drinking and playing

smokeandapancak

smokeandapancak

what?
Silver Member
One of the post in the non pool related forum got me to thinking..

Pool, for whatever reasons, has a stigma attached to it. Smoky pools rooms,booze, and gambling... i dunno where that comes from:D

Here's the thing... booze is almost always around every pool hall... exceptions being here in germany.. but only in places that are considered gambling halls.. they cant serve booze, including beer (which is considered a "food group" here in Bavaria)...either way ... i know I cant stand more than 4 or 5 drinks before the standard of play starts to drop...depending of course on the setting.. for instance my first tourney ever I think that I needed a few just calm the nerves a bit before my first match...

What I want to know is ... how many drinks do you have when you are playing.... I have seen people drink whiskey all night long and still keep the stroke... I personally dont know of a player that doesnt booze it up a bit everytime they play..

maybe this question stems from the fact that I am half lit after a night of banging balls around.. after all it is 1 in the morning over here now :D
 
smokeandapancak said:
I personally dont know of a player that doesnt booze it up a bit everytime they play..
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I personally know of a lot that WON'T drink when playing....

I usually have a few beers throughout the night when available, but I am going to make sure I drive home, so I don't go overboard.
 
My experience has been my pro friends or other top players drink nothing at all when they are playing for anything important, or at the most, a couple of beers (a couple means 2).

I do know drug use has troubled the games and lives of a few of these players. There was a period, mostly during the 70's and 80's, when a lot of top players felt it was an advantage to do coke or amphetamines for an edge. I think that trend has passed, however.

There will always be some who abuse alcohol or drugs, but that is true in any social structure, and not limited to pool. If playing your best pool is your goal, I strongly urge very limited alcohol and no drugs, period. If you care to get high for fun, that's your choice. But don't delude yourself into thinking alcohol, in any measure, or drugs, will improve our game.
 
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half a pitcher usually gets me in my happy spot. I've played pool high a few times, and on one of those ocasions that was the best i've ever played...

Now a days I'd prefer not to smoke at all, but rather drink a manageable amount. Alcohol just gets me socializing with the people I play with :)
 
Usually a about 1 case of Corona. One night a week from about 8:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. My game suffers when I mix Te-kill-ya with the beer. And I'm the light drinker of the crowd!
 
a case as in a 24?

I wouldn't be able to concentrate because I'd have to keep on pissing the whole time :(
 
None. That stigma is definately there too. I know that when I tell my wife I am going to get my little girl pool lessons when she is old enough, the first thing she says is, "I really don't want her in that environment". Unfortunately, most pool halls are smoky, and they do have some poorly behaved people at times. It would be nice to see cleaner pool halls that donot push that side of the game. Then people could be in either environemtn they choose.
 
I'll go with the half pitcher to get in my happy spot. Recovery time is to high to poundem like when I was younger and stupider. It seems If I make efforts to stay focused on what I'm doing I can play just as well tuned up, however it seems easier to get distracted when on the giggle soup.

Not to cast dispersions but the golfers and bowlers I know drink at least as much as the pool players in general.
 
I am sure the golfers and bowlers do intend to do that also. With golf, at least you are outside, and really only have contact with those in your group. Also, poor behaviour is generally quickly oppossed by the ranger on a decent course. I wuld say that bowling halls have the same stigma as pool halls. They tend to be smokey and have a lot of people drinking more than they should be. Please do not take that to be my opinion. I am saying that that is the stigma.
 
I don't drink anything when I am playing, except maybe coke (cola) or water.

I do think that the stigma pool has is a bit odd. When a pro pool player is in the news for whatever reason, the headline will state "pool shark wins lots of money" or something like that.

As far as alcohol goes people generally assume since I play a lot, I drink a lot. Recently I was ruminating over the fact that I have gained 20 pounds last year. A friend of mine responded "you can't be surprised since your always playing pool and probably drinking a lot everytime you play."

It was an odd comment because most people who know me, know that I rarely over indulge. In fact I haven't had more than a small buzz since last January.
 
smokeandapancak said:
One of the post in the non pool related forum got me to thinking..

Pool, for whatever reasons, has a stigma attached to it. Smoky pools rooms,booze, and gambling... i dunno where that comes from:D

Here's the thing... booze is almost always around every pool hall... exceptions being here in germany.. but only in places that are considered gambling halls.. they cant serve booze, including beer (which is considered a "food group" here in Bavaria)...either way ... i know I cant stand more than 4 or 5 drinks before the standard of play starts to drop...depending of course on the setting.. for instance my first tourney ever I think that I needed a few just calm the nerves a bit before my first match...

What I want to know is ... how many drinks do you have when you are playing.... I have seen people drink whiskey all night long and still keep the stroke... I personally dont know of a player that doesnt booze it up a bit everytime they play..

maybe this question stems from the fact that I am half lit after a night of banging balls around.. after all it is 1 in the morning over here now :D
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With only a few exceptions, the players that I have been around who play 'A' level or better don't drink at all when they're playing. Afterwards may be a different story, but not before or during.

If one considers that airline pilots and train conductors are not permitted to drink at all for many hours before they fly or conduct, then the implications for pool, which requires tremendous hand-eye coordination, concentration, and judgement, are obvious. Furthermore, I have seen where the belief that one plays better when one drinks has led players into a cycle of dependency that can have truly unfortunate consequences.

IMHO, there are other ways to relax which do not impair motor skills, vision, balance and judgement. Try meditation and breathing exercises if you want to calm your nerves.
 
VIProfessor said:
With only a few exceptions, the players that I have been around who play 'A' level or better don't drink at all when they're playing. Afterwards may be a different story, but not before or during.

If one considers that airline pilots and train conductors are not permitted to drink at all for many hours before they fly or conduct, then the implications for pool, which requires tremendous hand-eye coordination, concentration, and judgement, are obvious. Furthermore, I have seen where the belief that one plays better when one drinks has led players into a cycle of dependency that can have truly unfortunate consequences.

IMHO, there are other ways to relax which do not impair motor skills, vision, balance and judgement. Try meditation and breathing exercises if you want to calm your nerves.
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Over the years I have gone from a 2 drink minimum to start a game to drinking water now. I guess I just feel that I play better if I am sober. The days of the smoky halls and BYOB ar almost gone.
 
About that smokey indoors thing....

I'm glad I live in Canada.... smoke-free :)

5000 max fine :eek:
 
I think it depends on the person. If I drink anything. Beer or mixed drinks, my game suffers before the night is over. If I do drink while playing I never have more than two..Than I'm O.K...
My good friend, who just turned 65, an excellent player, drinks maybe 10 Scotch and water during a tournament and you would never know it. I can't believe it when I see him do it week after week after week..Remarkable...Or if its a place with only beer he has at least 10 beers.....And his game never changes...
When I bowled I tried to drink with the other bowlers but my game suffered there also. So I never drank while bowling and can't go more then 2 while playing pool...Not that I feel high or drunk, but I see my game suffering...But not when I don't drink????
Of course there is no smoking here in Calif....
 
1pRoscoe said:
A 40oz of OE and a blunt works well for me.....
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Ahhhh, malt liquor and the green, green grass of home. Gifts from beyond...:p

During competitive pool I drink 7-up or water.
I used to play for drinks occasionally but I got too drunk too quickly and lost to idiots I normally pounded:eek: , so I quit doing that.

I find I shoot my "A" game best while sipping 7-up.

Rick P.
 
I have a friend that up until a month ago, I have not seen sober or with a beer in his hand in over two years. He plays in a lot of tourneys and in that two years, he hit the money about 3 times.

A month ago, he stopped drinking, cold turkey. In the last month, he has hit the money 5 out of 6 times.

Go figure!

And it isn't their ability to play pool when drunk I worry about. It's their drive home.
 
I'll always have a few beers when I play, it's just what I'm used to. I'm English, grew up in a pub & learned to play pool in the same pub! I do stick to beer though, I'm no fan of anything else. I know my limits & if I'm driving then it's only a couple over the course of a night.

I did have a less than enjoyable night last week though, at the weekly 9 ball tourney I play in. A guy I played against a couple of weeks back turned up & bought me a shot. I really don't like doing shots but I'm not going to be rude & say no so I drank it. Pretty disgusting to be honest. Add to that I was trying to quit smoking (& failing miserably that night) & my game went from solid to mush in the space of an hour!

I ended up losing when I should have won easily, lost my chalk holder & borrowed a couple of smokes! Not a great night at all. Pretty sad when I felt I was more focused than I had been for years to start with! I just look at it now as yet another lesson to learn if I want to play as well as I know I can.
 
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