From The Felt: Headphones In Poker
Monday, November 24, 2008 - John Greene
A lot of people listen to music at their computer while playing poker online, and it’s easy to understand why. It can get lonely, especially when you’re playing in a big late-night tournament and everyone else in your house has gone to bed for the night and Van Halen always helps pass the time. However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to listen to your iPod when playing live in any sort of environment.
When you play online poker, every cue you get from the other players is on the screen. How long it takes them to bet, the way they bluff on hands, etc: it’s all right there. When playing poker live, though, information can come from anywhere. An edge in someone’s voice can let you know that they’re stressed and desperate to play. The guy next to you tapping his chips against the table’s edge in a certain way can tell you that he’s bluffing without you needing to look over. Heck, you might even overhear someone talking about a hand that can give you a lot of information about their play style.
Even with the clues that your ears can bring you, it’s important to point out another reason that you shouldn’t play with your headphones on: poker is a social game. Not everybody at the table is as chatty as Phil Hellmuth can be, but you should be at least cordial with those you’re trying to take money from. I’d hate to see what a table with nine people all wearing headphones would be like.
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Tags: headphones, music
November 26th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Ok, so music on the mp3 while playing live poker may not be great, or to some it’s the best thing and it gives them the edge. Either way, P0ker H0 on the ipod is priceless – entertaining but definitely not soothing. Are they putting H0’s radio show on a podcast for download?
November 26th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptA lot of people listen to music at their computer while playing poker online, and it’s easy to understand why. It can get lonely, especially when you’re playing in a big late-night tournament and everyone else in your house has gone to … [...]