Sleep while playing poker

Luka22guro · Mar 19, 2026

A few months ago I had a pretty long poker break, I played poker almost every day for 6-10 hours and only had 1 day off a week, but now I don't have any stable schedule, I could play cash games 1-3 hours a day, but I want to go back to MTT, and the best tournaments are mostly in the evening - at night, and I fall asleep during the game for the second day in a row, who fights it?

WladiYoga · Mar 19, 2026

I didn't understand wheather you work or not or if you are playing poker professionally, but if you don't have a day job, maybe you could change your schedule, sleeping in the day, don't know if that's possible.
I mean, if you are playing a big MTT, and you are already 2 hours in, how can you just fall asleep when you can win big money, I don't really get that part. Maybe drink coffee? take a cold shower? If this is really what you want. On the other gand when you are really motivated to play but still fall asleep, then your body and or mind are just too tired and you should give them a rest for a few days weeks months depending on how much you worked and or did something else.

Luka22guro · Mar 20, 2026

WladiYoga said:
Я не зрозумів, чи працюєш ти, чи ні, і чи граєш ти в покер професійно, але якщо у тебе немає основної роботи, можливо, тобі варто змінити свій графік, спати вдень, не знаю, чи це можливо.
Я маю на увазі, якщо ви граєте великий MTT, і вже минуло 2 години, як ви можете просто заснути, коли можете виграти великі гроші, я не дуже розумію цього. Можливо, випити кави? прийняти холодний душ? Якщо це дійсно те, чого ви хочете. З іншого боку, коли ви дійсно мотивовані грати, але все одно засинаєте, значить ваше тіло та/або розум просто надто втомилися, і вам слід дати їм відпочити кілька днів, тижнів або місяців, залежно від того, скільки ви працювали або робили щось інше.

I want to say that, in my opinion, I am very tired of poker, or rather, of my brain, because if I play, say, cash games from 22:00 to 00:00 and feel like I want to fall asleep and go watch some videos or play games, most likely I will fall asleep like crazy.

CaioRJ · Mar 20, 2026

So better stop playing, you is donating money to field.

tihomir_kula · Mar 20, 2026

I often sleep during the 5 min pause at the and of the hour. Sometimes when I wake up l`m out...

successlaw · Mar 21, 2026

I usually take a nap before long sessions to avoid to fall asleep while playing

johnwat2 · Mar 21, 2026

Have not fallen asleep during a game yet

antonis32123 · Mar 23, 2026

It has happened to me to fall asleep While playing games at night . But never when I play a very important tournament , then I am 100% focused , and I use coffee when it seems that I have difficulty in remaining awaken .

miric007 · May 31, 2026

What do you mean, you fall asleep during a game? It's like falling asleep during sex 🤣🤣

Baco · Jun 1, 2026

So better stop playing, you is donating money to field.

Aleksandr1991 · Jun 1, 2026

Luka22guro said:
Несколько месяцев назад у меня был довольно долгий перерыв в покере, я играл почти каждый день по 6-10 часов и у меня был только один выходной в неделю, но сейчас у меня нет стабильного графика, я мог бы играть в кэш-игры по 1-3 часа в день, но я хочу вернуться к MTT, а лучшие турниры проходят в основном вечером — ночью, и я засыпаю во время игры второй день подряд, кто с этим борется?

I had one funny incident: I fell asleep on the final table, woke up when there were three of us left and I had AA in my arms, I had 2 stacks, I did everything and they count with KK and AK so I became the first

Poker Orifice · Jun 1, 2026

Baco said:
So better stop playing, you is donating money to field.

this post looks oddly familiar...
Oh oh oh! I know where I've seen it before... just a bit further up this very page -> post #4

Poker Orifice · Jun 1, 2026

Luka22guro said:
A few months ago I had a pretty long poker break, I played poker almost every day for 6-10 hours and only had 1 day off a week, but now I don't have any stable schedule, I could play cash games 1-3 hours a day, but I want to go back to MTT, and the best tournaments are mostly in the evening - at night, and I fall asleep during the game for the second day in a row, who fights it?

I've fallen asleep many, many times while playing online poker. The 'b-b-beep' Pokerstars warning sound when the timer is ticking down is what will often wake me up (& other times it doesn't).

seiya1989 · Jun 1, 2026

Once or twice I fell asleep but luckily it was at real money tables

Vallet · Jul 17, 2026

Good sleep is essential. If you want to compete in night tournaments, you need to sleep soundly and not feel tired during the day. Otherwise, don't click the registration button.

Nameless14 · Jul 18, 2026

I used to have the same problem when I switched back to MTTs. My body was just used to a different schedule. What helped was slowly shifting my sleep time by 30–60 minutes each day instead of forcing it overnight, and avoiding heavy meals before the big evening sessions. A short walk or a coffee right before the late regs also helped.
If you're literally falling asleep two days in a row, it might be worth grinding cash for another week or two while you adjust. Playing tired in MTTs is just lighting EV on fire.

R.Melnyk77 · Jul 18, 2026

I've fallen asleep many times. But lately I just don't start the game if I want to sleep, because playing tired is just pointless.

alabala · Jul 21, 2026

You should definitely not lay down but up or sit comfortably somewhere in light not in the dark , that's the only way to not fall asleep during night mtts. I played a lot of.games nighttime and having this issue with sleeping , so when I did this I always woke up with zero stack and out of the tournament, really bad experience

anasslaaleg · Jul 21, 2026

Playing poker when you're sleepy can be more dangerous than a bad beat.
Fatigue affects focus, patience, and decision-making. Sometimes the best move isn't playing one more hand it's getting some rest and coming back with a clear mind.

pepe098 · Jul 21, 2026

It feels great to know that I’m not the only one who has fallen asleep while competing in a tournament.

ExMoroccan · Jul 21, 2026

happens to everyone trying to get back into the MTT grind. your body is just used to normal hours now. try shifting your sleep schedule a bit later every day or just force a tactical nap before registration opens.

piic · Aug 3, 2026

For the sleep problem, a few things can make a big difference:

-Move your sleep schedule gradually (30-60 minutes later every few days instead of forcing a huge change).
-Avoid heavy meals right before the session.
-Take a short walk or do something active before playing.
-Keep the room bright during the tournament.
-If you feel yourself getting sleepy, don’t just sit there fighting it — stand up, stretch, reset your focus.

pepe098 · Aug 8, 2026

I once fell asleep during a tournament; I was so upset.

ne0npipe · Aug 8, 2026

miric007 said:
What do you mean, you fall asleep during a game? It's like falling asleep during sex 🤣🤣

ne0npipe · Aug 8, 2026

I once fell asleep after qualifying for a tournament by satellite. Sadly, I didn't get a ticket, instead I just got thrown into the tourney right away, and I didn't last much longer after that. This happened on 888poker, btw.

Sleep while playing poker

Luka22guro

Rock Star

WladiYoga

Rock Star

Luka22guro

Rock Star

CaioRJ

Visionary

tihomir_kula

Legend

successlaw

Legend

johnwat2

Legend

antonis32123

Legend

miric007

Visionary

Baco

Rock Star

Aleksandr1991

Visionary

Poker Orifice

And Still...

Poker Orifice

And Still...

seiya1989

Legend

Vallet

Legend

Nameless14

Rock Star

R.Melnyk77

Legend

alabala

Enthusiast

anasslaaleg

Visionary

pepe098

Enthusiast

ExMoroccan

Visionary

piic

Rock Star

pepe098

Enthusiast

ne0npipe

Rock Star

ne0npipe

Rock Star

About CardsChat

Our Community

Our Site