[ZeeJustin]

Good post Pete,

I have a pretty severe case of ADD, and don't take medication. I have tried 3 separate medications (Adderall, Concerta, and Stratera) but I don't take them because they all had significant side effects (Zombieness, Depleted Sex Drive, Dry Mouth / Constant Dehydration, Increased heart rate, and a couple more).

I think I thrived in sit'n'gos because I was able to develop a strategy that was good enough to crush games, even without any focus. When multi tabling, I often zoned in and out. I was always listening to music, emailing + IMing people, and using internet explorer, even when playing 8 or more tables.

Nowadays I really struggle in live cash games because I can't focus no matter how hard I try. It is simply too common that I will fold preflop, blink my eyes, and look at a huge pot on the turn, and wonder wtf the action was. It's too big of a disadvantage to not have this information to help me figure out how my opponents are playing.

For some reason I rarely have this problem in tournaments. The cameras, crowds, and huge prize pools are enough to keep me constantly stimulated. I do struggle sometimes in smaller buyins, but not nearly to the extent that I do in cash games.