Submarined by Fish in Monte Carlo

I had such high hopes for the EPT Grand Final here in Monte Carlo - but that was before I ordered room service Friday.

I arrived here early, ready to do everything I could to be at my best for Day 1a. I even passed on a great PokerStars party given the evening before to celebrate what poker has become throughout Europe.

I had a salmon dish then went to bed early, falling fast asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up the morning of Day 1a, I felt horrible. I had a strange headache and felt light-headed and dizzy. I don't get sick very often and I wasn't sure what was going on.

I called my sponsor Alex at Chilipoker to see if he could move my starting day from Day 1a to Day 1b. He was able to arrange that, so I headed back to bed to hopefully sleep it off.

I woke up later with sharp pains in my stomach - not nausea but just a lot of pain. The concierge at our hotel got me some medication, but I still felt really drowsy.

High hopes for EPT Grand Final kiboshed by some bad fish.

I found myself drifting in and out of sleep the morning of Day 1b, feeling worse than I did the morning before. I called Alex to see if he could get a refund. If he couldn't, I would head to the poker room and give it my best shot.

He called me back to tell me he could get a refund, so I told him it would be best for me not to play.

This time, I had a doctor come to the room. She said she didn't think I had food poisoning, but she wasn't exactly sure what was wrong. She prescribed me five different medicines which I had to take, like Alka-Seltzer (yuck!), and I felt worse later in the day.

Today, it seems the worst of it is behind me. I still feel pretty weak and out of it, but the stomach pain is much less. Getting some nourishment has also been a struggle. I asked room service for some soup, and it seemed that I couldn't order anything unless it was on the Poker Menu.

Guess what's on the Poker Menu? Everything a great poker player needs to be at his or her best: chicken wings, cheeseburgers and other junk food. It makes me queasy just to type the words!

Room service was finally able to bring me a tiny portion of minestrone. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the soup kitchen of Monte Carlo on Tuesday!

Looking forward to leaving hotels behind for a while.

If there is a lesson in any of this, it is that you should absolutely be at your best physically when you sit down at the poker table. I know some of my peers play through the night before a big tourney while others go out clubbing. I just know I need to feel great before I sit down.

I'm heading back to Las Vegas later this week and I'll be there for several months. I have to confess that I'm looking forward to leaving hotels behind me for a while.

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments here on PokerListings, as well as on www.lizlieu.net. It's one of my favorite new things, to look here for any comments you have.

Drop by www.Chilipoker.com this week as well. I'll be playing there while I recuperate, so maybe you can catch me while I'm still a little drowsy!

Cheers!

-- Liz Lieu
Pro Poker Player - Poker Diva

More Blogs from Liz Lieu:

• High Hopes in the Lap of Luxury
• One of the Biggest Mistakes I've Ever Made
• Five Simple Rules to Play My Best
• The Cream Rises to the Top