Porn as a Performance Enhancer
Sure... it's been shown that porn can be a performance enhancer, but a life enhancer? A poker enhancer? BTW, if the title doesn't tip you off this might be a little NSFW...
I had a friend in college who insisted that he watch a dirty movie before going up to the fraternity row to meet ladies over beers. He swore his success rate was far higher after doing so. Anectdotal evidence... yawn. Still, if he is to be believed perhaps the natural aggresion from being horny, as a tool to overcoming natural shyness inhibitors could also be a useful tool on the felt as an instigator to agressiveness.
In Barry Greenstein's book, Ace on the river, he suggests a poker player be sexually satisfied. If you are going to be on the road for long periods of time he suggests a substitute for a wife be found in a traveling mate. His children by many last names suggests he had no difficulty in finding said substitutes. From a moral and ethical perspective I disagree with Greenstein, though I do find his theory interesting.
Barry's success suggests that being horny and being a good poker player are mutually exclusive and actually being satisfied was to key to cashes. In fact, he stressed he thought it was paramount for a player to be relaxed to properly be focused for long tounament play. I'd have to side with Greenstein on this one... until I read this article.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080415/ap_on_sc/traders_sex_drive;_ylt=At5KTJTYyEASr12as0TkBc5xieAA
To summarize, a study of traders on wall street have determined that traders with a lot of testosterone in the morning, were more likely to have large short term gains. In men the same triggers induced by eroticism go hand in hand with money. Perhaps, because a lot of money leads to a lot of opportunity for sex. They showed men erotic images and they were more willing to take risks then men being shown neutral images. They also had better success rates over a short run.
So my college friend was right, and Greenstein was wrong! Umm... not exactly. Turns out they both may be right. Because those same successful traders over a short run, turned into slightly irrational and overly aggressive if their hormone levels stayed high over the next couple of days and they ended up making big losses. Why? They made bad decisions and gambled too much. It seems you need a little agressiveness but not so much that it overwhelms rationalism. Unchecked testosterone will do just that.
A popular wall street description of a bad ass trader, a big swinging dick, confirms subconsciously a connection between success as a trader and sexuality. Let's apply that to the numerous ultra-aggressive players who amass huge stacks early in a tournament but then struggle to hang on to them until they get to the money. Perhaps, Demtri Nobles just needed to get laid. So, perhaps this is where a player like Greenstein can wait around for these uber-aggressive sorts to make more mistakes (especially if they aren't equipped with their own sexual surrogates). Maybe a sexual release for the latter stages of the tournament can reign in a player from losing his rationalism when being agressive.
What's the proper balance between aggressive and controlled? The article states traders high in cortisol, a hormone produced most commonly by stress, induces them to be too afraid to make mistakes and too tentative to take risks and then being money losers for the day.
Hmmm. Some things to think about for you next tournament stretch.
Things to think about.
I had a friend in college who insisted that he watch a dirty movie before going up to the fraternity row to meet ladies over beers. He swore his success rate was far higher after doing so. Anectdotal evidence... yawn. Still, if he is to be believed perhaps the natural aggresion from being horny, as a tool to overcoming natural shyness inhibitors could also be a useful tool on the felt as an instigator to agressiveness.
In Barry Greenstein's book, Ace on the river, he suggests a poker player be sexually satisfied. If you are going to be on the road for long periods of time he suggests a substitute for a wife be found in a traveling mate. His children by many last names suggests he had no difficulty in finding said substitutes. From a moral and ethical perspective I disagree with Greenstein, though I do find his theory interesting.
Barry's success suggests that being horny and being a good poker player are mutually exclusive and actually being satisfied was to key to cashes. In fact, he stressed he thought it was paramount for a player to be relaxed to properly be focused for long tounament play. I'd have to side with Greenstein on this one... until I read this article.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080415/ap_on_sc/traders_sex_drive;_ylt=At5KTJTYyEASr12as0TkBc5xieAA
To summarize, a study of traders on wall street have determined that traders with a lot of testosterone in the morning, were more likely to have large short term gains. In men the same triggers induced by eroticism go hand in hand with money. Perhaps, because a lot of money leads to a lot of opportunity for sex. They showed men erotic images and they were more willing to take risks then men being shown neutral images. They also had better success rates over a short run.
So my college friend was right, and Greenstein was wrong! Umm... not exactly. Turns out they both may be right. Because those same successful traders over a short run, turned into slightly irrational and overly aggressive if their hormone levels stayed high over the next couple of days and they ended up making big losses. Why? They made bad decisions and gambled too much. It seems you need a little agressiveness but not so much that it overwhelms rationalism. Unchecked testosterone will do just that.
A popular wall street description of a bad ass trader, a big swinging dick, confirms subconsciously a connection between success as a trader and sexuality. Let's apply that to the numerous ultra-aggressive players who amass huge stacks early in a tournament but then struggle to hang on to them until they get to the money. Perhaps, Demtri Nobles just needed to get laid. So, perhaps this is where a player like Greenstein can wait around for these uber-aggressive sorts to make more mistakes (especially if they aren't equipped with their own sexual surrogates). Maybe a sexual release for the latter stages of the tournament can reign in a player from losing his rationalism when being agressive.
What's the proper balance between aggressive and controlled? The article states traders high in cortisol, a hormone produced most commonly by stress, induces them to be too afraid to make mistakes and too tentative to take risks and then being money losers for the day.
Hmmm. Some things to think about for you next tournament stretch.
Things to think about.
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