Finding the Time for Tournaments

[lwestatbus]

I'm really enjoying playing tournaments after a couple of years of almost strictly ring FL games. But I can just never find the time to commit to big tournaments (large registration pool--not large buy-in). I usually don't have a lot of time on weekends as that is sort of family time, I work during the week, and if I start one in the evening I find myself getting groggy and not-very-sharp (even worse than usual) after an hour or so.

Any hints out there from people with jobs and spouses (that they would like to keep--both jobs and spouses) on how to work larger tournaments into your schedule?

[Gunslinger]

I started in tournaments, got 2nd in a 1200 player field, and I was hooked. I loved the excitement of going deep. I'm in the same boat as you, though. Family on weekends, don't start playing at night before 10 PM or so after the wife and kids are in bed. Tournaments created a serious fatigue level. I started playing cash games, because I can control the length of the sessions.

So unfortunately, my answer to your question is I haven't found any tips. Although I frequently look for an opportunity to try a long tourny again, I haven't played anything bigger than a 10-table SNG in over a year.

[Felting]

Play on your days off, send the wife to pottery barn with the credit card, and drink lots of red bull/coffee at the table.

[efram]

You could always take a personal day off from work.
sick day/work from home/doctor's apt and leave work early.

something like that.

[mortaleclipse]

There is no answer, i am lucky and dont have alot to do while im not working so gives me free time on days off to tourney all day. If you have family and full time job your in rut.

[LeeG]

I play on a laptop in the living room while my wife if watching TV - she gets the feeling that I am 'there with her' and I get to do something at least potentially productive.

[Muck]

don't start playing at night before 10 PM or so after the wife and kids are in bed.

This is what I usually do to, most of my tourney wins have been in the wee hours of the following morning.

I play on a laptop in the living room while my wife if watching TV - she gets the feeling that I am 'there with her' and I get to do something at least potentially productive.

Dito, laptop in bed. That way she can still cutch up to me and fall off to sleep while her degenerate bf gambler players through the night

Play on your days off, send the wife to pottery barn with the credit card, and drink lots of red bull/coffee at the table.

This is good but it can be gutting if you have a day off and end up getting knocked out early. I tend to buy into another tourney if this happens but I don't want to give my BR too much of a hammering, especially if I might be going on tilt.

[UrAteUp]

I play on a laptop in the living room while my wife if watching TV - she gets the feeling that I am 'there with her' and I get to do something at least potentially productive.

Dito, laptop in bed. That way she can still cutch up to me and fall off to sleep while her degenerate bf gambler players through the night

Thats the problem with you young lads these days. You just don't know what to do when you get a pretty young thing in the bed. I can think of FAR better things then laptops and poker...

Play on your days off, send the wife to pottery barn with the credit card, and drink lots of red bull/coffee at the table.

I tried this and it doesn't work for me. Like lwest it is either family day or not a day off at all for me. 12-16 hour days these days does not leave much time for poker. I have brought myself to conclude it is SNG play for me or nothing at all. So I hit the 6-9 player SNG's. Hopefully soon life will settle down and allow me more time for poker and all my little poker buds on IRC.

[Muck]

I play on a laptop in the living room while my wife if watching TV - she gets the feeling that I am 'there with her' and I get to do something at least potentially productive.

Dito, laptop in bed. That way she can still cutch up to me and fall off to sleep while her degenerate bf gambler players through the night

Thats the problem with you young lads these days. You just don't know what to do when you get a pretty young thing in the bed. I can think of FAR better things then laptops and poker...

Young men don't need beds and as for tourneys, they're just healthier then smoking a fag.

[lwestatbus]

Wow!! What an amazing response to the post. I am amazed at the number of folks in basically the same boat that I'm in.

BTW: Gunslinger's situation describes mine exactly. I started out in limit ring to learn the ropes, moved into tournys and am hooked, but am stuck in limit ring games and SnGs just because of time. If I'm lucky I'll catch a 45 player SnG about to start up when I still have a few hours before fatigue sets in.

I'm pretty sure that Varkoni, Moneymaker, Raymer, Hashem, and Yang were all married at the time of their wins. Makes you wonder what their family lives were like if they practiced enough to make it where they did. Of course there's probably nothing like bring home a few million to put some spark back in the old relationship.

Varkoni is probably the smartest of all--he has his wife playing also.

Then there's Gold and Williams who bring their mothers to the tournament. My mother would probably kick some serious ass...but she'd want to deal some wacko game with half the deck wild and the words "no peekum" in the game title. And she'd raise hell with the tournament director until she got her way.

Many thanks to all who posted, and a special thanks for the sympathy posts from all of you single guys out there.

There just aren't enough Beer Wenches out there to go around.

[Ensano]

I loved the excitement of going deep.

that's what she said..

[xDiamond_CutteRx]

I loved the excitement of going deep.

that's what she said..

Goddam it, I knew someone would beat me to that one.

I'm pretty sure that Varkoni, Moneymaker, Raymer, Hashem, and Yang were all married at the time of their wins. Makes you wonder what their family lives were like if they practiced enough to make it where they did.

Varkonyi, Moneymaker, and Yang aren't very good, and were even less so at the time they won, so I don't think they were taking a ton of time away from their families. Also, by the time Hachem won, he was basically a pro, since he quit his job as a chiropractor and was making his money as a Poker player/mortgage broker. Raymer was mostly a weekend regular at Foxwoods.

My advice is to just try and set aside a certain time of the weekend to play a tournament or two. I second the idea about having the laptop on the couch/bed next to the wife, because it does create quality time at the same time as Poker time.

[lwestatbus]

I second the idea about having the laptop on the couch/bed next to the wife, because it does create quality time at the same time as Poker time.

HA!!! That is too close in spousal poker terms. My wife has wacko ideas about poker and having her looking over my shoulder would create more discord than me just shutting myself up and ignoring her for days on end.

1. Happy Jacks are the strongest cards in the deck because they will always find their friends by the river.

2. If your hand needs the same cards that appeared on the board in the last hand you should play them because the same cards will always be dealt again.

[Felting]

This is good but it can be gutting if you have a day off and end up getting knocked out early. I tend to buy into another tourney if this happens but I don't want to give my BR too much of a hammering, especially if I might be going on tilt.

I'm fairly tilt resistant so I tend to just jump to the next tourney if I bust out.

[Muck]

This is good but it can be gutting if you have a day off and end up getting knocked out early. I tend to buy into another tourney if this happens but I don't want to give my BR too much of a hammering, especially if I might be going on tilt.

I'm fairly tilt resistant so I tend to just jump to the next tourney if I bust out.

I seem more susceptible to tilting from tourneys compared to cash games. Especially if I’ve gone deep <butthead laught>