Quote Originally Posted by Norm View Post
Not at my age. Even in my heavier drinking days, I very rarely even sipped on playing trips. It wasn't so much that it affected my play. In fact, I could concentrate a bit better with some alcohol as it allowed me to ignore the raucous casino and focus on the local environment. But, it tired me. Alcohol is rather odd. In small quantities, it has a stimulating effect. In large quantities, it's a depressant. And, it dehydrates you and takes too long for the kidneys to filter it out. The sum of it is that alcohol is a negative.
+1 excellent insight - won't hear this too much in card-counting literature. Fact of the matter is that for regular drinkers, they're probably dead in the zone with a few in them. Much more of a threat to the casino than the stiff that's drinking coffee.