Poker tournaments often take much time, so you need to be prepared to give your maximum in order to win. You could have enough experience, know enough strategies and be a great player, but if you are sleepy and you can’t give 100% of what you can, it’s possible to lose to a relatively weaker player.
A mistake in a poker tournament can cost you a lot, you could lose because of a mistake you’d never do in a cash poker game. The difference between cash games and free poker tournaments is that you must continue playing, even if you feel a bit sleepy or tired. In a tournament, you can’t stop for an hour to do something fun before going back in.
First of all, you should try to be in your best form, and as such, you must not be tired. If the tournament starts in the morning, don’t stay up late the night. Try to have a good night sleep. Being tired will make it harder to focus on the game for a long time and it’s more likely you’ll slip and make rookie mistakes.
Also, don’t drink any alcohol before or during it. Alcohol impairs your judgment and this can have negative effects on your play: not only that you might not be able to notice the patterns in the flop, for instance, but also it will affect your playing style: you could risk more, or, because you know you’ve been drinking, you’ll try to make up this by playing much too careful.
When you go all-in, you must be almost completely certain that you will win, especially in tournaments, when losing an all-in means getting out of the tournament. If you have two aces and the flop is A T 8 you could go all-in with your three aces, but that’s a dangerous bet, because one of your opponents might have a straight.
As such, an essential part in playing at a tournament is to be focused at all time. Try to avoid any distractions and try to feel good while you play, so that your brain will do things the best it can.