wearing headphones at live games -- seem like bullsh*t to me

I didn't see a Live Poker forum, so hopefully this sorta fits....

Can someone please explain why people (especially the kids) roll up to a low stakes table in a casino w/ their brand new poker outfit -- and wearing not just shades & hoodie, but worst of all: headphones.

OK, I can understand that blocking your face gives you an advantage for obvious reasons, but headphones?!? Really? I mean we're not talking about the WSOP final table. We're talking about a $1/2 NL cash game on a Friday night when most people are there to have some fun. And god help me if I see another one of them show up at a small, friendly card room -- or worst of all, a home game. Seriously. No one around here are pros. And you're not either. Just sit the f*ck down and pretend you have a personality.

My pet peeves aside for a moment, I guess I never really understood why people would use headphones to begin with. I think I'd find it super distracting. Wouldn't you want all the information you can get about what the other players are saying? Wouldn't you want to be fully focused on what people doing ... and not hold up the game bc the dealer had to remind you that it's your turn? Just seems like a headphone would (for me at least) be -EV.

And what do people listen to on their headphones anyway?

People wear headphones to make the time pass quicker. Playing for ten hours in one day can get tedious so they take music to make it better.
IMO it's a distraction and a lot of tells can be found from the sound people make (sighing, tutting etc is all strong).
DN actually posted a thing on his blog about this ranting about the same thing. Kids don't pay much attention and then when they bust out blame it on variance.

I know what you mean, but as a parent, seeing kids do annoying things is all part of life. And it seems to me that you get a lot of free information from the start just by the outfit - "I think I am so cool and good at poker, look, I even look (<)ready for the WSOP FT....."

I play a local live game, and no one wears headfones, its a low buy in. So if someone did there, it would just scream about they type of player.

And although I am mainly an online player (when I get to play anymore, lol) I dont understand the headfone thing either. Why not be present if ur gonna play live? And if you want to "not be there" then....IMO......DRINK........

We hear less as we get older. Some frequencies are only available to our ears until around the end of adolescence (sp?). That's why so many people can only concentrate with music until their late 20s and prefer to concentrate in silence afterwards.

While I consider this a trend (like the hood and the glasses) it is perfectly acceptable that to the right person, the right music will enhance their concentration.

Still I think it's a trend and nothing else.

Personally I do not like the headphone stuff but if someone wants to wear them then surely it is up to them. It is not against the rules. Everyone is different and we have to respect other people choices even although they might be different from our own.

I don't Think Music Helps with concentration at all, but more so that to not let others read you as well...

Acouple years back (When I lived in Ottawa), There use to be a local Game at a bar, $20 buy-in Usually had about 100 PPL in it, and only top 7 got the money, Long story short, I came every week to those games, with my C.D player with Headphones (Album), and when the game began, Kept One headphone on one ear, so I can know when it was my turn to deal/Play/Fold/Check/W/E long story short, I won Alot of those games before the Cops busted The bar for "Illegal Gambling"...At the time I thought it was A)To Distract the other players/ and let them Get annoyed with me, thus it was an Advantage that I Had on them, and the 2nd Reason was Because I couldn't bluff, nor Hide my tells so much For shit, that Listening to the music actually helped conceal the Dumb, OMG I got AA, And Hit Quads LOOK on my face...Other then those pointed out reasons They did no good to me...I mean the down fall is that A) It's much Harder to get Reads on your Opponents, But much Easier to Conceal your own Weaknesses also

Now I really don't play Live often enough, but just last week got to play live finally and I went without the MP3 player, and It did wonders in Helping me out to Figure out there Weaknesses and since I'm older now, I figured out how to hide my Own Weaknesses with just the Basic Show them Everything on your Face Look (Which I did By constantly Talking about the online thing with the FBI, and the Is online Poker Rigged always Gets a Conversation going), also I find the "Is it hard to Win the Sunday Million", Or "do you Regularly play in the Million"? As a good Convo Starter, but my Favorite while at the casino was the, "What poker books do you read"?, From there (Depending on there answer), take the step in Figuring out what type of game they like to play most in, and just keep the Convo going (Even when your making a bluff against them during a hand to Hide the Fact that your weak, worked fine for me)

+1 Yes, totally. I'm definitely not a very experienced live player, so I want all the into I can get. There have been more than one occasions when someone had one of those classic audio tells --ie: sighing when they flopped a monster, etc.

Ha! Hilarious. Not a parent, but as a former teacher I know what ya mean.

Exactly. Mostly I was complaining about it happening at one of the few a local non-casino card rooms I've been to where headphones & hoodies just seems out of place & pretty antisocial. But maybe I've just been to very laid back rooms.

Regardless though, I think my brain is just wired in a way that doesn't allow me to concentrate w/ a lot of other input distracting -- particularly audio input. Back when I was student I actually used to put ear plugs in when I was studying in a public space. Perhaps I have ADD after all.

p.s. The other possibility for wearing headphones is as a bluff. You could just put them in w/ nothing on & pretend that you can't hear anyone. Still, that won't keep you from being seen as a jerk in the local rooms where I've been playing lately.

I will also add that, as a professional musician I would have no idea what to listen to. If I choose my favorite music, I would get pretty distracted at times, cause when I listen to some stuff, I really listen. It would use some concentration and might actually be more harmful than not in certain situations. And if I chose music that is not well known to me, I would probably be going "Wow, thats good, wonder how they got that sound" or "man this sucks, let me get this crap off" and so on.

And miss a maybe important tell...............

Very interesting. I find that my parents don't mind a lot of the distractions that I can't even bare. I prefer sitting in a quiet dimmed room with absolutely no distractions.
Lol, same here I'm an audiophile by heart and just can't imagine listening to something without actually "hearing" it. No matter if it's hip-hop, rock, jazz, classical or Crystal Method, I always think about how they made the sound, about the lyrics and so on.

bahaha, i've asked myself these questions many times. It does nothing for me and just makes them look extremely douchy.

I've played in a few free pub events, and had the same thing.

But yeah, i think the main reason people wear them, is to make themselves look like the pros do on TV. They are basically just sheep.

I dont understand why headphones upset you.

Some people may wear headphones for image reasons, but I would imagine the vast majority of people wearing headphones do so because they like to listen to music and dont really enjoy talking to strangers.

They will loose some information because of the headphones, but so lonag as they are not slowing the game down, I dont see the problem.

Half the table at my local casino play games on Ipads whilst playing.. meh.. if thats what they enjoy, what's the issue?

Music distracting? Are you all saying you don't listen to music when you play online? Wow.

yep, what im sayin..........

I'm not listening to music most of the time I'm on the PC. It's just too distracting. It's like watching a movie for me. You either put your (h)ear(t) in it or you don't do it at all.

One issue that can cause concern over headphones is the possibility of various forms of electronic collusion. With all the new(est) wireless choices, it would be quite possible to communicate with another player or viewer from the rail and pass hand info on to another player at the table.

It's one of the reasons that cell phones can be prohibited from use at a live table. Just because someone answers a cell call and says "Hi Darling" ... doesn't mean the call isn't a 'partner' calling with hand info.

When cash is involved, anything is possible and reducing the possible avenues of cheating is paramount, imo.

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U are right on 100 % , its really not necsessary ... and that's make them lose their concentration

I have to have music while I play. Every time a really bad ass song comes on, I get good hands. Its like my only poker superstition.

Never -- or at least hardly ever. Definitely a major distraction for me.


Sounds like a recipe for -EV. Though I was thinking something kind of similar -- that if a bad ass song came on, it would get my adrenaline pumping a little, and I'd likely play the hand more aggressively than normal ... which would be very costly in the long run.

So if the person wants to not listen to table convo and miss out on valuable information why would you object to this? I don't see anything with people listening to music and focusing on their game at the poker table.

From a $ or EV perspective, I don't mind obviously. I'll take any edge I can get over a villain, even if he thinks I don't have one. But from a social perspective (which is a big part of what I enjoy about playing live), it just comes off as a little douchy at the few non-casino games I've played. That's all.

People these days are too quick to judge. A lot of people wear hoodies, they have grew up wearing hoodies, dont make them a douchy. Its up to them what they wear and if they want to listen to music. Thats like saying 'this old guys got white socks and sandals with a shopping bag 'must be a nonse'

The real poker player don't use headphones. You'd concentrate better without using them. U can feel the emotions of your opponents better.
Look at Doyle Brunson. Never saw him with headphones in his long carrier, might be about 70 years

Apparently Doyle Brunson left his headphones on the table at the Bellagio only a couple of weeks ago. The hotel staff were unsure of whom they belonged to and so put up a notice asking if anyone knew who the headphones belonged to.

Doyle later claimed them.

Here is the picture.
akey1.jpg (http://www.cardschat.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38003&d=1305383214)

[quote=Stu_Ungar;1741822]Apparently Doyle Brunson left his headphones on the table at the Bellagio only a couple of weeks ago. The hotel staff were unsure of whom they belonged to and so put up a notice asking if anyone knew who the headphones belonged to.

Doyle later claimed them.

Haha ... Is it true? Nice picture, where do u found it?

I listen to music often while playing online - but there is no conversation from the other players or dealers that I need to hear so that is a huge difference for me.

Also - music directly in my ears via headphones is much more distracting than background music in the room.

I have no idea how anyone can hear and focus on a live table with headphones on - I definitely can not. But everyone is different so to each their own. It doesn't bother me unless they are constantly holding up the game - and honestly that does not seem to happen often.

Yep - if it is distracting them that is really a good thing for me.

It's not really for the sake of trying disguise anything, purely because of boredom and not wanting to make chit chat with other people in the room.

It's helps people mentally having some of their favorite music playing in the background.

The guys ears would have to wiggle when he was bluffing or something for there to be any reason to wear earphones for disguise

haha yeah, that be funny to see actually.

I think the OP was getting it confused with the likes of someone wearing shades and a hoodie as these can be used to not give as much information. Just not sure how you think a pair of headphones could be used to do such a thing though, unless like you say the ears may wiggle lol.

Same place I found a picture of Doyle's portable media player.

thorens05.jpg (http://www.cardschat.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38004&d=1305384595)

[quote=2-7MakesMeRaise;1741776this old guys got white socks and sandals with a shopping bag [/quote]

uhhhh, you saw me?????????????

This is totally different. In my school teachers used to play music in the background to help us concentrate.... it can be used when playing poker too. Just make it quiet and soft and it'll blend in while you can still actually listen to it. You don't get audio tells from players when you play online, which is a big reason not to listen to music when playing.