Marijuana and Poker

[BluffTHIS!]

If all of you who play drunk or stoned are just playing poker online for fun and really don't care if you win or lose, then that's fine. It's just recreation. But if you have any serious long-term desire to play fulltime or as a part-time income supplement, then you are being degenerate. Even if you don't lose for a long time or even enough to go broke playing high/drunk, you will eventually. And if you are playing pot-limit or no-limit games then it shouldn't take that long. Get ready to redoposit again and again on your favorite sites.

[Autocratic]

Just wondering, have you ever played while high? My winrates when high have been basically identical to my sober state (and I am a winning player).

[BluffTHIS!]

Yes years ago before I played seriously, and I play full time now. If you think you can make quality decisions all the time while high because you are currently winning, then you are fooling yourself and probably just running good. I have played with lots of stoners and drunks over the years in private games and casinos. Only two of them were winning players, probably because they didn't get stoned until very late at night when they knew the game wouldn't run but for another couple hours or so. They never started out playing like that. If you maintain that you can play winning poker all the time while stoned, then you should also believe that you can drive all the time like that with no possibility of ill effects. Good Luck, you'll need it.

[hellite]

I think if I drank a six-pack and smoked a joint while playing party 2/4 i might only be good for about 1 1/2BB/100. Of course, i believe a large portion of the players on there are either drunk, drugged up on something, or straight retarded. At least then I would understand why I am being raised when bottom card on the board pairs on the river and I am raised. IT takes quite a bit of alcohol or bud to get me thinking on these clowns' level (i.e. not thinking)

pot = +ev? No. You can still have fun and be a winner.

[hellite]

Matter of fact, I am currently attempting this experiment right now. Table 27567 at Party.

Side note: anybody ever notice the similarity between dried up shake and fish food? LOL

[21times20]

i smoke about 4-5 times a day, basically once i'm no longer high i smoke again and it has not stopped me from winning consistently over the past year as i've learned to play...but still in the back of mind i keep wondering if being stoned pretty much 75% of the time i'm awake might be significantly hurting my ability to progress as a player, even though my poker aptitude under the influence is still well above average

i wish if i stopped smoking for a few months i would have some solid evidence to show whether it really makes a large difference one way or the other, but since i've been playing for a little less than a year i don't think one could say for sure whether a winnings increase after stopping should be attributed to a drug-free lifestyle or continued improvement due to greater experience

still i can't help thinking i'd have the motivation to play more hours and that there might be a slight possibility of drastic improvement if i could live sober 24/7...but really i don't know if i could manage, if i don't smoke all the time i usually end up drinking all the time, poker has at least helped me with my alcoholism...now that i think about it, just exercising the willpower not to be substance-dependant would probably be such a mental breakthrough for me that it would improve my poker playing regardless of any physical improvements so really i don't think my specific case would really prove anything

however, even if i will not be able to contribute any scientific evidence on the effects of marijuana and brain, i really can't think of anything i have to lose by going a few months completely sober, as much as i love weed the chance of seeing a significant improvement in my play seems to be infinitely greater than the chance that i'll become a worse player or even advance in skill more slowly

all that being said, conquering a substance-abuse problem is a little bit more difficult than just thinking it is a good idea to stop, i really do pretty much turn into an alcoholic whenever i don't have any weed