Marijuan and Poker (serious post).

[DipsetByrdGame]

Although I know playing intoxicated is always ALWAYS a stupid move, I have noticed something while being "high" during a no limit cash game. My reads became more acute, I was hearing my instinct (the voices that talks to me in my own voice in my head) more often, and I seemed to notice a lot more facial ticks, and little things about players that I had never noticed before. One time I could tell someone was nervous about the outcome of a hand so badly that I was almost sure he had the A and 4 of one suit and was trying desperatly to hit his flush on the river. I could see the anticipation in his eyes as he looked at the river card being put down. I have smoked pot for about 2 years now, often, and I am pretty capable now of telling when something is because of me being high, or actually happening, and in this case, I believe my reads become better and I am more focused. Thoughts? This post is not to glorify drugs or anything like that it is purely in the interest of discussion.

[Brom]

Search in the psychology forum, this has been done before.

[Gorilla Thrilla]

goals for 2006: smoke a blunt with sklansky

[soon2bepro]

marijuana gives you an extreme power of concentration, at the costs that you can only concentrate on the same thing for a very short period of time, until your mind jumps elsewhere; and that when you're focused in something, you disregard everything else (as if nothing else existed)

It's extremely likely that you discover new ways to read people while using pot, especially if you're thinking. But your short-term results will probably go down because there's so many things you'll pass on that you wouldn't if you were sober.

[fearless]

i play better because it calms me down and actually helps me focus/sit still/sleep yada....
and its so much better for you then a.d.d. medicine.

[guesswest]

That's exactly it, it enhances your concentration on the primary object of your perception, but reduces your peripheral perception. So if you're focusing on a guy when the river drops, yeah it's possible that you'd pick a tell you might otherwise miss. But the flip side of that is that normally you'd be thinking about betting patterns and draws and pot odds and your opponents previous plays and a thousand other things while you're doing that, when you're high you've likely largely forgotten about all that stuff. Poker's a jigsaw and I don't think the trade-off is worth it, you need all the pieces to make good decisions. If you're gonna play high I'd suggest doing it in games with less going on like Holdem/HU.

[I Gotta Push]

I smoke hella weed, bro. It's tight!

[kurto]

In the concentration department... I've noticed that it does help me zero in on ONE guy. I focus on one LAG, totally know what he's doing... I finally get the hand and flop I'm waiting for and am watching intently my victim for his play because I'm so certain of my read that he's practically playing with his hand open.

BUT... the rest of the table has disappeared. I'm so focused on one guy sitting on the right side of the table, that I completely fail to notice the guy on the left side of the table smoothcalling the LAGs bets and my raises.

When the hand finishes, I triumphantly realize I crushed the Villain I was focusing on... but am completely shocked when the chips go off to the guy sitting on the left who I didn't even realize was in the hand.

[CORed]

Brown thumb?

[OpenWheel]

[ QUOTE ]
In the concentration department... I've noticed that it does help me zero in on ONE guy. I focus on one LAG, totally know what he's doing... I finally get the hand and flop I'm waiting for and am watching intently my victim for his play because I'm so certain of my read that he's practically playing with his hand open.

BUT... the rest of the table has disappeared. I'm so focused on one guy sitting on the right side of the table, that I completely fail to notice the guy on the left side of the table smoothcalling the LAGs bets and my raises.

When the hand finishes, I triumphantly realize I crushed the Villain I was focusing on... but am completely shocked when the chips go off to the guy sitting on the left who I didn't even realize was in the hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't smoked in a lot of years. But this is one of the most hilarious descriptions (and accurate, in my experience) of being stoned I've ever read. I could visualize the shock I'd feel when the chips slid somewhere else.

[DCWildcat]

I smoke a lot. I only play worse.

There's no clinical evidence to suggest that it improves your concentration on a single thing. I don't think it does.

I wouldn't do it.