Drugs and Poker
 

A while back I was taking Zoloft, a common antidepressant. I found that one of the "side effects" of this drug -- at least for me -- is that it made me far less likely to tilt. I played poker in a much more calm, rational manner. I was just curious if anyone else has noted this effect with Zoloft or a similar drug, or, more generally if you've noticed other drugs have had a positive effect on your play.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

i take pain medication for a condition i have called acute septic necrosis of the tallus.

hydrocodone makes me more calm and not tilt.

oxycontin makes me a mad [censored] who'll break a house in half.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

i took a bar last night ( xanax bar) and like above poster said it made me calm and very intentive. I wish i knew where a oversea pharmacy was so i could order some without a persciption??

i always smoke weed when i play, it helps cut down on the bordem

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

While I've never tried it, I always wondered if ADD drugs (Ritalin, Adderol) would improve poker play. I hear that college kids are using these as study aids (although they're hammering them - grinding them up to get an immediate hit, not letting them get into the bloodstream as designed).

But these drugs are known to improve concentration. That wouldn't be a bad thing on a table. They're also safe enough that the shrinks hand them out to kids like candy.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

[ QUOTE ]
i took a bar last night ( xanax bar) and like above poster said it made me calm and very intentive. I wish i knew where a oversea pharmacy was so i could order some without a persciption??

i always smoke weed when i play, it helps cut down on the bordem

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I could deff understand the weed as I do not/cannot play without as I probably have a slight case of undiagnosed ADD and without it I will play too many hands out of boredom.
xanax on the other hand is crazy, last time I took a bar at the casino It was 7 years ago it makes me feel like i am totally drunk and in uninhibited state where my actions are not controlled and could lose my whole bankroll. attention poker players DO NOT Take xanax it will [censored] you up

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

There have been recent posts about ADD meds liek adderall and so forth. I have played on it a few times and did win a multi.. made some sick ass plays cuz I had awesome reads because I was so attentive. Id hate to have to get high to play poker.. I find that if you just play attentive .. i mean real attentive while playing sober.. it starts to come naturally and you don't need the drugs to do it.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Ditto on the weed. I don't smoke it myself but my roommate (who just 4 tables $10ish sitNgos) is a break even player sober and absolutely crushes these games while moderately stoned. *shrug*

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

if your neurochemistry is normal and you take prescription medication on a sustained basis, you will pay for it.

that said, i would imagine that recreational use of whatever would probably be alot of fun, and possibly profitable.

the cute thing about these drugs is that they don't change any of your characteristics, but they do reshape the precedance and emphasis of traits.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

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i took a bar last night ( xanax bar) and like above poster said it made me calm and very intentive. I wish i knew where a oversea pharmacy was so i could order some without a persciption??

i always smoke weed when i play, it helps cut down on the bordem

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I could deff understand the weed as I do not/cannot play without as I probably have a slight case of undiagnosed ADD and without it I will play too many hands out of boredom.
xanax on the other hand is crazy, last time I took a bar at the casino It was 7 years ago it makes me feel like i am totally drunk and in uninhibited state where my actions are not controlled and could lose my whole bankroll. attention poker players DO NOT Take xanax it will [censored] you up

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take half wait 6-8 hour take other half

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

I find smoking pot usually is +EV

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Weed. Like others have said. I don't think it improves my game that much, but it does help me focus better on the game if I'm not in the right mindset to be playing; other [censored] on my mind, or I can't turn off the tv. Smoke it up and that tv goes bye bye even though its still on... you can probably tell I'm loaded right now... where am I? This place kicks ass!

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Ritalin>

Ritalin and Adderall and the like are stimulants. Those of us with ADD and ADHD have a unique brain chemistry such that taking these stimulants has a calming and focusing effect. For people who do not have this brain chemistry, it stimulates you. If you are awake and generally alert, Ritalin can make you bounce off the walls.

The only place where you might see a benefit in it is in marathon sessions where you are exhausted. Then your exhaustion can counterbalance the stimulant effect and all you get is more awake and alert. This is where it comes into play for the studying students.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

IV done every drug under the sun and played poker I do it all the time with weed helps me put in longer sessions because I dont mind just sitting around. Ritalin and aderol also helped quite a bit during the game but I cant sleep that night. Crystal meth is the best I stayed up for 3 days straight playing practually 24 hours a day barely eating playing 7 tables tables of NL 200 and making
15.4 BB/100 over like 36 hours. Coke is probably the best Iv ever played but it lasted for like 15 minutes then I was on a big downer and just played tight.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

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I find smoking pot usually is +EV

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Re: Drugs and Poker
 

I'm always taking painkillers and sedatives and I find that I do often player better when I'm on them. But there is a fine line where I start to get sleepy and lazy and stop paying attention.

I tried playing after taking some E once, that was really wierd.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

i eat a whole lot of sour patch kids for energy. holla

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Xanax is one of the worst ideas ever. I can't tell you how many times ive seen people forget whole days on that [censored]. Any speed should greatly improve your concentration, the more illeagel the better.. Kinda sad. Now I don't do durgs, Just weed.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

anything that decreases attention is death in poker.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

No, they don't hand them out like candy. The DEA watches them VERY closely and their scripts are written in triplicate with one always going to the DEA.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Crystal meth? You have to be kidding me? Man, I hope you're not doing that stuff. That'll age you like war.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

...That'll age you like war...

This made me laugh hard.


If you smoke reefer all the time then I think the benefit at the table will be less. For me it takes me a little bit out of my ordinary thought process and makes me act a little bit different than normal. I think this screws up people's reads to some extent because they are not seeing the normal me.

I have found that smoking at the start of the session is best so that as my mental state changes so does my game, as well--usually for the better.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Iv only done crystal once iv heard too much bad stuff about it to try it again even though the money would be nice.
Sour Patchs after a joint would be nice right now... awww

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

I read that SSRIs like Paxil used to treat depression and anxiety decrease the urge to gamble.

This probably leads to not taking shots as much, not tilting in a way that you take large gambles and not being as aggro. It could decrease your urge to play though.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

I think that actually what you are talking about is that there has been a good deal of success using anti-depressants to treat compulsive and addictive behavior. For example using them to treat someone with a gambling addiction. From what I remember reading, I don't believe it necessarily decrease the gamble in you, just the compulsiveness.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

playing poker on cocaine is not only the best i have ever played but also improved my game so much in one session just because of the level of thought that coke allows one to achieve. and you can alleviate the feeling like [censored] after 15 minutes thing by having enough coke for the whole night and enough weed for the come down. =)

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

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playing poker on cocaine is not only the best i have ever played but also improved my game so much in one session just because of the level of thought that coke allows one to achieve.

[/ QUOTE ] It is rare that one encounters in 2+2 so much concentrated, false and dangerous information in a single thread as in this one.

Mickey Brausch

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

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playing poker on cocaine is not only the best i have ever played but also improved my game so much in one session just because of the level of thought that coke allows one to achieve. and you can alleviate the feeling like [censored] after 15 minutes thing by having enough coke for the whole night and enough weed for the come down. =)

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I feel the same way, but I use heroin for the come-down instead

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

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playing poker on cocaine is not only the best i have ever played but also improved my game so much in one session just because of the level of thought that coke allows one to achieve. and you can alleviate the feeling like [censored] after 15 minutes thing by having enough coke for the whole night and enough weed for the come down. =)

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I feel the same way, but I use hookers for the come-down instead

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Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Drugs improve poker playing? Uh oh---looks like they are gonna have to start screening all World Series of Poker Player's urine.

Re: Drugs and Poker
 

Back in the 70s, I had a totally gnarly run in with some amphetamines. While I was on them, I figured I was doing the best programming of my life. When I came down, I figured that was just the drugs speaking. Then, I went back and re-read my drug-induced programming, and discovered that my original assessment was indeed correct. It was some of the best work I'd done to date.

Not surprising, given how amphetamines work.

The problem in all of this was the drug induced psychosis and related issues that followed. I wasn't doing such good work when that set in.

Decades later, I'm taking SSRIs. Can't really say how it affects my play, because I've been taking them for so long, and if I wasn't taking them, I might well never get up enough energy to even play online.