Things to do while playing poker at a casino?

[MicroBob]

Obviously for a player who got into the game via online 4+ tabling it can be an adjustment to the slower-pace of live play.

But if you've never played before you can learn to read tells on players. Watching for how a player might shake a little bit when he has a big hand is incredibly interesting to me.


I used to kind of auto-pilot when I would kill time live and even considered bringing headphones or reading a magazine or something.


But then I had the opportunity to play with a couple really good players at the WSOP last year. In two different events I played a few hours each with Huck Seed and Johnny Chan.

Just by watching these guys, and chatting with them a little bit, it seemed clear to me that they were far more aware of what was going on at the table than anyone else there.

Huck was chatting with me a bit because the guy on the other side of him was wearing headphones and I don't think spoke much english.
Huck had thoughts on almost every hand that was played it seemed and shared some of those thoughts or asked my opinion on a few of them.
Just little stuff like seeing a big bet and him whispering to me, "I think he has top set here. Don't you think?" Something like that.

Then I would fake my way through a response because after I had folded my cards I had lost track of the hand and was day-dreaming or looking for my waiter with my coffee or something.


One player (me) day-dreams when not involved in a hand.

Another player (Huck or Johnny) would follow the hand with great interest and try to figure out what each player was holding.


Pretty easy to figure out which one is the internet-auto-pilot-donk and which one is the multi WSOP-bracelet winner.

[Bulbarainey]

i get bored as hell too, if your cell phone supports it, which mine didnt, put on mobile pokerroom.com and play an extra table

[tom10167]

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What do you guys recommend to do while playing besides listening to your ipod and talking to other players at the table.

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Lose the iPod (damn Harrah's in KC for banning them, makes it harder to spot idiots)

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You're an idiot for wanting to listen to music instead of hear people ramble on about how they lost with KT to QJ.

Awesome.

[Obfuscation]

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drink heavily.

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[punkass]

If you get really bored, pretend you're on partypoker and go to the BJ tables. Betting $25 a hand for 30 minutes will wake up. Then you can return to the poker table. Or Craps. PartyCraps would be awesome. And bad.

[Ignignokt]

I have the feeling most online players find B&M boring not because of the fewer tables, but because of whatever the hell else they do during online poker that they can't do at a live table. (Watching Jon Stewart? Looking at pr0n? IMing?)

I was so happy when I started playing B&M - I find online play really boring in comparison. There's so much more depth to reads live.

And to answer the question: paying attention to hands you're not in is not only a way to make it less boring, but also to get better at live poker.

[SpeciesFlora]

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how about watching the other players and getting a read on them?

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[toots]

Playing at a B&M is generally enough activity to keep me occupied, but even four-tabling online is like watching paint dry.

And they say *I'm* missing the social gene.

If playing a single, fairly lively (loose) table at a B&M isn't enough to keep one's attention, might I suggest that there are bigger problems to deal with than what to do between hands.

[Matt24]

I watch sports on TV, hell I was even watching Mad Money at the Bellagio last week. I don't pay attention to all the hands, its just too boring for me, even though I was playing 100/200 though I'm a pretty good multi-tasker and felt I paid attention when I needed. I just enjoy talking to others and watching tv more

[pc in NM]

I regard playing @ a B&M as "playing poker"....

I regard four tabling online as "playing math"....