The World Series of Poker is the biggest poker event of the year for players and fans all around the world. So popular has it become that it can be compared to any other field of sport. A comparison to the Tour de France would not be out of place. However, in light of the bicycle race’s recent bout of drug related scandal, the comparison to poker may be more serious than people realize.
In the near past, the Tour de France was the most famed and exciting cycling event in the world. However, its purity has been marred recent doping accusations, suspicions and allegations. It seems that even this noble event has not been left untouched, and like other fields, in this sport as well athletes try to get an advantage over other players by using drugs. It is almost expected in our prescription-drug infused society.
However, what about athletes of the mind? In poker, too, such performance enhancers abound. Former programmer and today professional poker player Paul Phillips has recently announced that medication that he was receiving after he was diagnosed with ADHD helped him, according to his testimony, win large amounts in later poker competitions he participated in.
Adderall, the drug Phillips was medicated with, helps the poker player take in information, become an "information sponge" in his words. It helps improve patience and avoid boredom, key elements for the professional poker player. Other medication, which Phillips has since used, includes Modafinil, which stimulates his wakefulness and enhances his focus during games. Of course the drugs have downsides to them, including loss of appetite and insomnia.
On the other hand, if a player is diagnosed with a concentration problem, then should he be punished by not being allowed to participate in poker tournaments? Modern medicine has given people with ADHD new opportunities. It would be an irony if those same opportunities would be revoked, only because they exist because of modern medicine. Care must be taken be differentiate prescription drugs from illegal substances such as steroids.
However, it is important that poker stay a clean sport. It is never to anyone’s advantage if a sport becomes muddied in drugs, especially in the post UIGEA days, when the American government is looking for any way or reason to ban poker as well.
How are these drugs different from caffeine, by and large the most popular "drug" among tournament poker players? This isn't clear and seems to be accepted in the game. Whether the poker world will one day administer drug tests for players, only time will tell.
OPN Staff
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