Alcohol and Poker
Drinking alcohol while playing poker is a standard practice and is widely accepted as a staple of the card player culture. Whether or not you should be drinking depends not on your tolerance to alcohol, or the competency of your opponents, it should be more a decision of if you are serious about winning, or if you are just playing for fun.
There are no circumstances that warrant drinking if you are playing with a strong emphasis on profit. A common misconception is that having a drink or two will “loosen you up” and make you play more unpredictable and harder for opponents to read. In the short run, this may be true, but one’s intoxication can rapidly deteriorate their decision making abilities, and consequently erode their play. It is hard to stay in control when you are under the influence of alcohol, and when playing online where you can steam anonymously and there is no one to cut you off, it is every easy to blow through your bankroll in one drunken session. Many poker players have experienced firsthand the disastrous effects drinking can have on their bankroll- don’t become one of them. Always come to the table with a clear, sober head on your shoulders, and you will come away a winner no matter what cards you are dealt.
