Kruger Magazine

Trends in common practice while playing poker come and go, and one of the current ones seems to be the habit of listening to music via earphones and iPod or mp3 player. There is usually no rule against this.

The practice is regarded as akin to wearing sunglasses or visors at the table. While the sunglasses can help a person hide his or her poker tells, listening to music can aid in maintaining focus.

Does it Actually Work?

Well, this really depends on the player, and on how the music is used. Some players can get very distracted by the music. Furthermore, if you play your music too loudly, you might end up missing important announcements, such as the fact that somebody has called your bet. This can be particularly damaging in a large tournament, when major seating changes happen often. If you are distracted, you will slow down game play. You might also miss some valuable poker tells, since some are aural rather than merely visual.

The best way to use music is to have it play at a low volume. You might not hear absolutely everything going on at the table, but you will at least be able to hear calls and other important announcements. Furthermore, you should try to prepare a set playlist before each game and set it to repeat. This way, you will not have to keep stopping in order to select the songs you like.

Under such circumstances, you will be in the best position to realize the benefits of this practice. You will be able to focus on the game. If you pick relaxing music, you might also be able to control your own poker tells or other signs of agitation. Furthermore, if you happen to be in the middle of an extremely long poker session, music can help you keep awake and alert, despite your tiredness.

Furthermore, listening to music on a personal device such as an mp3 player introduces some distance between you and your environment. For some people, distance is necessary in order to maintain an analytical approach. Also, if you are the type to feel too much pity or sympathy for opponents, this distance can help you to turn off your sympathy for a while and be aggressive or deceptive if you need to. If you are planning to play for money or as a professional, you need to maintain a healthy competitive spirit. Of course, if you are playing poker purely as a social game, you will probably feel differently about devices or measures that put distance between you and your fellow players. By all means, leave off the personal music device, but do not be surprised if your focus often gets broken. Your feelings on this matter will really depend on what poker itself means to you.

Online or Offline?

Basically listening to music is best for online play. You can simply put together a playlist in your free time, then start it up once you log into your game. Since you are not playing live, there will be no need to pay attention to audio or visual poker tells.