Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Two drugs that come to mind to help one's tourney game would be Strattera and Ambien. Strattera is for adult ADD, a nonstimulant and would help one to focus better and longer. Ambien would help a poker player to enhance his ability to get good sleep after a long tourney and wake up sharper. I wonder if any tourney players out there have tried any drugs yet and if so which ones?

Indy [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

I think not using drugs is more +ev than the extra ev you would get in a tournament

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

I'm sorry but this is so incredibly naive and, well, dumb. Sorry but I can't say it any differently. Why in the world would you consider taking medication solely to improve your poker game.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

I like to smoke a fat bowl after a losing streak. Or a winning streak. Or just an afternoon.

Other than that, no, I wouldn't use drugs to enhance my play.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

We started talking in another thread about Modafinil.
The thumbnail sketch is that it's a drug that's used to treat narcolepsy. Basically it can let you stay up for days without many of the side effects traditional stay-awake-for-days drugs (such as cocaine and meth) have. Supposedly you can retain your focus and cognitive abilities for much longer than you can using other drugs. Plus it doesn't appear to have the abuse potential.

P.S. I'm not advocating using it, just commenting that if I were to use a drug to combat fatigue, etc. this would be it.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

When will we start having random drug testing in our "sport"?

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Allow me to explain. At the WSOP at the end of day 1 we were all wired and I listened to the chatter at my table. People around me were all describing what they were going to take when they got home. I heard a whole slew of drugs from lots of guys so I just wanna know what's helping and what's not helping out there.

Indy

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

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When will we start having random drug testing in our "sport"?

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It just isn't the way the game should be played. All these doped up athletes making reads that just aren't human. We just need a big name to blow the whistle, take it before Congress.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Oh, by the way I sat with Matusow at the end of day 1c and I was suprised by what he said at around midnight. He stands up at a break and goes, "Man I'm tired...I'm just gonna run home (does he live near the Rio???) and take a Melatonin." I was suprised that he was only going to do a melatonin as that's not even a real drug.

Indy

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

i have a prescription for ritalin. i tried using some before playing a tourney, but didn't notice any difference.

also, i find that a mild marijuana buzz can give me an edge. it helps me with creativity. but it is tricky, because if i get too stoned, i might overlook something really obvious, like that the board just paired... [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

I personally prefer to play high when I'm playing online. Helps me keep my cool after a nasty beat. Live, I have 2-3 beers to loosen up and thats it. Playing live high just makes me paranoid.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

you might think marijuana helps you but it doesnt. The only way i can see it helping is if your an action junkie and the weed keeps you content with just sitting there folding.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

i heard he smoked rocks during every break

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

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you might think marijuana helps you but it doesnt. The only way i can see it helping is if your an action junkie and the weed keeps you content with just sitting there folding.

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It helps me stay calm and yes, somewhat more patient. In what ways could it hurt my play?

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

[ QUOTE ]
you might think marijuana helps you but it doesnt. The only way i can see it helping is if your an action junkie and the weed keeps you content with just sitting there folding.

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not true. for example, lets say i have absolutly nothing, and a player makes a really obvious attempt to buy the pot.

sober, i will figure just let him have it, since i don't have anything anyway, and you never know, if i come over the top, he may have something and call.

stoned, i'll put him to the test, and usually win.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Too each his own though. Everyone reacts a different way on different drugs.
EG. some drunks are violent while others are passive and calm

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

weed also affects the area of your brain that converts working memory into longterm memory. So good luck after a couple hours.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

I used to use drugs to enhance my play, until I studied my results and realized it was not only irrelevant whether or not I was on drugs, it didn't really matter which ones I was on.
But that may be a result of training myself to replicate aspects of those states of consciousness without the drugs.
I'll be happy to write more on this topic later, when I'm not as busy.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Maybe I should be more specific because I did not intend to spark a weed/illegal drug discussion. What I mean is more along the lines of legitimate pharamaceutical drugs like prozac, ritalin, etc...I myself prolly have a little ADD (as most people do) but never got it checked out. I also have trouble sleeping after a big tourney day...so these are the things that I am talking about.

Indy

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe I should be more specific because I did not intend to spark a weed/illegal drug discussion. What I mean is more along the lines of legitimate pharamaceutical drugs like prozac, ritalin, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]
"Legitimate" pharmaceutical drugs that are not prescribed are just as illegal as other drugs. Frankly, I'm doing my best to not close this thread.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Lloyd,

Now why would u close this thread? I am asking about drugs that can be prescribed, nothing illegal here. If I go tell my doctor that I cannot sleep (which i am getting ready to do) he'll give me Ambien legally. Sorry if I did something wrong but taking necessary medications should be no problem at the poker table. I just wander what helps people to play long hours and function normally and as I have already explained, I do not want to spark a weed discussion in the MTT forum.

Indy

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

dont close it lloyd, i think its an interesting discussion. and honestly, while i have no interest in taking anything, im not sure why the suggestion that taking certain meds might help a tourney player succeed is generating such universal vitriol.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Wow MLG, 'vitriol.' Now that's a big word:) No wonder u always make the final table, ur a GodDM genius.

Indy

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

My personal opinion on prescription drugs is to take them as rarely as possible. They obviously change things about you, and while most of the effects are good, there are still negative side effects. When you get sick or you can't sleep, its a different story, as the good outwieghs the bad. But for me, If i started using pres. drugs just for poker, i would feel like my priorites were not right.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

direwolf hinted at memory loss which is true.

Also, i'm sure you've tried studying for a test or doing homework after smoking weed. It just doesn't work, unless its for something really basic, unlike poker. You might also have a hard time catching all the details you would while sober.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Paul Phillips has talked about his use of Adderal and Modafinil here and here

I also heard alot of drug talk at the WSOP. From what I've heard there are basicly three different reasons players take prescription drugs while playing poker.
<ul type="square">[*]Staying calm[*]Staying Alert[*]Thinking more clearly[/list]Of these, "Thinking more clearly" is obviously the most interesting one, and I think this thread would be the most valuable if it concentrated on that.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

[ QUOTE ]
direwolf hinted at memory loss which is true.

Also, i'm sure you've tried studying for a test or doing homework after smoking weed. It just doesn't work, unless its for something really basic, unlike poker. You might also have a hard time catching all the details you would while sober.

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, each person reacts differently to different drugs. When some people smoke pot, they are completely useless. Others will smoke all day everyday and you would not know the difference.

Personally I find myself more perceptive while high. I notice little things that would slip by me normally. I'm assuming this is from many teenage nights getting high with buddies and playing video games. Studying high has never been a problem for myself either but I understand I'm one of the exceptions and not the rule. I had friends flunk out of university because they were useless burnouts.

I do very much disagree though with missing details.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

It's different for each person because we know Gank smokes a lot of weed and he is successful but just don't know how he will be when he gets older. But I think if you have ADD then ofcourse you can take medicine. Mike Matosaw has very bad ADD i think so thats why he takes alot of drugs and gank has ADD too.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Sleeping aids like Ambien are probably not effective in increasing your performance because although they induce sleep they also have been associated with decreased memory and cognitive performance after waking up.

Melatonin on the other hand is not associated with decreased memory and cognitive performance and at least in the elderly has been shown to actually increase cognitive performance in the morning.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe I should be more specific because I did not intend to spark a weed/illegal drug discussion. What I mean is more along the lines of legitimate pharamaceutical drugs like prozac, ritalin, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]
"Legitimate" pharmaceutical drugs that are not prescribed are just as illegal as other drugs. Frankly, I'm doing my best to not close this thread.

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Don't be such a narrow minded little prick on a power trip.

All I have to do is go to the doc and ask, and he'll give me a perfectly legal prescription for ambien. Oh and in fact, I have already done so. I don't use them often, and I personally find myself groggy in the morning when I take one, so I think it would hurt my game.

And there is nothing wrong with asking people if doing this PERFECTLY LEGAL act might help them in poker.

-Scott

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe I should be more specific because I did not intend to spark a weed/illegal drug discussion. What I mean is more along the lines of legitimate pharamaceutical drugs like prozac, ritalin, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]
"Legitimate" pharmaceutical drugs that are not prescribed are just as illegal as other drugs. Frankly, I'm doing my best to not close this thread.

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't be such a narrow minded little prick on a power trip.

All I have to do is go to the doc and ask, and he'll give me a perfectly legal prescription for ambien. Oh and in fact, I have already done so. I don't use them often, and I personally find myself groggy in the morning when I take one, so I think it would hurt my game.

And there is nothing wrong with asking people if doing this PERFECTLY LEGAL act might help them in poker.

-Scott

[/ QUOTE ]
Trust me, there is no power trip and I resent the implication. You have no idea who I am and what I do outside of poker but trust me, to accuse me of such is a joke. And frankly, I expect an apology for an absolutely unnecessary personal attack.

And I'm sorry if I believe that taking non-prescribed medication is as bad as taking other forms of illegal drugs. The effects of such can be as harmful as taking any illegal drug on the street. In fact, drugs like Ritalin have a street value many, many times more than their actual cost because of their abusive and harmful use.

If you are prescribed medication by a doctor, great. Use it in the manner prescribed and if that is somehow tied into your poker schedule then wonderful. But if you are taking drugs specifically to enhance your poker game when you otherwise have no need then I think that's an absolutely stupid thing to do. Call me narrow minded if you must.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Hey Lloyd, you da man. Don't take no guff from no one. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

as a guy who smoked a LOT in college, I will say that wasn't true in my case. My problem was the memory didn't seem to be there unless I was high. In other words, if I regularly attended a class hi, I better study and show up for the test a little high as well.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

if there is an issue in your life that affects your game and can be helped (like ADD) - then I say go for it - I bleieve Paul Phillips was taking Ambien or some ADD drug to improve his overall focus -

but I don't believe that was just for poker - that was for his whole life - taking any drug just to win a poker game when you don't need one is a sign of a weak player - and I put my use of alcohol during tourneys right up there as well -

RB

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Not too much imput, but for me, playing after smoking is a really bad mix, same with drinking (neither of which i do often, just from the small sample size) however my girlfriend was prescribed Adderall and i can vouge that Adderall is a pretty awesome prescription. I'm not sure if the effects were just because i wasn't used to the meds or not, but it basically felt like brain was kicked into overdrive. I havn't been able to play poker while on adderall yet, but i'm seriously going to ask my doctor about getting a prescription because it was crazy. It's legal speed though, so does get your heart rate up, gave me terrible dry mouth, and i was up for hours. But I definitely think it would have a positive effect on my poker game, especially for live games when you can't open up 4 tables to keep yourself occupied.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Although this is not exactly a drug more of a supplement, I've taken "focus factor" before tourneys in the past but saw no real improvement to my game... then again, I did give up taking it rather quickly so you never know it might work if taken for an extended period of time.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

ur getting no apology.

threatening to close the thread just because u don't agree with the topic and because u have the ability, makes you a "narrow minded little prick on a power trip".

Keep your personal ideology out of your role as moderator.

-Scott

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

BOUT TO BE A GIRL FIGHT!!!!OOOOOOOOO

lmao

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

So that's twice now that you have personally attacked me and not once have I said anything negative about you. If you have something against me I suggest you PM me instead. Frankly I'm shocked that you cannot read my post not as a threat but as a strong indication of how I feel about the subject. If I was threatening I would be just a bit more direct and not phrase it in such a way that I talk about it as a struggle between personal beliefs and the moderator role. I do believe that we need to be careful discussing illegal activities in a forum hosted be a private enterprise.

Re: Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?
 

Scott, he didnt close the thread. There's nothing wrong with considering closing it, thats his job as a moderator. There's also nothing wrong with his position when it comes to drugs, he's entitled to his opinion. Your words seemed harsh to me since he didnt in fact excercise his power in any inappropriate way. It seems to me that this was the mark of a good moderator. Lloyd's opinions as a poster made him wish the thread was deleted, but he realized as a moderator that would be inapproriate and did not go on a power trip. I think an apology is probably in order here.