Caffeine – whether it’s in coffee or an energy drink – has long been associated with online gaming as well as gambling in a brick-and-mortar casino. People want to keep their reactions sharp and their reasoning even sharper, especially if they’re in for a long session that could go all night.
The big question is: what does caffeine actually do to your mind, and should you be relying on it to get you through a big game or long session?
What Caffeine Can Do for Your Performance
When taken in moderation, caffeine can provide some great advantages:
- A Better Attention Span – Coffee will keep you sharper and prevent your mind and body from getting tired. This is very useful when playing games like poker and other strategy-based casino games.
- Improved Cognitive Function – Again, with strategy-based games, you need to be able to work out the likelihood of your hand being stronger than other players. You also need to be able to read the room if you’re in a live game. Coffee can help with this.
- Faster Reaction Time – This isn’t always important for gambling, but it can help you to read other players and the table just a bit better, especially in a long session of play.
The Downside of Too Much Caffeine
Of course, the key is always moderation. When you have too much of a stimulant like caffeine, you can easily make your mind and body less sharp. You can see an increase in anxiety levels and find it harder to make rational decisions when you have too much caffeine in your system.
On average, the human body can handle 250mg of caffeine before you start to over-stimulate and see the negative impact of it. When drinking coffee for your caffeine fix, it’s important to ensure that you know how strong your coffee is. One cup can have anywhere between 60mg and 120mg.
Of course, everyone is different, and one person may be able to handle higher levels naturally than others. Additionally, the more coffee you drink, the more of a tolerance you’ll have to caffeine. It’s important to know your own limit if you want to get the positive impact on your gaming.
When Should You Have Coffee?
The online gaming community has grown hugely and there are so many great places for people to play and gamble all over the world. This means that you might not be keeping normal hours for your gaming. For example, if you’re playing Australian slots online but living in the USA, you might need some coffee to keep you awake. One cup at the start of a session will help to turn your senses on and ensure you’re focused on what you’re doing.
You can also stagger your coffee intake to ensure that you don’t go over the 250mg limit in one sitting and push your body into overdrive. The idea is to ensure you stay awake and focused if you’re in a big game, without getting jittery, anxious or indecisive.