ipod/music while playing

i have gotten in the habet of listing to my ipod while playing poker on line. Is this bad? sometimes i feel like it helps me play tighter as i dont get as board, but then sometimes i feel i make bad plays because im distracted

I am constantly surfing the web while playing. Listening to an ipod cant be worse than that. I know when I listen to music (Blues), I tend to play better for some reason.

i dont like to surf the web while playing because i cant watch my opponents

Originally Posted by bantam222

i dont like to surf the web while playing because i cant watch my opponents

Maybe thats what Im doing wrong

I don't see a problem with it... plenty of players are doing it in Live poker now too, although if you start playing live and you bring your iPod make sure you're paying some attention (or at least listening with only one earpiece) so you don't slow action down and piss people off :P

Listening to music helps me keep my emotions in check and prevents me fron getting too bored. Surfing the internet does the latter, but I tend to lose focus on my games and without doubt this can and often does have an adverse effect, particularly in SNGs when reads, especially in the end game, are vital.

I listen to music while I'm playing until/unless it becomes noticably distracting. Music is good to ease early boredom (especially in SnGs) because you can be listening and watching your tables at the same time. I have a bad habit of surfing the web early in SnGs even if I'm playing more than one table because it's so boring and I'm folding most of my hands ... I think this has cost me in the past, and I'm trying to break the habit.

As long as you listen to music you've already heard (you'll be distracted by new music) then it usually isn't much of a distraction

Pokertracker/pokerace hud means I dont have to pay as much attention as I would if I wasnt using such tools. I have a TV card in my PC and watch TV whilst playing poker, and I'm doing ok. I watch who bets first and how much, but the more brain-intensive memory parts of how a player is playing are handled by the software.

Even people like Daniel Negreanu will sit there in a tournament with headphones on.

Playing poker requires a certain mind-state. If you find that listening to music helps you achieve this, nobody else has the right to come and tell you to do differently. Do what works for _YOU_.

ok thanks all,