Drinking and Poker – To booze or not to booze?
This was published 13-03-2008
One thing I often wonder is what people think about having a few drinks while playing poker. Here are my thoughts on the subject.
I personally like to have a few drinks before sitting down at the poker table (both online and offline). Naturally, I am a little nervous when around people I don’t know, so having a drink or two helps me calm my nerves and become more focused and less nervous. By being less nervous, I think there is less chance that players will pick up on my tells, which in the long run will save me a lot more money.
When playing online poker, I find a drink or two helps me make more right calls. If you are a player that always worries about getting sucked out, or fearing that your once good hand got cracked later in a hand (often causing you to fold), the confidence boost from a drink or two will help you really analyze the hand a lot better and calm your nerves, and take your time to make the right call.
Most of my best sessions come after a few drinks, so for me this is just a personal decision, but many players are highly against drinking.
Some of the risks of drinking while playing is you will have too many drinks and therefore start making irrational calls. Your play will quickly become very loose, and unless you get really lucky, you will be out in no time!
Poker is a social game, and unfortunately (for some) alcohol has become the social drink of choice. So if you get nervous when playing poker, next time before you sit down, have a drink or two and see if there is a change in your play!
Good luck!
