Question for the pros and multi-tablers

[AtticusFinch]

What do you recommend to cut the monotony while playing? Music? Talk radio? Clearly for me, surfing the web while playing (including posting here) is a VERY bad idea.

[Scuba Chuck]

Finch, how many tables do you play at once? What buyin? Do you stagger, or start all at one time?

Next, how and where does reading 2+2 interfere with your play?

[Hawkeye27]

Sirius Backspin Old Skool Rap for me. It almost puts me in a Zen like trance. Not a pro, but put in alot of latenight hours multi tabling.

[tallasudude]

If you have music match...go into the Children's section and listen to "Doris the stegosaurus" or the "Food Jokes song"...it makes me happy.

Hmm.... or Dr. Dre, Mace, Snoop dog, Pop/Rock, other Rap, etc.

[AtticusFinch]

[ QUOTE ]
Finch, how many tables do you play at once? What buyin? Do you stagger, or start all at one time?

Next, how and where does reading 2+2 interfere with your play?

[/ QUOTE ]

I play 55s. I've single tabled up until now. I want to start multi-tabling.

Reading 2+2 gets me so engrossed that I forget about the game I'm playing. I think that multi-tabling might actually improve my ROI as I'll be forced to stay "at the table" more.

[ZeeJustin]

I play 8-12 sngs at a time. I always have music playing. Generally I have aim, irc, msn, and internet exlporer open also. Sometimes Ill have a dvd playing too.

[tallasudude]

Playing poker with out reading 2+2? Pff...your crazy man.

[GauchoFish]

this is no sarcasm...i play 4 minimum and have multiple browser windows, AIM, food cooking, telephone calls coming etc...that keeps my game in line, when i focus too much on the tables i get impatient, over-analyze situations...for me, the first instinct is usually the correct one, at least long term. by this i mean that its easy to muck JJ to a raise and a re-raise all-in if i haven't spent the last twenty seconds salivating over my jacks.


WD

[11t]

I play with 3 tables open at a time and stagger them so they are each in different stages. Like I'll start by opening 2 then when they hit middle stage I open another one and once I win/lose one of the original 2 I open another and keep cycling. I try to play in like 9 game bursts and I listen to music on headphones and try to not succomb to outside distractions.

Basically I bend my entire being upon victory.

[AtticusFinch]

[ QUOTE ]
this is no sarcasm...i play 4 minimum and have multiple browser windows, AIM, food cooking, telephone calls coming etc...that keeps my game in line, when i focus too much on the tables i get impatient, over-analyze situations...for me, the first instinct is usually the correct one, at least long term. by this i mean that its easy to muck JJ to a raise and a re-raise all-in if i haven't spent the last twenty seconds salivating over my jacks.


[/ QUOTE ]

You know I suspect that this may be it with me, too. I never make ridiculously fishy plays like limping with KJo UTG early, playing any ace, calling pot-sized bets with draws, etc. My costliest mistakes always come from overthinking the situation. Maybe I should just dive right into multi-tabling.