blonde poker forum

Please can someone recommend tablets or something similar to prevent the shakes whilst playing poker. I am not usually a nervous person but for some reason when i sit down at the table i get nervous and my hands start shaking which obviously does not help when you send your chips flying ;-) Thanks in advance. Disco.

Blimey, what a first post. Have you tried having a drink before you play to calm your nerves down a bit?

Experience is probably your best antidote.  The more you play, the less nervous you'll be.

:hello: and welcome to blonde!  No need to be nervous round here - we're all friendly.  Well most of us...

Yeah, someone said try a drink but after a case of corona and half a bottle of JD i was still shaking, ;-)  Someone mentioned beta blockers , anyone know anything about them and do boots sell them ????? Disco

I used to shake like mad when I first started and I still do sometimes, especially during the first few pot of a big comp.

My shake was so bad I had to bet with my left hand because I couldn't pick up chips with my right, an I once tried to take a nonchalant sip of my tea, and the teasboon rattled like an alarm bell.

So long as you don't only shake when you have the best hand, it doesn't matter. It will get better with time, so don't be taking any pills.

The only other thing you have to worry about then is embarrassment. I'm used to embarrassing myself and I just laugh at myself along with everyone else.

Make a joke of it and enjoy your poker.

Welcome to blonde.

If my hands shook that much I'd be off to the Gents TBH.

Take off your cock-ring vibrator before you start playing.

Perhaps I should say "Welcome back to blonde".

DiscoBoy is in fact Pokerdave69 using a different alias.

I Remind you that multiple accounts are not allowed.

Even in a full-ring game?

:dontask:

Hypnosis FTW

I find im nervy at the 1st few levels of a comp,even after a few years playing.but if i go deep i get extremely calm.most strange.i think im worried about losing stacks to donks.

Possibly not - heads-up will probably be reached quicker.

Sorry Mr Dog have just come back from being away for a year and half, I Couldnt remember my log in details, can you delete the pokerdave one for me please. Thanks

Term served, or out on license with a tag ? ;)

LOL Bit of both Kev ;-) more of time served though,  Hows things mate ??

ANYWAY back to the matter in hand. What about my shaking ?????

beta blockers can help with nerves and anxiety, and I understand a lot of people find them useful to take before giving presentations etc, and that their occasional use for that purpose is fine.  You'll need to go and speak to your GP to get them prescribed though.  If you've got any other situations other than playing poker where you feel they would be beneficial I'd probably mention those to the doc instead though :)

oh and welcome back :)

I take a type of Beta Blockers for migraines, no idea if it stops shaking as i dont shake.

obv works then :)up

Sigh....

this coulod be the start of a whole series of threads. e.g.

me- I've got a problem with elephants trampling my rose bushes. do you think beta blockers would help?

tractor- I take a type of Beta Blockers for migraines, no idea if it'll help with the elephants though, I've not got rose bushes

claw- obv works then  :)up

weird. go allin every hand for about 5 tournamements, that will make you realise it really doest matter when you lose. failing that try and keep pace with Dewi's guinness intake, shakes will be the last thing you'll be worried about past 8pm.

if you're addicted to crack then it could be withdrawall symptoms in which case you should smoke some crack before you play, if you are not addicted to crack and your problem with nerves are completely unrelated to crack try smoking some crack to before hand to calm your nerves, if the idea of smoking crack is abhorrent to you try some crack and you may find yourself thinking differently about it, if you need some crack and are in the casino seek out flushy.

seriously i'd say the best way to deal with your pre game nerves would be to puke all over the table, try to get as much on the dealer as possible, not much to be nervous about during the game after you've done that to the table.

B-Blockers can be given for migraine prevention, and for a host of other conditions, congestive heart failure being the most common (a special type of BB called an ACE Inhibitor will be proscribed for this).

it would be very unusual for a medical practitioner to prescribe these drugs merely for getting the shakes at the poker table - if you were diagnosed with "Essential Tremor" then you would be a candidate, likewise if you demonstrated severe social anxiety, but otherwise general relaxation techniques are more likely to work.

also the side effects and interaction of taking beta blockers can be serious, so never take them without a GP prescription.

this has been a public information film....

Make sure you're the last one to sit down and as you do inform all the other players that if any of them so much as even think about knocking you out of the tournament you will be waiting for them outside.

Then your shakes wont seem half as bad as theirs

this is true and something I should have said in my earlier post (I wouldn't have even mentioned beta blockers btw if the OP hadn't raised the issue).  I took them for a week or so for an unrelated condition a while back and had to stop as they didn't agree with me at all.

Beta blockers are often prescribed for performance anxiety in musicians, in fact I've had them prescribed for that reason in the past and they did help.  But yes, they can stop your heart and all sorts so definitely make sure you see a GP and get a prescription to make sure you don't have any medical conditions that might make it dangerous for you to take them.

Wear gloves, take your mind of the shakes.

valium ftw obv

probably the best thing to do would be to announce to the table: "look guys i'm really very nervous so sorry if i make any mistakes, i probably wont be bluffing to much and generally feel nervous about playing any sort of hands so go easy on me"

This is good advice.

I've done this two or three times and it's always paid dividends (perhaps slightly less obvious - you can leave out telling people you won't be bluffing much, but add more emphasis on being a beginner and not having played very much maybe).

Disco

I would advise listening to Reddogs advice and not take medication. You are experiencing anxiety because its a new situation and as you expose yourself more and more, the shakes will reduce.

If, as Claw asked, you are anxious more often that just at the poker table, talking therapies are the first line treatment. If talking things though with friends doesnt help, then heres a great resource www.livinglifetothefull.com/ . Its an online Cognitive Behavioural programe that helps you re-train your thinking. It is effective for the treatment anxiety and depression so if the problem is wider than poker, this site is for you.

Its good to hear people sharing their experiences. It normalises anxiety and helps people talk about it. Thats therapy in itself.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

Mad

Bachs Rescue Remedy ftw.

one thing dave isnt is new to poker i remember meeting him in the vic back in 2004 when he knew everyone and i knew no one

i cant see how the shakes would be down to nerves and newness to poker

having said that NEVER take medcine for things that arent life threating

i wont even take sleeping pills dispite doctors always trying to give them to me cause i cant sleep

Yup that works too for some, maybe a shot of whisky would be just as effective ;)

But just stick to the Rescue Remedy if you're nervous before your driving test..... ::) Lol.

Lol, good idea !

Anyone remeber the "Hoover from Vancouver" Bill Werbenuk? 1980`s snooker legend couldnt pick a cue up without taking beta blockers and supping 16 pints of lager. in fact he was so tez without the beer he was able to claim it as a an essential buisness expense on his tax return. The blockers reduce the heart rate so work a treat in snooker where the steady hand is key to success, unfortunately for Bill they banned em and im not sure he ever played again.

typical response would be to expose yourself to the cause of the shakes(playing poker) as often as possible. If you played poker previous to your 'sabbatical' and didn't suffer from the shakes, then it's probably some form of social phobia that has developed. Give it a few weeks.
Oh, and don't listen to anyone offering Valium. Stuff hasn't been made for years.

then wtf has dodgy dave been selling me down the pub everyweek?

come to think of it my anxiety hasn't gotten at all better but my halitosis has cleared right up :dontask:

It's just wording Bolt. Valium stopped being made after the license ran out, and therefore competitors could produce generic form much cheaper.
It's obviously commonly available under the generic name of Diazepam.
For most medications generic forms are the same, but for others they are different, and provide different effects.

Vodka + coke before I play... control my breathing.. tends to work..

experience definitely helps!

Breathing techniques work for me for golf, tis what the sports psychologist got me doing.

Girl I was involved with in a big hand at the Venetian the other day blushed to a ridiculous degree. After the hand she said she always does it when she's in a big pot.
I said I'd assumed it was just because she was in a hand against me. She declined further comment.

Move to San Franciso. There is a much better chance of an earthquake there than in Britain. Once you have settled into your new life formulate a plan to get to the casino quick in the event of any earthquake measuring Richter 4 or above. Hey presto, you will appear normal and calm. Immediately get involved in every hand, start jammin pot after pot, steal & re-steal like there's no tomorrow. When the quake subsides snap-call for a rack and get outta there quick. If you fumble your chips into the tray at this point then so what.