50 Hands A Day:
Whenever I am getting ready for a poker tournament I try to play at least 50 hands, every single day in an online poker room and on the weekends I go to the casinos and play 100 hands a day and sometimes I play right thru the day and the night The more hands you play the better you will be when the day of the tournament arrives. Laying more hands will allow you to feel more confident when you get to the tournament and you will have a better feel for how difficult it is to make specific hands

Poker tournaments are not quick games. a poker tournament can take more then 12 and some games can go for 2 days, don't worry they give you a break to sleep. Just from spending so much time at a poker table can take its toll on your mind and body. Therefore it is important to take good care of your body for at least the last 2 or 3 weeks leading up to the tournament. This will help you keep your mind focused on the game. After all if you were going to be in a car race you would maintain your car right?

Eat right:
Eating well balanced meals will help you when you are playing in a poker tournament by keeping your body working at its best levels. If you are staving yourself or stuffing your face with junk foods you are going to be unstable from all the hunger and the sugar which will give you highs where you will fell very energetic but will change to a lethargic feeling quickly.

Keeping the Body in Shape:
If you want to be at your best during a poker tournament it is to your advantage to be in good shape. A healthier person will have a better endurance level and will not get tired after several hours on playing poker. Many out of shape people have a tendency to get sleepy and then sloppy in the way they play

Sleep:
The body needs on average 8 hours of sleep every day to keep your brain functioning properly. for at least a week before the tournament you need to make sure to not only get 8 hours of sleep every night you need to make sure to get to bed at the same time every night and to wake up at the same time. This pattern of rest will help the body and the mind stay at their best when you get to the poker table. You would not want to be all sleepy and yawning during the game.

Homework:
Just playing many hands of poker and taking care of your body is still not enough to give you that big win. You should be reading books on strategy, watching poker on TV and another good idea is to go to watch a different tournament. This will allow you to see first hand what is going on. This offers you the best chance to watch the people and practice getting a read on people and the strategy. Once you can figure out someone's strategy you can then figure out what type of hand they have and this gives you the type of edge needed to win a poker tournament.

Using this as a guide to help get you ready for a poker tournament can help make a big difference in your game play during the competition.