The World Series of Poker on the Las Vegas Strip is the experience of a lifetime, where you can have the chance to play for millions of dollars among the best restaurants in the world.
But playing for millions of dollars is important and you don’t want to screw it up. You want to eat right and get to the end of the WSOP without being a hot mess. Sustainable success at the summer series requires preparation of the total self and a plan that can carry you all day (for several days.)
It’s easy enough at first. You start at noon and eat a decent lunch. But the night goes until 2am or later. Your dinner break plan is delicious, but it’s robust, and you return to the table in a food coma. Or, worse, you had no plan at all and you’re still hungry.
Now the night is over and you’re scrolling Uber Eats.
This is how poker players gain weight during the WSOP. It’s not the buffets and the Gordon Ramsey restaurants. It’s your lack of planning for the day.
Thank goodness for TJ Jurkiewicz. TJ’s put together a handy guide that helps you plan out your summer. What to buy, where to eat, and how to eat it.
This extensive guide covers all of the angles from what to put in your hotel to how to pack your backpack. Everything comes straight from the TJ’s Grocery Guide with no skills or meal prep required.
You can sign up for TJ’s free comprehensive guide here, but we broke down the most important bits for PokerOrg's snack-sized version. It's all based on TJ’s research and tips from years of solving these problems for himself and others.
Tier 1: No fridge, no microwave
This is the setup for a lot of poker players. The bare minimum of everything. A backpack and a hotel room. You’re traveling light, so everything on this snack list survives at room temperature.
Protein snacks
- Quest Protein Bars (Choose 2-3 flavors)
- Quest Protein Chips (Grab a variety box)
- Quest Protein cheese crackers
- Quest Protein peanut butter cups
- Quest Protein cookies
Other snacks
- Quaker Gluten-Free caramel rice cakes
- Quaker rice cakes
- Quaker instant oatmeal (lower sugar variety pack)
- Hormel turkey pepperoni
- Jack’s Links beef jerky
Drinks
- Gatorade G Zero powdered drink mix
- Zero sugar powered drink variety packs (Starburst, Crush, Hawaiian Punch)
Daily Session Plan: No fridge, no microwave
Pack your backpack right. Eat a proper meal before you play and then stagger these snacks throughout the day. It’s roughly 1,000 calories and 120g+ of protein.
- 2 Quest bars
- 2 bags of Quest chips
- 1 quest cookie
- 1 packet of oatmeal
Tier 2: Mini-fridge only
So you’ve moved up in the world and now you have a mini-fridge in your room. That means you can eat some cold proteins now, along with cheese, drinks, and even some frozen treats. Your grocery list gives you these options:
Cold proteins
- Meat (chicken and turkey)
- Greek yogurt (Oikos Triple Zero)
Cheese
- Thin-sliced provolone
- Thin-sliced cheddar
- Wraps (no cooking)
- Mission Carb Balance flour tortillas, soft taco size
- La Banderita Carb Counter large soft flour tortillas
Extras
- Wholly Guacamole - Minis past, single serve packs
- Reddi-whip - Zero sugar whipped topping
Condiments
- Melinda’s - Habanero Honey Mustard
- Taco Bell - Fire Sauce
- G Hughes - Sugar Free Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Drinks
- Coke Zero
- Fairlife - Lactose Free Fat Free Ultra Filtered Milk (for your protein shakes)
Daily Session Plan: Mini-fridge
Pack 4-5 deli turkey and cheese roll-ups for breakfast and a Greek yogurt for mid-session. Your protein bars and chips will get you through the afternoon and you can fire a real meal on dinner break. Use your mini-fridge for a frozen Greek yogurt bar before bet and you just at 1,200-1,400 calories of real food and hit 140g of protein without cooking.
Tier 3: Mini-fridge and Microwave
Well you’ve really made it now. Your hotel or Air BnB has a kitchen. You have a refrigerator AND a microwave. Life is great. This is the best case scenario.
You’ve already got everything in the first two tiers at your disposal, but now you can microwave your meals and sides.
Meals
- Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Grilled Chicken Marsala
- Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
- Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Sweet Sesame Chicken
Sides
- Minute white rice, microwaveable cups
- Great Value - Southern Style O’Brien Hash Browns
- Great Value - Diced Sweet Potatoes
- Green Giant - Simply Steam Garlic & Herb Vegetable Medley
- Green Giant - Frozen California Style Veggie Mix
- Great Value - Frozen Deluxe Stir Fry Mixed Veggies
Breakfast
- Instant Oatmeal, lower sugar variety pack
- Liquid egg whites
Daily Session Plan: Fridge & Microwave
Microwave your scrambled egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast. Pack the deli roll-ups and a protein bar for the session. Your microwavable dinners are great for speed and efficiency on break and the ice cream goes down perfect while watching TV in bed. That’s 1,500 calories and 150g of protein with no restaurants required.
The Rail and Desk Kit
Pack your backpack right. Keep it simple and keep it quiet. No one wants to hear your chips.
The Kit
- 2 protein bars
- 2 bags of protein chips
- 1 protein cookie
- 2-3 sticks of powdered drink mix
- 1 water bottle
- Optional: Turkey pepperoni pack, rice cakes
That’s around 900 calories and 100g of protein in your backpack. That will get you through the day and keep you out of the food court. If you’re at home, add the yogurt cups and deli roll-ups with a fridge nearby.
For online grinders
You need to stay hydrated in Las Vegas during the summer. Even if you’re inside all day. Believe it or not. Dehydration will kill your focus, or worse. But plain water is boring so let’s mix it up.
- Water bottle + powdered drink mixes (Every two hours)
- Black coffee
- Zero-sugar sodas
- Fat-free milk for protein shakes
- Almond milk
Zero calories. That’s the rule. Never drink your calories during the WSOP. It’s a huge waste with an already limited calorie budget. Black coffee, zero sugar, and water with flavor packs. That’s it.
For even more useful info, go get TJ Jurkiewicz’s free Fit To Execute Blueprint.
