Alan Longo is a High Performance Psychologist with five years of experience coaching high-stakes poker players. Passionate about sports, he educates and empowers players with the tools to build their mental foundations, professional routines and competitive planning for consistent, high-level performance. Find out more at his website.
The annual World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) at PokerStars is one of the most demanding periods of the year. While the spotlight shines on the winners, the foundation for a successful series is laid long before the first hand is dealt.
Many players approach WCOOP with a ‘sprint’ mentality, hoping for a heater. This is a mistake. A series of this length is a marathon. True success isn’t defined by a single incredible session but by the ability to make consistent, high-quality decisions from the first event to the last.
This guide provides a professional's checklist to manage off-the-felt variables, minimize stress, and build a structure for sustained performance.
The athlete's edge: Fuel and active recovery
Your cognitive abilities are directly tied to your physical state. To sustain performance, you must treat yourself like an athlete, focusing on both fuel and active recovery.
- Nutrition: When in a long session, it’s easy to eat junk food or skip meals, leading to energy crashes. Plan your meals ahead. Consider batch cooking or healthy meal prep to ensure you have stable energy.
- Sleep: Prioritizing sleep is a direct performance enhancer. A lack of quality rest impairs logical reasoning and impulse control while making you more susceptible to tilt. Conversely, good sleep helps you internalize lessons from study and play, boosts problem-solving, and is essential for navigating the variance of a long series. Protect it fiercely; it is non-negotiable.
- Physical activity: Light physical activity is essential. A short walk or stretching can significantly improve mood, energy, and focus.
- Active recovery: Recovery is more than just sleep. Use scheduled rest days to disconnect from poker, preventing burnout and keeping motivation high. During play, master the intra-day pause. On your 5-minute breaks, step away from the computer, hydrate, stretch, or do a one-minute breathing exercise. These breaks are an integral part of your professional process.
Sharpening the axe: Technical and mental preparation
In a previous article, we explored the interconnected system of mindset, emotions, and confidence as the bedrock of a strong mental game. The following routines are the practical application of those principles, designed to ensure that the system runs smoothly under the intense pressure of WCOOP.
With your physical readiness handled, the next step is ensuring you arrive at the tables ready to execute and adapt.
- Technical warm-up: Before playing, spend 15-20 minutes warming up your strategic mind. Review a past hand or discuss a spot with a peer. The goal is to get your brain into a poker-ready state, not to cram.
- Mental game routine: Establish a simple, 5-minute pre-session routine to center yourself, such as mindfulness or reviewing your performance goals. The aim is to create a calm, stable baseline for consistent performance.
- Process for adversity: Bad beats are inevitable; your response is not. Before the series, define your exact process for handling adversity. Will you step away for two minutes? Having a plan prevents emotional hijacking.
- Mid-series reviews: A month is too long to play on autopilot. Schedule a brief review after each week of competition. Ask: What went well? Where did I struggle? What small adjustment can I make? This isn't an intensive study session, just a professional check-in. If weekly is too much, commit to one review at the halfway point.
The foundation: Managing your personal life
Once your internal state is prepared, you must manage your external environment. The biggest stressors often come from the unresolved demands of daily life.
- Clear communication: Your focus and schedule will be abnormal. Before the series, have a direct conversation with your family and partner. Explain your schedule and limited availability to manage expectations and prevent conflict.
- Clear your mental RAM: Every nagging task, like a bill or an errand, drains mental energy. Before WCOOP starts, clear your to-do list. Settle finances, make necessary appointments, stock up on household essentials, and handle any pending paperwork. Eliminating these distractions frees up precious cognitive bandwidth for the tables.
Engineering your performance environment
Your physical and digital spaces have a significant effect on your focus and endurance.
- The grind station: Ensure your chair, desk, and monitors are ergonomic and comfortable for long hours. An uncomfortable setup is a needless physical and mental drain.
- Ramp up your volume: Suddenly increasing your playing volume is a recipe for burnout. Just as you train for a marathon, you must train for WCOOP. In the weeks prior, gradually increase your hours and table count. Crucially, plan to rest for the 3-4 days immediately before the series begins to arrive feeling fresh. If you can't ramp up beforehand, use the first week of WCOOP as your adaptation period.
The power of a professional process
Professional players know that hope is not a strategy. They don’t just show up and wish for a peak performance day; they build a system that allows them to play well even when they don't feel their best.
By taking control of your personal readiness, relationships, and environment, you are building a process designed for consistent, sustainable performance. This is what allows you to survive the marathon and gives you the best possible chance to finish strong.
What is the most important part of your preparation plan to ensure you can play consistently throughout WCOOP? Share it in the comments below.
Follow Alan on Instagram
