Using drugs to enhance ur tourney game?

[Crooked Paul]

Taking something mild like melatonin to get a good night's rest before/during a long MTT makes perfect sense to me. Absolutely nothing makes me play worse than being dead tired.

But taking stimulants or even drinking too much caffeine seems like it would be counter-productive. I've heard rumors that a lot of low- and mid-level pros do cocaine (not sure if this is true). That especially seems like suicide in a live tourney, if for no other reason than the blow would amplify your tells, making you way too chatty/fidgety.

As for weed, I'm for it. Sorry Lloyd, I know it's illegal, but any objective evaluation of the facts shows that marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol or nicotine, Uncle Sam's pet drugs. As other posters have said, everyone reacts differently, but I find that when I play poker high I get very, very good intuitive reads on other players, and I bluff and use position much more effectively. Good times.


Crooked

[zambonidrivr]

online at night i am usually just coffee. in BM, i am always popping dex or stratt as you mentioned below. my friend is a dr, so getting that stuff has been easy. the biggest thing for me wiht the add drugs is not thinking i am superman, as they have cocaine like effects as well.

[ QUOTE ]
online at night i am usually just coffee. in BM, i am always popping dex or stratt as you mentioned below. my friend is a dr, so getting that stuff has been easy. the biggest thing for me wiht the add drugs is not thinking i am superman, as they have cocaine like effects as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

While i havn't taken Dex in conjunction with poker, the few times i have taken it, it's been AMAZING. (a friend had a perscription, and we would take it to concentrate on homework, we're both ADD, he's just gotten it checked out).

I can easily see Dex improving my poker game enourmously.

[Indiana]

I am happy to see this thread resurface. I have had sleeping problems lately so I got a prescription for Lunesta from my doc....This gave me headaches and made me groggy so I switched to Ambien and look out!!! I am sleeping 8hrs and waking up fresh. Also, I don't tilt as much because I'm relaxed when I wake up and there is some other great effects of the drug. Anyway, my hourly rate is up short term and my MTT performance is stellar.

Still thinking about Strattera or other ADD stuff,

Indy

[nsj]

Interesting thread.

I have no doubt (though no hard proof) that there is semi-regular use of focus drugs and stimulants on the tournament circuit, and in online play as well. I can attest to snorting Ritalin to help study for big exams in grad school, and I can also attest to the intuit that one can have after smoking a joint in a home game -- even if that intuit comes from your high friends/opponents becoming blind to the pronounced tells they are giving off.

Personally, I think the burnout phase of these drugs, be it two hours after the joint or 6-12 hours after the Ritalin bumps is more -EV than the buzz is +EV, but I don't have any serious ADD issues. I imagine for those who do that these drugs are a saving grace, both at the poker table and in work and life.

I think it's too bad that some still have a knee-jerk reaction to drug talk of any sort. There are millions of people around the world who thrive in life, when they otherwise wouldn't, because they have the medication they need. I don't see how a child needing them to learn his ABCs is any different than a serious MTT player using them to ensure he makes good decisions worth thousand of dollars when the pressure is on. Whatever you do in life, you want to be at your best when you need to be -- final exam, final job interview, or the final table.

If drugs help, take 'em.

[schwza]

[ QUOTE ]
I bleieve Paul Phillips was taking Ambien or some ADD drug to improve his overall focus

[/ QUOTE ]

the thread degenerated into mostly drivel about weed/booze, but this angle is the most interesting, imo.

[Indiana]

The problem with drug discussions are similar to those about sex. Us Americans are so puritanical in our background that we tense up about these issues too much. Go to Amsterdam(I'll be there next week) and people openly discuss these types of issues. Hey, come to think of it...the Dutch and Swedish players do own the online poker games....HHHMMMMMMMM???

Indy