World number one Luke Donald also toiled but is still in striking distance of overnight leader Poulter, who complained of feeling drained and nauseous throughout his patient round of 68.
Poulter birdied his last two holes to finish clear of early clubhouse leader Matthew Giles of Australia with a total of 133.
"I woke up this morning, wasn't good at all. I had something bad to eat last night unfortunately, so I felt a bit weak out there today and it showed, I hit it terribly," Poulter told reporters with a film of sweat on his brow.
"Got myself out of position a number of times but my short game was on and I holed a few nice putts.
"So to look back at the round, I would have taken that score with certainly how I played."
Poulter, who had to force himself to eat to keep his strength up, briefly surrendered the lead to Giles with a bogey on the par-four 11th but wrested it back with birdies at 14 and 17.
One last test was to come as the Englishman sprayed his tee-shot on the 18th and found a fairway bunker with his recovery.
An exquisite long-range bunker shot landed five feet from the hole and Poulter calmly rolled it in to keep the momentum heading into the weekend when winds are expected to turn the benign sandbelt course into a serious challenge.
"Wind is the protection to this golf course ... I'm quite happy with the wind. I feel like my game suits that kind of golf so I have no problem with the wind," added world number 28 Poulter.
Despite the hot weather, conditions were friendly enough for low scoring, but joint European and U.S. money winner Donald was left to graft and grind t hrough another frustrating day.
Four strokes adrift overnight, the 34-year-old Briton appeared set to make a charge with birdies on the sixth and seventh holes but had the wind taken out of his sails with a horrid bunker episode on the par-four eighth.
After landing his tee shot in the sand, his smacked his next shot into long grass on the trap's mouth, forcing a free drop back into the same grass and a recovery shot that landed well short of the green.
The resulting double-bogey, and a further dropped shot on 11, left him reeling but he dug deep with birdies on the 15th and 16th to finish with a one-under 70, six strokes behind Poulter.
"I played a lot better than I did yesterday but just didn't get a lot out of it," Donald said. "I've been struggling on these greens, I'm finding it hard to see the line and I'm missing my fa ir few chances."
After a scratchy opening round, local hope and former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy clicked into gear with a five-under 66 to lie four behind, while Matteo Manassero shot a 67 to be 10 off the pace.
The Italian teenager's turnaround from a dismal first-round 76 squeezed him into the cut, which was set at two-over par.
Australian Steven Bowditch provided the day's highlight with consecutive eagles on the first and second par-four holes.
The 28-year-old Queenslander sank his putt after driving the short 233-metres first, then holed his approach shot on the 392-metres second on the way to a 69, leaving him six behind Poulter.
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