Poker and Drugs

[BruceZ]

I was just reading Mason's reviews and came across Texas Bill's Winning a Living, The Professional Guide to Poker Profits, by William Melms. He says this book discusses some unusual topics, such as how different drugs affect you at the table. Has anyone read this book, and can tell me what he says about the effect of opiates?

This has been discussed here from time to time, and it reminded me of my experience. While recovering from a skiing injury, I played a fair amount of poker while on opiates for pain. It appeared to have a profound positive effect on my mental clarity, especially on my ability to read hands and opponents. I say appeared, because it is possible that it only seemed that way to me, but I actually believe it is a real effect. It also had a very negative effect on my ability to concentrate on a single thought at a time, especially on my ability to perform mathematical computations. In short, it seemed to enhance my ability to take in many things at once, which is good for certain aspects of poker, while it detracted from my ability to focus on just one thing at at a time. On balance, I'm not sure whether it helped or hurt, though I seemed to do better overall with larger swings. I'm not advising anyone to rush out and try this. These drugs are highly addictive, and many, perhaps most people who get involved with them wish that they never had.

[roGER]

Hello there,

I can't comment on strong opiates, but I do know some serious good players who claim that a puff or two of grass makes them more sensitive to tells, and also helps with a detached "professional" attitude to bad beats - one of them described smoking a joint beforehand as his "serenity."

BUT: In general it seems common sense to me to avoid all drugs, in life as well as poker. At the table, we all know what a few drinks do to judgement, and I've never seen people on Coke play anything other than recklessly... Common sense tells us that anything that adversely affects your clarity at the table is going to hurt your bankroll.

So, I'd say avoid all drugs!

- roGER

[joeg]

hmmm,

This reminds me of the night before new years eve when I was playing heads up poker with a friend who is a really bad player, we were all stocked up for the next night and where playing with for a pound a game, after winning £10 off him we decided to continue playing for pills, which I took as I won, this leveled the playing field a little and my friend won a few pills back and also took them, anyway that livened the game up a little, much more bluffing and raising, only checking b4 going all in and soon all the pills were gone and we only had a quarter of ganja left so we continued with that, after a few games that had calmed the game down some what and thing's progressed normaly until the paranoyia kicked in, then I was convinced he held the nuts each hand and proceeded to fold every hand I got, that last game went on a while.

I dont think drugs in anyway helped my game and if I hadn't been taking them I'm sure I could have got the whole quarter off him, maybe next year we'll play for higher stakes [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[DaBartman]

Yikes! Never for a moment did I think I would ever read anything about opiates here.

That you thought you functioned better is the big lie.

I had 36 years of negative experience with opiates. Jails, institutions & death is the price, period.

Poker with a clean mind and body is a MUCH better high.

Anyone with a problem is more than welcome to e-mail me.

Bart

[AmericanAirlines]

I Agree,
I've seen several friends do the, "Drugs and Rock and Roll" lifestyle and end up dead, or vegetables.

Sincerely,
AA

[BruceZ]

That you thought you functioned better is the big lie.

I don't make it my business to lie, only to pass along information. It's interesting that you feel you know all about what I think. Did the opiates give you special powers? I also did not say I thought I functioned better. I was very specific in what I thought the effects were. This was mostly subjective, and partly objective. I was looking for confimation of what I experienced from a particular book.

I had 36 years of negative experience with opiates. Jails, institutions & death is the price, period.

Since when do ghosts use the internet?

[SoBeDude]

Since when do ghosts use the internet?

Hey if the afterlife has broadband, then I'm not nearly so scared of dying!

-Scott

[DaBartman]

I suppose I should amend that to "That some people think they function better is the big lie".

Ghosts? Ahem. Since about 1:06 pm PST 4/29/03.

My experience is 100% objective, I lived it. Didn't read about it. (maybe I should have?). I know whereof I speak. Anyway, no regrets, it took going through there to get here. By the way, I like the way you write Bruce. Hopefully mine will improve through this forum.

Bart

[ktnoah]

congrats on getting out after many years and living to tell others of the negative experience of addiciton.

[AmericanAirlines]

Never tried this...at the poker table, just in the gym or at billiards as posted elsewhere...

But I do believe ephedrine markedly sharpens one's focus. whether that's good or bad for poker is unclear to me. Especially since ephedrine is beta-andrenergic agonist. Read that adrenaline mimetic.

I do however, drink lots of coffee at the table. But then I do a work as well (software defect analyst).

I've always believed that what academic exploits I have achieved have been caffiene fueled.

"Check Mrs. Folgers eyes out... she's experimenting with something... "Mountain Grown"???"
George Carlin

:-)

Sincerely,
AA