When it comes to perceived vices, drinking and gambling are usually right up there with swearing and prostitution.
But for casino regulars, mixing booze and bets can be a mixed bag.
Many of those who frequent traditional table games say that drinking alcohol clouds judgment to the point of leading to bad decisions that can extend and amplify the house’s edge. (This is why casinos give out drinks for free.)
At the poker table, save for professionals such as Scotty Nguyen - who has developed a reputation for playing while drinking - most players agree, noting that drunkenness at the table inhibits your ability to read opponents, thus negating a powerful and critical part of the game.
In my experiences at casinos, I’ve seen in-game drunkenness work both ways.
This past weekend, for instance, while wagering on March Madness in Las Vegas, I met a man at the blackjack table who was so drunk that he couldn’t place his chips in the betting circle without assistance. (The pit boss chased him off so the guy didn’t end up puking on someone.)
Another guy insisted he became an infinitely better blackjack player when he was drunk, chalking it up to something about the booze tempering his inhibitions to bet big.
Sure enough, the drunker he got, the more he wagered - and won.
In Bay Area cardrooms, most of my observations surrounding players who mix booze and bets have come at the poker table.
One time, a gentleman announced his arrival at the table with a simple, “Folks, I’m wasted.” He proceeded to play blind, without looking at his cards, and push all-in on three consecutive hands. He lost the first two with trash hands to players with smaller stacks.
On the third hand, he got called by the biggest stack at the table, a guy who was practically salivating at the chance to take the drunk’s chips. The big stack flipped over pocket kings - a great hand for the situation. The drinker turned over an ace-nine and won the pot when an ace came on the turn.
During another epic poker session, a different fellow sat for hours at the table without playing a hand. Over the course of 20 cycles around the table, the guy polished off eight or nine beers. Finally, on the button, he decided to play, re-raising two raisers with an all-in.
The drunk eventually lost the hand to a player with ace-king. His hand: 9-6. Later the inebriated guy admitted that he misread the hand, thinking he had a pair of nines.
He blamed his screw-up on the beer.
The lesson here is to be smart. If you choose to drink and gamble, don’t do either to excess.
And if you’re playing against a drunk, remember that Lady Luck rarely discriminates between the sober and the intoxicated, and she might just decide to work against you when you need her most.
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