When you watch legendary players like Daniel Negreanu dominate the World Series of Poker (WSOP) or the World Poker Tour (WPT), it's easy to focus on the fame and glamour. After all, poker pros like Negreanu travel the world playing the game, earning handsome sums along the way. Gold bracelets, the Champions Cup and a long list of similar awards await the best professionals of the game.
And when they're in their element – at the table, staring down an opponent with millions on the line – the best pros make things look so easy. But while most poker enthusiasts envy the pro lifestyle, imagining a life of luxury and comfort, the reality is that most pros really deal with the logistics. Moving from one casino to another, juggling buy-ins, bets and exchanges, and even finding decent food can be quite a challenge when traveling the national and global tournament circuits. Read about luxurious food for casino-style parties on this resource.
Speaking of food, consider the options available to your average poker pro. These people don't get three meals a day, if you don't take into account the drive through the food court or visiting the buffet. It gets worse when you consider what a typical tournament pro's day actually looks like. These guys and gals roll out of bed at 10 a.m., hit the gym or Starbucks to lose sleep, and wander into the poker room to find their place. After that, most multi-day tournaments like the ones you see on TV via WSOP or WPT broadcasts take 12 to 14 hours a day over three to five days to complete.
During a grueling 14-hour session on the felt, tournament pros will get a few 15-minute breaks, but not enough to leave the table and grab a bite to eat. They get a lunch break in the latter stages of the day, but the 60-minute standard lunch break is still not enough to find a good restaurant.
Remember that all tournament participants break for lunch at the same time, so most of the on-site restaurants will fill up within minutes. Accordingly, many professionals spend their lunch breaks searching in vain for a place with open seats and a fast cook. All of these factors combine to create a simple truth for most poker pros - eating right is harder than ever. Especially during multi-day tournaments, many players live on a basic diet of "maintenance" meals delivered directly to the table. I'm talking chicken sticks, hamburgers, chicken fried rice, and other card room staples.
At some point in poker's history, this poor cuisine at the table led to most pros becoming overweight or obese. Seriously, check out a photo of Doyle Brunson at the WSOP circa 1970s and you'll see what I mean. However, things are changing in 2018 and beyond, as a new generation of poker pros look to gain a strategic advantage through improved diet.
Today's young people understand that proper nutrition is essential for those hoping to endure 14-hour work days spent playing high-level poker. While their less informed opponents doze off in the final levels or lose focus in key situations, well-fed pros stay sharp until the last hand of the day.
From the start, the best way to ensure access to nutritious meals is to choose casinos and card rooms that cater to the health-conscious crowd.
In Negreanu's case, that means visiting The Wynn in Las Vegas when he gets the chance, where the establishment prides itself on offering a full menu of vegan dishes:
“Every restaurant at The Wynn has a vegan menu.
It's really great, you can go with people who aren't vegan and they don't feel weird.
From a purely vegan point of view, there's a place in downtown Vegas called VegeNation that's really good." (quote)
Of course, Negreanu can't add six WSOP gold bracelets from The Wynn to his tally, so he's forced to venture into the wild when the situation calls for it. We'll touch on how Legend handles less vegan-friendly casinos later, but for now we'll focus on creating our own selection of casinos where healthy food is a priority.
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