because they are relatively nontoxic, the charged surfaces of aluminum salts absorb large numbers of organic molecules, and macrophages and dendritic cells readily phagocytose the particulates produced by the combination of the adjuvants and the organic compounds (11). The clays that pregnant women and others consume, which are rich in aluminum compounds, likely make at least passable immunologic adjuvants. For all these reasons, clays might act as vaccines. And the IgA antibodies produced against the associated organic antigens may appear in breast milk and have a major role in mucosal protection of newborns.

In pregnant women, this type of gut immunization might produce high levels of IgA against endemic pathogens and other antigens. All this IgA would appear shortly before birth in the breast milk and would provide protection for infants against precisely the pathogens encountered immediately after birth. Furthermore, IgA antibodies prevent attachment of bacteria and some viruses at mucosal surfaces (12), the major contact between the infant and the infectious world. In humans, mucosal surfaces offer the only routes of natural immunization short of wounding, and dirt would seem to offer a potent vaccine containing many endemic pathogens—no needles, no sugar-cube, no gene gun.

Eating dirt, then, rather than being abnormal, may be an evolutionary adaptation acquired over millennia of productive and not-so-productive interactions with bacteria—an adaptation that enhances fetal immunity and increases calcium, eliminates gastric upset, detoxifies some plant and animal toxins, and perhaps boosts mothers’ immunity at times when the hormones of pregnancy (13), factors produced by the fetus (14), changes in the complement system, replacement of MHC class I antigens in the trophoblast (15), and who knows what else suppress the mother’s natural immunologic desire to destroy her fetus—a miracle, nearly.

This, of course, leads us to the natual question of how just how dangerous is it for a poker player to eat dirt? Moreover, how much will it affect his in game performace. So How dangerous is eating dirt? My mother was pretty certain about this—damn dangerous. Soils contaminated by industrial or human pollutants pose considerable threat to anyone who eats them. Reports abound of lead poisoning and other toxicities in children eating contaminated soils. Similarly, we do not have to look farther than the last refugee camp or the slums of Calcutta or Tijuana or Basra to find the dangers of soils contaminated with untreated human waste. But the inherent biologic danger of soil is difficult to assess. Soil unaffected by the pressures of overpopulation, industry, and agriculture may be vastly different from the soil most of us encounter routinely.

Using DNA-hybridization analyses, Torsvik et al. (19,20) found an estimated 4,600 species of prokaryotic microorganisms per gram of natural soil. Subsequent investigations, using more sophisticated techniques, found even more species (20), 700–7,000 g of biomass per cubic meter of soil. Soil is a considerable biologic sink, and certainly some organisms found in it are pathogenic in humans. Yet evidence of soil as a major cause of disease in humans and other animals is limited. And many reported diseases are the result of an abnormal situation, e.g., industrial pollution or untreated sewage.

Most infectious diseases acquired through eating dirt are associated with childhood geophagy, which routinely involves topsoils rather than deep clays. One recent report describes infection of two children at separate sites with raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis ) (21). The infection resulted in severe neurologic damage to both children, and one died. The roundworm was ingested along with soil in both cases. Eating dirt can have dire consequences.

In the United States, the most common parasitic infection associated with geophagy is toxocariasis, most often caused by the worm Toxocara canis. Seroprevalence is 4% to 8% depending on the region, but incidence of antibodies to T. canis is as high as 16%–30% among blacks and Hispanics. The most common route of infection is ingestion of soil contaminated with dog or cat feces (22). Even though, humans are only paratenic hosts of T. canis, under some circumstances (though severe cases are rare), the worm can cause considerable damage (visceral larva migrans, ocular larva migrans, urticaria, pulmonary nodules, hepatic and lymphatic visceral larva migrans, arthralgias) (22–24). Toxocara eggs persist in soil for years. As with soils contaminated by human wastes, soil consumption itself does not cause toxocariasis. And studies of seroprevalence do not distinguish between infection and immunization.

Among children in Nigeria, the most common parasitic infection associated with eating dirt is ascariasis (25). Ascarid worms infect as many as 25% of the world’s population (more than 1.25 billion). A scaris lumbricoides is the most common worm. Asymptomatic in many adults, infection is much more serious in children; intestinal obstruction is the most common symptom. Because the worms do not replicate in humans, reexposure is required to maintain infection beyond 2 years. The correlation between geophagy and helminth infection varies with different helminthes. Geissler et al. reported correlation between geophagy and ascariasis (especially caused by A. lumbricoides) and possibly trichuriasis but none between geophagy and reinfection with Schistosoma mansoni, Trichuris trichiura, or hookworm (26). All parasites that infest soil do not uniformly infect people who consume dirt. Nor do all who eat dirt routinely contract disease.

However, its important to note that all of the dangers in eating dirt appear to be long term dangers. In other words, by eating dirt, poker players do not appear to be hurting his performance FOR THAT PARTICULAR GAME. However, the coming weeks should be a concern. If we eate a lot of dirt lets say in one tourney, should we then consider sitting out of tourneys in the near future?I say, no. Heres why....modern medicine. I claim that modern medicine(can heal a poker player who just ate dirt in time for next week's game.

For more than 3 billion years, microorganisms, especially bacteria, have ruled earth. As Stephen Jay Gould said, “We live now in the ‘Age of Bacteria.’ Our planet has always been in the ‘Age of Bacteria’ ever since the first fossils, bacteria of course, were entombed in rocks more than three and a half billion years ago” (35). And bacteria have done more than any other living group to alter the character of this earth (36). It has been estimated that more than 1029 bacteria live on this planet and as many as 1014 live on each one of us. Through all of history, poker players have waltzed with bacteria and the rest of the microscopic world. We had no choice. Bacteria outnumber, outweigh, out-travel, and outevolve us.

That bacteria cause so many diseases is not astounding. It is astounding that so few bacteria cause human disease. Pathogenic bacteria are merely the microscopic tip of the largest of all biologic icebergs. How fortunate, we imagine. But fortune may have little or nothing to do with our survival. Billions of years of confrontation rather than luck were likely our benefactor. Through those confrontations and those eons, nearly all of us learned to coexist peacefully. Neither humans nor microorganisms benefit from fully destroying the other. Fatal infections seem, biologically at least, shortsighted. And even a brief course of antibiotics is enough to remind us that a world without bacteria would be a poorer world. This is not a war, as it has often been described, even though we have mustered an impressive array of weapons—bactericidal facemasks and uniforms, mouth guard cleaners, blankets, deodorants, shampoos, hand soaps, mouthwashes, toothpastes. This is not a war at all. If it were, quarterbacks would have lost long ago, overpowered by sheer numbers and evolutionary speed. This is something else, something like a lichen, something like a waltz. This waltz will last for all of history. poker players must hold our partners carefully and dance well.

Now let us focus on some more practical issues. Obviously, I recommend you get your fiber elsewhere. However, I believe that tuna and a vitamin supplement can meet all of the other nutrition needs of the modern day poker player. So how exactly should you consume your tuna before each tourney? The best way would be straight up out of the can. This is the healthies. Be sure not to include fattening mayonaise or other crap with your tuna diet. However, that isn't to say that you can't occassionally surprise your taste buds. Here are a few ideas: http://www.tunafacts.com/recipes/

In short, I encourage you all to watch your diet more carefully. It could be the difference between a WSOP bracelet and a mid tourney collapse!

[cornell2005]

holy crap

[Spook]

diet is important, but exercise is also important. A mild walk before playing will help your short term memory.

[Mammux]

[ QUOTE ]
Whatever the underlying reason, geophagy in Africa does not appear to be a recent cultural development; it may predate [censored] sapiens.

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-Magnus

[jwvdcw]

[ QUOTE ]
diet is important, but exercise is also important. A mild walk before playing will help your short term memory.

[/ QUOTE ]

A very good point. I do think that sometimes it can be tough to fit in exercise during a tourney since they take up so much of the day, but if you can, its a great idea....

"Q. Does exercise have any effect on intelligence over time?

A. Intelligence is not a single quality, of course. It involves the ability to learn, to solve problems, and to think quickly. Along with this, people differ in how well they can use these gifts in dealing with ideas and symbols, solving practical problems (fixing the washing machine), and coping wisely with human relationships.

The idiotic antics of professional wrestlers, and the standard jabs about slow witted athletes, would suggest that to purposely develop brawn damages the brain in some ways and dulls at least some of these qualities or the ability to apply them. Few scientists, however, believe this to be the case. On the contrary, studies suggest that regular physical activity can improve some mental abilities, mainly those involved in absorbing information and turning it quickly into a useful response (as required in playing complicated computer games).

But the best way to stay mentally sharp is to keep the mind itself active. This is particularly true as we grow older. For example, intelligence (as measured by IQ) increases up to about age 26, stabilizes until about age 40, and then as a rule declines. This downward slope is slight, fortunately. And it's due to the decrease in the speed of mental responses, not intellectual depth and quality. Still, studies show that the decline starts later in people with mentally demanding jobs.

Furthermore, a well-exercised mind faced with a complex task uses less energy than an untrained one. One reason for this is that the brain adapts to mental training in much the same way that muscles respond to physical training. The brain uses fewer neurons, and muscles use fewer fibers, to accomplish a given task. As a result, less fuel (carbohydrates) is consumed and more efficiency is realized. And the mind, like the body, is able to accomplish more with less effort. In short, although the combination of physical activity and mental gymnastics is not the Fountain of Youth, it's certainly the next best thing."

reference: http://www.hhp.ufl.edu/keepingfit/AR...telligence.HTM

[rickthekeg]

[ QUOTE ]
What about those poker players who are down on their luck and might not have the necessary funds to pay for a plethora of tuna each and every day?

[/ QUOTE ]

if you can't afford to buy tuna, you probably can't afford to play poker either.

[JTrout]

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In short,.....

[/ QUOTE ]

now that's funny!

[PokerNeal]

Yes. Food is important. So is the discipline not to chug too many beers until early morning hours like Moneymaker did in 2004 WSOP. This is true. That is exactly what he told the TV cameraman.

Add to this getting some wake-up sex. This will do wonders to your demeanour and put you in a calm disposition to hang in there and make it through the long day. Therefore, it is a good idea to bring a willing mate along to the tourney who will take care of you (the stud) and make sure you are in a great mood to go kick some butt.

[Photoc]

[ QUOTE ]

Add to this getting some wake-up sex. This will do wonders to your demeanour and put you in a calm disposition to hang in there and make it through the long day.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or if you're like some people, fire off a few rounds solo style and you'll feel great!!! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[BreakEvenPlayer]

This guy is taking trolling to brave new heights.