Is Coffee a Drug When Playing Poker?

Most recently, a survey revealed that more than 80% of the worldwide poker players used additional substances and drugs to enhance their playing during their poker games. An associate professor for the Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy revealed that poker players used many different drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines, Valium, and prescription medications, with caffeine and energy drinks included. One of the more popular ingredients found in many energy drinks is guarana, which is a plant that has more caffeine than the coffee plant. Poker players were interviewed in Las Vegas throughout the World Series of Poker, and poker players online were also surveyed, with the majority being from Canada and the United States.

Mainly, these substances are used so that poker players can stay awake for a longer period of time and also have a better ability to concentrate and focus. This works as a competitive advantage to give them the stamina to last through a long poker tournament since they can go on for hours at a time. The study also showed that 73% of the poker players, most of which were males in their 20s, revealed that they regularly used other substances and drugs to concentrate and focus. The remaining 27% said that they used substances and drugs to stay awake, improve their memory, and calm their nerves.

This study also revealed that performance enhancement drugs have been used in a number of professions, such as pilots, classical musicians, and even for public speakers to calm their nerves. Thus far, poker players have not yet been studied for the type of enhancements that they may use during a game, and they were given a survey that contained 38 questions to assess the use of their performance enhancing supplements or medications, motivations for using these substances, and to characterize the perceptions of the use of these enhancement drugs for poker players in the industry.

This leaves us with the conclusion as to whether or not coffee can be counted as a performance enhancement drug when it comes to poker and other professions. There have been studies where workers in factories and highly physical jobs were encouraged to use coffee regularly so that they could stay alert and focused to prevent further work-related injuries, so it seems that coffee may be the lesser of all of the evils. Coffee is a legal substance in the United States, and health professionals even recommend drinking 2 to 3 cups per day for maximum health and antioxidant benefits, as long as it is not abused. Yes, coffee does contain caffeine, which is a stimulant. If caffeine is taken in excess, it could cause anxiety, jitteriness, or even nausea, which is why it is important to drink coffee in moderation and not abuse it.

When it comes to professional poker playing, coffee may be the legal substance that many of these poker players depend upon to have greater awareness and focus during lengthy games to potentially win the pot. Who can blame them?