Question about relative sobriety of competition

[Godfather80]

Understand that I'm not complaining, because I'm convinced that most people who are drunk or stoned play worse, but I am curious here. Why do some people consistantly smoke marijuana at the table? I play in several weekly games and I am typically the only one not smoking weed. They all play worse, both in a technical sense of being slow as hell to deal and the like and in the strategic sense of continually checking they're cards on flush draws and the like. So, how 'bout it, potsmokers? What is the draw of being high at the poker table?

[Doctaprofit]

Im a heavy pot smoker.. i smoke at least 4 times a week.. anyway why do i smoke weed? I dont even know anymore its become so habitual, its sort of like a relaxation ritual. If im going to sit down and play 4 tables of internet poker it can just make me more relaxed more chill i guess would be the way to put it which would be the way id describe the high. If i wanna play more then 4 tables.. its a bad idea its hard to concentrate and definetly gets in the way.. but yea.. i would say people smoke out of habit and just to relax a little..

[RydenStoompala]

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What is the draw of being high at the poker table?

[/ QUOTE ]

Dr. Al can probably give you a more eloquent answer but I believe it's being high everywhere, for everything that makes a weed head a universally lame being. I play in a game with a group of much younger players a couple of times a year and they chain smoke Hydro until their eyes bleed. It's like playing against a group of six-year-olds. The arguments about pot odds are especially funny. I was not surprised when I was told one of them has a very good job and the other three regulars are "still trying to find themselves." Ya...I can help them out.

A little moderation or you will find yourself living in a van, down by the river.

I cant say anything to them because I'm too old and they just attribute everything I say to an age bias, which is crap.

I hire a lot of new grads at my company and I doubt any of them smoked as much weed or got into as much trouble as I did, but I was careful to never become "one of those guys," 30 something years old and still trying to find himself. The really pathetic ones lives at home until they're 40 because all of the money they make goes up in smoke. It's too bad.

[Hermlord]

When I play high online, I do the same or maybe slightly worse (which is why I've stopped doing it), because there is just too many other things in my apt/life drawing my attention. When I play live, I am much more in tune with things like tells, the rhythm of the game, that sort of stuff. It really helps me with my preferred M.O. which is "stealth" -- just being one of the group, making a few jokes, not drawing any attention to the fact that I'm a chip-magnet. I can't prove that pot makes my live play better, of course, but I can say that I don't think I've ever had a losing session when high. Similar answers for 2-3 drinks, more is definitely bad (for me).

I drink and smoke very moderately and have a very non-addictive personality. Your Mileage May Vary.

[MikeNaked]

I also play while high on occasion. Sometimes it's great; I am riveted and feel more attuned to the action - especially as it relates to the psychology of my opponents (i.e. detecting and playing off their weaknesses). Other times, I am distracted, mistake-prone, and foolish.

Just like playing sober. I feel that pot merely amplifies whatever state of mind you are in prior to smoking.

[fnord_too]

Some people are addicted. I know a few people who never go a day without smoking.

[Stork]

Sounds like for these people in home games, fun preceeds profit.

[chesspain]

I only live 80 minutes from Boston. Can I play if I bring the Doritos?

[Nick_Foxx]

just like with anything else, there are some people who play better when they are completely blazed and some people who play worse... to answer your question, there is no particular inherent quality of poker that makes one want to get high over any other activity... if you are a stoner, you like to get high and do anything, be it play cards or watch tv... it's just a way of life

mike

[Godfather80]

I understand the "stoner way of life" and I understand that weed can make you "more attuned to game conditions" at times. I'd still be curious to hear from the good Doctor on the subject. Especially regarding whether some of these players are purposely handicapping themselves so that they can mentally write off losses at the tables. It seems to me that some of these players are fairly thoughtful and understand a good deal of the math that comes along with the game, but perhaps they lack the confidence to play their best?