It’s been a good week so far. I didn’t make the money in the first event of the Aussie Millions but I’m doing splendid at the side games and I can’t wait for the upcoming main event.

I’ve also been playing heavily online. I don’t believe in rushes, but if I feel like I’m playing well, I’ll try to play more.

Here’s a few things I do to try to stay at my peak level:

• Don’t play too long. As soon as I feel tired I leave games. As hard as it is, I’ve had more “rushes” turn into losing sessions after trying to stretch them more than 12 hours. Even though you may have an edge on your opponents when you’re awake, it only takes one mistake to lose that edge.

• Eat/drink reasonably healthy. I love bananas and trail mix during breaks of tournaments and I keep a bottle of water to sip on during levels. If you’re playing in a live tournament, or even if you take a break to go have dinner during a marathon online session, try to eat light. It’s amazing to watch people come back in a state of postprandial somnolence and donk off their chips.

• Take timeouts. There will always be a game, even if you stand up to stretch your legs for a couple of minutes. But the later it gets, the harder it is to accept bad beats. If you get pissed off about anything, take a deep breath and count to 10. It’s stupid, but it works, and I guarantee less tilt and money saved.

If you’re playing well and cashing in, I don’t suggest sleep — you should rest when you’re playing poorly. But when you inevitably get to the point where you’re in the 21st hour of a 24-hour session, your body could be exhausted, but your mind should be wide awake.