Music while playing in B&M

[KowCiller]

When I went to Vegas last week I was surprised to see so many people with IPod (or other MP3 player) in hand when they sat at the table. At one point as many as half of the players at my NL table at the Bellagio had their ear-phones in listening to music.

How many of you regularly listen to music while playing ring games?

What about tournaments?

Do you feel it helps or hinders your concentration and feel for the table?

All thoughts appreciated.

KoW

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I have no problem with people listening to music as long as it doesn't cause them to slow the game down. Personally, I will listen to music, but only if the table is dead silent/serious and I only put it in one ear - the one away from the dealer and/or most of the action. I also keep the volume down low - the main thing I hear is still the table action. I have yet to miss something that I wouldn't have missed anyway because it was just spoken too softly. If people are talkative or I'm worried about potentially killing a fun atmosphere, I keep the music in my pocket.

[Zez]

Don't know how other people do it. It distracts me.

And it can be annoying when the dealer has to loudly repeat things to the ipod wearer. Not a problem if the ipoder is paying attention, but my experience is they sink into their own little world and have to be altered that it's time to put out the BB or time to wake up and check/bet/raise.

[toots]

Man, I bet if we saw three name brand players on TV shave their heads and wear purple lipstick, three weeks later, half the posers in the B&Ms would be doing it.

[KowCiller]

I agree. I guess the weird thing is that in my local B&M of choice, I don't believe I've seen anyone listening to music while they play. It was something I saw in vegas for the first time in person -- yet it was so widespread.

Just curious how many 2+2'ers have jumped onto this bandwagon.

KoW

[underaged]

I do it because it makes me happy. I keep it real low and pay attention to action when I'm in on a hand though.

[Abagadro]

I do it under certain circumstances, namely when the table is boring. I find that if I get too bored, I start playing hands I usually wouldn't just to have something to do. I think this is a symptom of playing so much online.

It also has a weird effect of helping me pick up tells. For some reason when the normal audio of the table is obscured and I am watching people when not in a hand, I can see their ticks better. (shrug)

I put in on low and am still very atuned to the game though so as not to slow it down.

[coolhandkuhn]

I'm an iPod listener wherever I go...not just for poker. I think it is the best purchase I've ever made. I now have a device that attaches to it that will hijack an unused radio frequency and let me listen to it on my car stereo.

Not everyone who has an MP3 player at the table is trying to do the next cool thing...some of us just like music.

Benefits for my poker game: when I'm listening to music, I play tighter --- I'm not so anxious to get involved w/my KT suited, when I can happily fold and concentrate on whatever song I'm listening too. It also helps me tune out the table coaches who like to lecture about anything and everything, as well as the inane chatter from anyone else.

Downsides are that I'm missing some of the post hand chatter about who had what occasionally, and that having it on brings an air of seriousness to the game sometimes that I would rather not be present. All in all, though, minor trade-offs for the joy the thing brings me.

[toots]

Yes, but I'm 100% sure that anyone who is doing it just to do the next cool thing will have a totally plausible sounding rationalization for why they do it. And will totally deny doing it just because the role models are wearing purple lipstick.

It's so farging predictable nowadays. I was at FW the other day playing BJ. Someone with the official "poker dude" uniform came and sat at the table. I asked him what the heck he was doing at a BJ table and why he wasn't playing poker. Without missing a beat, he replied that he'd just busted out of the tournament.

When poker players are that recognizable, any claims of individuality are hard to swallow.

[SharkBait]

I often listen to music while playing but keep the volume low. Occasionally in a long session I will crank up some upbeat song to get the focus back. The one time it may have actually "helped" my game was in the WPT event in the Bahamas. I got in a big hand with Negraneau and he did his typical chatting trying to start a conversation. I just stared ahead (had quads)and finally somebody said to him "don't bother he can't hear you." Of course, I heard everything and he paid off my quads. Probably the highlight of my short poker career.