Pack well - you could be in for a very long day

Tournaments: Be prepared

LET'S be practical. Sitting in a chair for hours on end is pretty boring stuff. Naturally, if you are playing in a poker tournament, where frustration is often the enemy, you should be reasonably alert, but will you be comfortable and relaxed?

Something that's always a shock to the system for internet players who are dipping their toe into a casino/cardroom environment is that they cannot take a break, to make a cup of tea or fix up a bite to eat, between hands with the check/fold button ticked.

That's right, you're stuck in a seat with very few home comforts available to you. So here's what you do: pack a bag with everything you're likely to need - and more.

The first thing packed away in my bag is an iPod. If you prefer peace and quiet, nothing is worse than someone who loves the sound of his own voice, so a set of earplugs could be a good idea.

Then, of course, there is food and drink. Yes, waitresses do come around and take orders, but will they be able to offer you exactly what your taste buds are craving for seven hours into a tournament? Be it a banana, bunch of grapes, toffee-apple or jam tart, bring it along. Throw a mini-fan into your bag for good measure. After all, you will have no control over the heating and air-conditioning - if there is any.

While you're at it, don't forget your glasses and, if you choose to use them, a pair of those cool-dude shades. I personally hate them. Wet-wipes are not a bad idea.

After all, chips are not the cleanest of things and a freshen-up usually makes you feel that bit better in any situation.

A pen and paper can come in handy. Scribbling notes during play will not go down well, but at break times you can make notes about people and write down certain situations for later analysis. You could even record your chip stacks for future study. It will all help you in the long term.

I'm not much into lucky charms, but some people love them. However, you would be well advised to bring something that can be placed on your cards to protect your hand - a heavy coin or similar will suffice.

Here's the reasoning behind this; if your cards are touched by another player's cards (unless reasonable steps have been taken to protect them) or accidentally ‘mucked' by the dealer, your hand is deemed ‘dead'. Of course, none of this can happen online.

Trust me, if you're sat there with the nuts, and you have a player betting into you, the worst thing to happen is for someone to clumsily throw their cards in via yours, which are placed unprotected in front of you. It can be a very emotional experience.

That pretty much makes up my ‘play bag'. However, on more than one occasion I have also loaded up with a bottle of champagne for the post-event celebrations.

As I have said before, self-belief -rampant confidence that beggars belief even - is a quality in tournament poker, and there is no harm in such antics.