Listening to music while playing

I’ve never been a fan of listening to music while playing cards. Even when sitting in for long sessions at a casino that stretch 20-30 and up, when often time seems to blur and the urge to smear things over becomes apparent, I don’t like the way the music takes a certain edge out of the game. Besides the fact that you’re missing potentially critical info from blabbermouth players and so, you’re missing just the ridiculous crap that usually goes on a poker table that takes it beyond what it should be. Though it does suck to end up next to a drunk dude who wants to tell you his life story and makes references every time one of the cocktail waitresses come near him even if they aren’t attractive, there still is something in the atmosphere of the poker table that is taken away when players zap off.

Not only does it slow down action by causing guys to not realize its on them, and people who need to have the bet reannounced, and also besides the obvious, I’m taking my headphones off so I’m interested in the hand move, that can sometimes be exploited, I just think if you’re going to play cards, play cards, and leave the distractions in the room.