Legal herbal energy pills, coffee, cola - All day tournaments?

Billy_Bob

Billy_Bob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For those tournaments which start at 8 am and go till 11 pm...

I noticed at a recent all day/night tournament that those who started out drinking beer early in the morning were no longer in the running by early afternoon. (Didn't think they would last long.)

One player said he took an herbal energy pill which has a bit of caffeine in it, and that helped to keep his energy up later in the evening.

I drink cola and that helps. Eating a large meal is a problem for me - makes me sleepy.

What do you folks do to stay awake and energetic? How about eating?
 
Billy_Bob said:
For those tournaments which start at 8 am and go till 11 pm...

I noticed at a recent all day/night tournament that those who started out drinking beer early in the morning were no longer in the running by early afternoon. (Didn't think they would last long.)

One player said he took an herbal energy pill which has a bit of caffeine in it, and that helped to keep his energy up later in the evening.

I drink cola and that helps. Eating a large meal is a problem for me - makes me sleepy.

What do you folks do to stay awake and energetic? How about eating?
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I drink Red Bull on Ice. And just sip it throughout the day. I actually get a 'buzz' from it. I could be wrong, but from what I have heard that is is a vitamin E high, rather than caffiene.

Eating a meal is also a problem for me, I cannot be too hungry, but not a full stomach either.
 
Ever heard of someone drinking themselves sober. Can be done at an all day tournament. Just was at a tournament 3 weeks ago. Started at 10 am. I took 5-6 in the 8 ball. They didn't have as big a field in the 8 ball as they thought they would, only 47. So they decided to have a 9 ball tournament, 24 players. I took 3rd in the 9 ball. We finished up about 1 am. I'm not sure how much beer I drank but it was continuous the entire time. I'm not a fast drinker though, beer is usually a little warm till I get to the last drop. Anyway, there was one point when I know I was pretty high. When it was all over, I was fine.
 
Billy_Bob said:
For those tournaments which start at 8 am and go till 11 pm...

I noticed at a recent all day/night tournament that those who started out drinking beer early in the morning were no longer in the running by early afternoon. (Didn't think they would last long.)

One player said he took an herbal energy pill which has a bit of caffeine in it, and that helped to keep his energy up later in the evening.

I drink cola and that helps. Eating a large meal is a problem for me - makes me sleepy.

What do you folks do to stay awake and energetic? How about eating?
Click to expand...



Seriously, I avoid those things completely. I don't drink anything with caffine or much sugar for that matter. I make sure I have a good dinner the night before and I get 8 hours sleep. I try to eat breakfast but I keep it light.

There are several problems with taking caffine. You have a high and a low. During the high, you can play very well because you're thinking optimally. Prior to taking city/state-wide examinations when I was in school, I would drink 2 or 3 cups of coffee and just fly through a test. I literally finished the New York State Math Regents (a three hour exam) in 25 minutes. It's practically like mental-steroids but it really is short lived and once you start to calm down again, all you want to do is nap.

If you're playing in an all-day event, your best bet is water (preferrably lots of it). Avoid ANYTHING that can give you a boost simply because the body will eventually balance itself out and you cannot control when that happens.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
...If you're playing in an all-day event, your best bet is water (preferrably lots of it). Avoid ANYTHING that can give you a boost simply because the body will eventually balance itself out and you cannot control when that happens.
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At many tournaments they make their money off of selling drinks and food. And they don't like players who come in and drink water. (Think they are being cheap.) Sometimes I would rather drink water. One small local tournament is just $2 and no green fees. Water is free. I would feel really silly not buying anything...

How do you get around this issue?
 
Billy_Bob said:
At many tournaments they make their money off of selling drinks and food. And they don't like players who come in and drink water. (Think they are being cheap.) Sometimes I would rather drink water. One small local tournament is just $2 and no green fees. Water is free. I would feel really silly not buying anything...

How do you get around this issue?
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Well, I worked in a room and can attest that asking for a glass of water is a major taboo, especially if you don't tip. If you leave even $1, nobody will think you're being cheap. They'll just think you just want water. The poolrooms I usually go to sell water so it's not an issue but I'll leave AT LEAST $1 anyway.
 
I like beer while i play no questions asked. It calms me which is my biggest problem playing totally sober. Now i dont mean lock me up drunk but a slight buzz makes me shoot better.
 
I dont eat anything all day on those types of tournaments. I will have a couple drinks in the morning, usually something like a screwdriver to both get the orange juice and the alchohol. Then it is water generally speaking for the rest of the day. If I do eat something it will be VERY small and light, an apple maybe and even that I will not do unless I have at least an hour till my next match. Shooting on a empty stomache has always been when I am at my best. Food makes me lethargic and lazy.
 
Celtic said:
I dont eat anything all day on those types of tournaments. I will have a couple drinks in the morning, usually something like a screwdriver to both get the orange juice and the alchohol. Then it is water generally speaking for the rest of the day. If I do eat something it will be VERY small and light, an apple maybe and even that I will not do unless I have at least an hour till my next match. Shooting on a empty stomache has always been when I am at my best. Food makes me lethargic and lazy.
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and the real question is.........WHO CARES????
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Well The poolrooms I usually go to sell water so it's not an issue but I'll leave AT LEAST $1 anyway.
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Hi,
In Arizona it is unlawful to charge for water but it is OK to charge for the cup in which water is served.Cheers
Vagabond
 
I usuall try to eat a light and healthy breakfast like bagel/ fruit and drink water about 1-2 hours before I start a tournament. Probabaly have a coke when I get there and then eat a med size lunchabout 4 hrs after that I usually don't eat it all. I will also have an energy bar of some kind Clif Bar please, about 2 hrs after that. And 3 or 4 waters, I want bottled!
 
A large meal is a big no-no when playing in a tournament. Instead, I usually eat a lot fruit, not candy bars like that, because they give you sugar rush and then your blood sugar level plummits and you are on "low" again. Fruit has sugars and fibers and they keep your blood sugar level up much longer. If you know you're going to have a couple of hours of waiting time between matches, grab a quick light lunch but don't overdo it. A light lunch maybe a salad, or a good bread roll with ham/cheese/anything plus a banana for instance. I usually carry a few bananas with me or dried prunes or something else which give me good energy.

Drinking soda or energy drinks have the same effect that those candy bars, you'll get "high" and "low" quite fast and that's something which you ruin your consistency at the table. The problem is that "low" comes before you feel hungry, that's why you might be playing very badly without a clue why. Or if you feel a lack of motivation and concentration, it's usually blood sugar related, you are simply low on sugars.

I was recently in a straight pool tournament, and after losing my first match I won 4 matches on loser side, 3 of the last ones in a row and had to play my 4th consecutive match, which I eventually lost playing badly because of lack of nutrition (I ran out of bananas in the previous match :) ). I think I played like 5-6 hours straight without a decent break. It's in those situations when a good nutrition becomes handy, you just have to eat small healthy snacks to keep your body and mind operating. And also have a glass of water with you during a match, your mind and body cannot work without water.

Well, I don't drink beer or alcohol during tournaments, but it's very obvious that if you drink beer all day long, and reach the latter stage on the tournament and feel like you shouldn't drink anymore, you're going to face another "low", this time it's alcohol low, which makes your game plummit. I don't want to recommend this, but if you need to be a little bit drunk during a tournament, don't stop drinking but don't overdo it. You'll have a better chance of keeping up your good stroke if you don't make radical changes in your liquid and food intake.

Just my $.02
 
vagabond said:
Hi,
In Arizona it is unlawful to charge for water but it is OK to charge for the cup in which water is served.Cheers
Vagabond
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I was referring to bottled water. Are you suggesting that it's illegal to sell bottled water in Arizona?
 
mjantti said:
If you know you're going to have a couple of hours of waiting time between matches, grab a quick light lunch but don't overdo it. A light lunch maybe a salad, or a good bread roll with ham/cheese/anything plus a banana for instance. I usually carry a few bananas with me or dried prunes or something else which give me good energy.Just my $.02
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Where ar you living? This is the USA. French fries, meat and huge portions, you may make your choice now.
Oh right,Europe
 
vagabond said:
Hi,
In Arizona it is unlawful to charge for water but it is OK to charge for the cup in which water is served.Cheers
Vagabond
Click to expand...


In that case...there must be a lot of cheap "brokes" lying across the bar on their backs requesting that it's just poured or dispensed into their open mouths. ;)
 
drivermaker said:
In that case...there must be a lot of cheap "brokes" lying across the bar on their backs requesting that it's just poured or dispensed into their open mouths. ;)
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i'm picturing teacherman's response to someone requesting that in his room............. :D :cool:

vap

oh and DM, the check is in the mail.........literally.....
 
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Black-Balled said:
Where ar you living? This is the USA. French fries, meat and huge portions, you may make your choice now.
Oh right,Europe
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LOL ! Sorry, I forgot we have a slight difference in food culture. You'd be laughed out if you march in a pool tournament with a bunch of bananas and dried prunes and order a salad :D

Damn, I need a good burger... now !
 
vagabond said:
In Arizona it is unlawful to charge for water but it is OK to charge for the cup in which water is served.
Click to expand...

Well they sure do charge for water in Europe! I think I paid $9 U.S. for a large bottle of water at a fancy restaurant in Switzerland (Not to mention the $7 U.S. for a Big Mac at McDonalds). Had to pay for water everywhere. Also had to pay to go to the bathroom.
 
Billy_Bob said:
Well they sure do charge for water in Europe! I think I paid $9 U.S. for a large bottle of water at a fancy restaurant in Switzerland (Not to mention the $7 U.S. for a Big Mac at McDonalds). Had to pay for water everywhere. Also had to pay to go to the bathroom.
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Well, Switzerland is perhaps the most expensive country in Europe so I'm not surprised of those prices. And bottled water is quite "hip" nowadays and they charge ridiculous prices for it.
 
mjantti said:
Well, Switzerland is perhaps the most expensive country in Europe so I'm not surprised of those prices. And bottled water is quite "hip" nowadays and they charge ridiculous prices for it.
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i can picture the business meeting years ago in europe...................

business man #1 "we can sell the americans water"

business man #2 "no no, there's no way they're that stupid"

9 bucks for a bottle of water!?!? damn, at least jesse james used a gun to rob people........... :rolleyes:

VAP
 
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