Most poker players who is reading this article has probably played offline
poker in addition to online poker. You have probably noticed a lot of
poker players in the WPT and WSOP shows wearing sunglasses and/or listening
to music while they play. I personally think it's a mistake to use sunglasses
or a music player when you're playing in a live poker game.
Wearing Sunglasses at the Poker Table
Most players would wear sunglasses to hide their tells from their eyes.
That's true for a lot of players, but in reality, you are also blocking
tells from other people as well. Depending on where you play poker, the
poker room doesn't usually have a good amount of sun shining in, which
is what the sunglasses are made for anyway. The rooms are usually dark,
and wearing sunglasses will only make everything darker.
An important part of the poker game is being able to read people. If you
are wearing sunglasses, you might not be able to see as clearly as you
like. The sunglasses might hinder your vision in a game where every little
visual information on the opposing poker player can help. There are new
poker sunglasses that is specially made for poker. We will try and review
them in the near future and let you know if it's worth wearing.
Another negative aspect of wearing sunglasses when playing poker is that
you might get used to it. What happens when the sunglasses accidentally
breaks when you're playing in a large poker tournament? You wouldn't be
able to focus on your poker game at that point. You'll be too worry about
people reading you and seeing your eyes. It would totally throw you off
your game.
Sunglasses might make you look cool, but is it as cool as someone winning
the tournament and holding the poker winnings in his hands? If you're
currently playing with sunglasses, I suggest playing without them for
a few games. You might be surprise at how much visual information that
you missed.
Listening to Music at the Poker Table
Another common habit that people are doing nowadays is listening to their
CD or MP3 players at the poker table. This is even worse than wearing
sunglasses. People who listen to music at the poker table usually slows
down the game. When someone bets or raises, they wouldn't hear it and
would ask how much the raise or bet is. It causes the poker game to slow
down to a grind.
Listening to music also blocks you from hearing vital information. You'll
be surprise at how much information you can pick up from listening to
people's conversation. You could hear if people are frustrated, scared,
or tilted by the tone of their voice. You'll be surprise at some of the
things people mumble to themselves after a long tournament. I remember
one time, it was down to me and another player at 1am in the morning.
During one hand, the opposing player actually mumbled what they were holding
in their hand.
Last but not least, poker is a social game that is played for fun and
money. How much fun will it be if everyone is sitting at the table wearing
sunglasses and listening to their music with no interaction going on at
all.
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Wearing
Sunglasses and Listening to Music
