Champion of Poker

When you play poker online it is advisable not to have your music blasting and your attention diverted from the action. In live poker, however, you will be forced sit in a certain place and having your iPod loaded up with some music or podcasts can be a welcome relief from irritating opponents using table banter against you or for when you feel bored. If you are lucky enough to win one of the great satellite poker tournaments at bwin.com for either the WSOP or another large event this will be really useful information, but you can use this advice in any live event.

Listen to your Opponents

I do not advocate listening to music or iPods all of the time when you should be listening to your opponents especially in the early part of a poker tournament. Often in table talk key clues are given to the players chosen style, level of poker playing ability and current focus. If you are missing these things because you are listening to your iPod you are missing out on information your opponents are freely offering you. This could cost you chips.

My recommendation is to use your iPod sparingly either when there is little action, you have a big stack and are awaiting premium hands or when you feel a little bored and need some mental stimulation.

Relaxing Music or Ambient Sound

Daniel Negreanu has said that he often has ambient sounds on his iPod like birds singing or the ocean tide. These types of sound are very relaxing and keep his mood chilled out so he is not feeling under pressure at a point of the tournament where this is not required. As you are sitting for consecutive days for long periods if you do well in a poker tournament staying relaxed is important. In my view it is worthwhile having some of these sounds on your iPod for when you are in the mood or require something to relax you. Getting fired up too soon in a poker tournament will be harmful for your chances of winning when your mental fatigue kicks in.

Poker Podcasts

This is my little secret. I enjoy listening to poker podcasts and hearing interviews from good players. I think it is worthwhile having a few hours worth of podcasts to listen to as it is something new to hear rather than listening to a tune over and over again. I normally have over twelve hours of poker related audio to listen to whether that is tuition mp3’s or radio-style podcasts.

Another idea is to record little reminders into an audio file and play them when the tournament gets critical. Things like “Fold to a three bet re-raise when the opponent obviously has Aces” and other strategy snippets are useful for you to refocus the mind at key moments in a potentially life changing poker tournament.

Music?

Have a wide variety of music on your iPod. Heavy metal is fine but it is no use getting fired up when you are only going to sit there for a while. Have mood altering music loaded on your mp3 player that can fire you up and calm you down. Your mood throughout the poker tournament has a big effect on your end result, so think about that before you load your heavy metal music only onto the iPod.

Be Aware of your Battery Life

One of the best investments for a poker tournament specialist is a long-life battery. If you are playing for twelve hour sessions your iPod battery that only lasts for two hours will not go very far. This is a reason for using it sparingly, but having a battery that lasts means when you charge it each night, which you should do, ready for the next days play you get the most use from it. A flat iPod is not much use in your pocket when you want to use it!

By Malcolm Clarke