Creatine

Creatine is one of the most well-researched supplements for both physical and cognitive performance, offering poker players distinct advantages during long and mentally demanding tournaments. The cognitive benefits of creatine for poker players include: • **Enhanced Brain Energy Metabolism**: Creatine increases phosphocreatine stores in the brain, providing additional ATP during periods of intense cognitive demand, such as final table play • **Improved Performance Under Sleep Deprivation**: Research shows creatine helps maintain cognitive performance when sleep-deprived—a common condition during multi-day tournaments • **Working Memory Enhancement**: Studies have found creatine supplementation improves working memory, which helps poker players track complex hand histories and opponent tendencies • **Reduced Mental Fatigue**: Helps maintain cognitive processing speed during extended mental effort, preventing the decision quality decline that typically occurs in later tournament stages A double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society found that creatine supplementation reduced mental fatigue and maintained oxygen utilization in the brain during challenging cognitive tasks. For poker players, this translates to better decision quality during crucial late-tournament hands when many competitors are experiencing cognitive decline.