THE ATHLETIC REALITY OF PROFESSIONAL POKER
MENTAL FOUNDATIONS
Yes, Poker Players are High-Performance Athletes.
If we observe the routine of an elite Olympic athlete, we see they dedicate between 25 and 32 hours weekly to their preparation, distributed in 4 to 6 hours daily. Their training combines technical work, physical conditioning in the gym to develop strength, flexibility, and endurance, plus tactical preparation.
In professional poker, the dedication can even exceed these figures. During major online series like SCOOP or WCOOP, an MTT player can accumulate between 36 and 72 weekly hours in playing time alone, maintaining 6 to 12-hour sessions for six days. Even outside these series, professionals dedicate between 30 and 40 hours weekly: 3 to 4 regular sessions plus a Sunday session of up to 10 hours, adding 5-20 hours of technical study. In live poker, the intensity remains with sessions easily exceeding 8 hours, starting past noon and extending until midnight or later, depending on the starting time.
These time demands and requirements might surprise many. I understand that most people outside the poker industry, and even some within it, might disagree. However, the evolution of professional poker over the last two decades has radically transformed the demands of this game.
From Casino to the Lab: The Evolution of the Mental Athlete
Traditional athlete definitions (Merriam-Webster, Cambridge, Oxford) focus on physical abilities. However, the sports world has evolved. Today, we recognize that chess requires athletic preparation, that F1 drivers are elite athletes, and that esports have revolutionized the concept of competition. Professional poker follows this same path.
What Makes an Athlete an Athlete?
A high-performance athlete is defined by key elements:
Systematic Training The dedication of countless hours isn't random, but follows a specific purpose: developing the required skills to achieve excellence.
Personal Sacrifices An athlete's life is extraordinary. Priorities revolve around their discipline, sacrificing time with family, friends, and usual social activities.
Optimized Routines Every element of their day is designed to maximize performance: from sleep patterns to nutrition and rest.
Competitive Focus All effort and preparation have a single objective: competing at the highest level.
Strategic Planning Coordination between training, competitions, and recovery requires precise management of the annual calendar.
Performance Under Pressure The work focuses not only on competing but on maintaining peak performance when pressure is highest.
Professional Support Team High performance requires a multidisciplinary team including specialized coaches, sports physicians, psychologists, physiotherapists, and nutritionists. Each professional contributes their expertise to optimize different aspects of the athlete's performance.
Having clearly established this structure that defines a high-performance athlete, let's analyze how the modern professional poker player reflects each of these elements in their career.
The Structure of the Poker Player
The structure of a professional poker player requires meticulous planning that integrates multiple aspects:
Game Routines: A professional player's week breaks traditional patterns. Schedules adapt to the competitive calendar: online sessions that begin in the afternoon and extend into early morning, live tournaments that demand full days, and the need to maintain performance during intensive series that can last weeks.
Comprehensive Planning: Coordination between online and live tournaments demands sophisticated annual calendar management. This includes:
International travel scheduling
Adaptation to different time zones
Balance between intense playing periods and rest
Coordination of study sessions and technical updates
Performance Optimization: Modern players incorporate specific routines to maximize their performance:
Sleep patterns adapted to the competitive calendar
Pre-session mental preparation routines
Nutrition and exercise habits that sustain long playing sessions
Post-session recovery practices
Support Team: Like traditional athletes, the modern professional poker player requires a multidisciplinary team:
Strategic coaches who optimize technical and tactical gameplay
Sports psychologists specialized in mental skills.
Physical trainers who develop endurance programs
Nutritionists who design meal plans for cognitive performance
Conclusion
Modern professional poker has evolved beyond being a casino game. The time dedication exceeding 40 weekly hours, the need for a multidisciplinary support team, the physical and mental demands of long sessions, and the constant pressure of high-level competition are elements that reflect an undeniable reality: professional poker players share the same structure and demands as high-performance athletes.
It's not about categorizing poker as a sport, but about recognizing that its professionals require and demonstrate the same level of commitment, preparation, and excellence that characterizes an elite athlete. Professional poker players are, effectively, high-performance athletes.