If I need to play super tight at the start of a tourni or trying to set mine in uNL or if I just got a bad beat and know I'm going to tilt I try to find something to distract me for a round or two, I use that time to checkout this website...
I Like to watch youtube videos! like EPT London, Barcelona, etc Or PCA's usually they have all videos starting from day1 until final table. Each video being around 54 mins. It gives me something to watch while folding those dirty rags by the dealer....and it keeps me sharp since i'm watching POKER!!!! hahaha
I do my best to not get distracted by other things when playing, but it is very hard to do sometimes. In college, I could sit down and play for hours without any other form of entertainment. I wish I had that level of dedication still, but as life gets more complicated with a career, wife, and kids, it is harder and harder to find the time to dedicate all of my attention to any single thing. At best, I can sit down and play for a few hours while my son is playing trucks, which is a distraction in itself.
zooming 6 tables i don't really get the time to do anything other than value bet or fold 🙁 but for sure if i'm just playing some regular six max or a tourney, i'd be browsing the forum,social media or on youtube watching poker videos.
On my desk sit two 24" flat screen TVs. One is connected to the satellite receiver. The other is used as a computer monitor. So you can probably guess that I watch TV when I'm playing. But the reality is that I don't so much watch it as listen to It. I also listen to music while I play. But whether it is music or the TV, it's pretty much the same. I tune it to something that I like. Then as I get into the game, I mentally tune it out.
I try to pick music that is mellow. If I play something like heavy metal or gangsta rap, I find myself being overly aggressive. I also don't watch new movies when I play. I watch movies or shows that I've seen before. They don't require me to devote a lot of attention to trying to follow the story line. I watch movies or shows that I've already seen a couple of times, because I can follow them without paying full attention. And if my attention is on a hand that is being played out, I won't have to feel like I am missing anything.
Ideally your full attention should be focused on the game. But the reality is that the game can become boring at times. So a little distraction isn't always so much of a bad thing.
I try to pick music that is mellow. If I play something like heavy metal or gangsta rap, I find myself being overly aggressive. I also don't watch new movies when I play. I watch movies or shows that I've seen before. They don't require me to devote a lot of attention to trying to follow the story line. I watch movies or shows that I've already seen a couple of times, because I can follow them without paying full attention. And if my attention is on a hand that is being played out, I won't have to feel like I am missing anything.
Ideally your full attention should be focused on the game. But the reality is that the game can become boring at times. So a little distraction isn't always so much of a bad thing.
