Craft beer and poker each require close attention to detail, although they measure this in very different ways. Each requires the observer (be it a brewer assessing his beer or a player assessing the table) to pay attention to many different characteristics. The second asks the player to be aware of many things – his own position relative to others at the table, the size of bets being placed by others, the odds of winning based upon his hand and the hands of others, and other players’ behaviors.
What has proven to be true is that alcohol can impair individuals’ judgment, memory and ability to keep up with changing amounts of information. Since these three skills are continuously required by poker players throughout every hand, it should come as no surprise that impairment can cause a number of problems during games.
Impairment in Poker
A poker decision is never solely based on one piece of information. A player combines his hand with a variety of factors including position at the table, previous actions taken by other players, his stack size compared to theirs, possible hand range combinations and finally, how much it costs him to continue playing. Working memory allows a player to store these various pieces of information in memory for comparison purposes. Attention provides awareness of a change in betting size or a sequence observed from an earlier round. And inhibition prevents a player from calling after experiencing confusion or frustration.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol impairs communication among neurons and causes areas responsible for processing memory and judgments to work poorly. Additionally, research using a laboratory gambling task has shown that acute alcohol intoxication can impair decision-making and increase sensitivity to immediate rewards.
Impairment may manifest itself differently at a poker table than as reckless play. An example might include greater difficulty recalling events from an earlier round, an inability to accurately determine the size of an opponent’s raised bet, or relying upon previously developed rules for determining a specific course of action without considering whether such rules apply to the present situation. Confidence cannot serve as a reliable replacement for these missing details.
Estimating Strength in Craft Beer Can Also Cause Error
The amount of alcoholic beverages in a glass, bottle, or can does not always measure up to the actual number of drinks within that container. One standard drink generally has about 14 grams of pure alcohol. A 12-oz beer with an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 5%, would be one standard drink. A 12-oz craft beer, however, with an ABV of 10% would be equal to two standard drinks. This distinction is particularly important for many styles of beers, such as Imperial Stouts, Double IPA’s, Strong Belgian-style ales, etc. Taprooms are also known to serve a generous portion of beer in a single serving; thus, a taproom pour may contain more than one standard drink, while it looks like you have only one glass in front of you.
Alcohol can encourage reliance on simple, familiar responses rather than careful comparison of several pieces of information. A search such as “Pinco download app” may solve a straightforward access question, but poker decisions are rarely that simple. Once play begins, position, stack size, previous action and risk all need to be considered at the same time.
Common Problem Areas Where Decision-Making May Fail Due to Influence of Alcohol
Alcohol-related errors are not limited to placing large bets. While somewhat obvious examples exist, the most common signs of alcohol-related error include:
- Limited Focus: Focusing only on your own hand while ignoring position and prior action.
- Variable Bet Sizing: Making a bet because it “feels” correct regardless of its relationship to the pot.
- Chasing Outcomes: Treating a loss recently experienced as justification for recovering lost funds in subsequent rounds.
- Poor Record Keeping: Failure to maintain records tracking buy-in amounts, total hours spent playing, or quantity of strong beers consumed.
The safest assumption here is that consumption of alcohol does not guarantee suboptimal performance at the poker table; however, consumption reduces the buffer zone for maintaining disciplined decision-making processes.
Separating Tasting From Betting Choices at Game Night
Managing a fun, responsible game night is much simpler if you set all of your rules beforehand, while everyone remains sober. Don’t decide buy-in limits, how long the session will last, who will drive home, etc., after the beer is flowing. Maintaining separation from the taste test portion of the evening from the competitive portion of the evening sets clear boundaries.
While it is possible for both to coexist at a social gathering, there are many design decisions that can help create clarity:
- List the ABV and serving sizes of each beer.
- Use smaller tasting portions, so assume that each glass doesn’t equal one drink.
- Make water, food and non-alcohol beers clearly identifiable.
- Set in advance the amount participants can wager (don’t reopen those limits during play).
- Stop betting once a player has difficulty following along with the action or keeping track of their spending.
There are no design decisions that can convert impairment into good judgment. These represent boundaries for a social environment; they are not performance enhancing devices. If an attendee plans to drive, take medications that interact with alcohol, is pregnant, or has other health issues impacted by alcohol then attendees have other reasons to abstain from alcohol and seek medical advice individually where necessary.
