How to Set Up Perfect Environment For Your Online Poker Games
5 minutes
Last Updated: September 30, 2021
If you are playing online poker for fun, you may be doing so on your laptop or even your cell phone, and it probably seems like enough. However, players who spend many hours playing online poker every day know that such a setup simply doesn't cut it.
There are many reasons that best poker players use elaborate computer setups to play the game, and while pure comfort may be one of them, it can actually be a thing of necessity on some occasions.
If you plan on taking online poker a bit more seriously in the future, I bring you some hints and tips on how you may want to set up your environment to optimize your results and enjoy the game more the next time you play.
A Comfortable Chair Is a Necessity
Not every part of the elaborate poker setup that some pros use is actually necessary. Sometimes, they will throw things in there that are purely esthetical or used to add some extra comfort.
A good chair, however, is absolutely necessary if you are going to play online poker for hours, and it’s not even up for discussion.
Like any office clerk who has to spend many hours in their chair, you will want to have one that allows you to sit upright and in a comfortable position throughout your sessions.
The number one reason for this, of course, is your long-term health. Sitting in front of a computer in an unhealthy position for many hours can affect your back and bones irreversibly.
The other, and slightly more subtle reason, is the temporary discomfort a bad chair can cause. If you are sitting in an uncomfortable position, it can start to hurt your back and may cause you to lose your temper and actually affect your play.
What’s more, you will simply not be able to sit through the long sessions in an uncomfortable chair, as the discomfort will become unbearable.
I highly suggest getting a good gamer chair, and even if it may seem like a pricey investment when you first make it, I promise you it will be well worth it in the long run. It will boost your sessions and also help make your downtime more enjoyable, whether you’re placing bets with a site like asiabet8888.com or watching movies on Netflix.
How Many Screens Do I Need?
There are a couple of different approaches that players have to multitabling. There are those who try to cram as many tables of a simple game like SNGs on their one screen, and those who try to play the more complex cash games and prefer to see every table at all times.
If you are grinding SNGs and making the same plays over and over again, a single decent-sized computer screen may be more than enough for you.
On the other hand, if you are going to be playing cash games or multi-table tournaments, you may want to be able to see every table at all times, which may require multiple screens.
In most cases, a single computer screen will only fit six tables unless you shrink them to a size at which you can't really see anything anymore.
I suggest getting a secondary screen if you plan on playing many tables of cash games or MTTs. I would recommend investing in bigger screens so you can be sure to always see the action and not miss on any important poker hands.
Music and Other Distractions
Music is another somewhat controversial topic when it comes to online poker play. Some players enjoy playing loud music while playing; others believe it to be a major distraction.
Without taking either side, I can tell you that music can definitely be distracting when you are trying to play good poker. You should try to focus on the game as much as possible instead of blasting loud music that may cause emotional responses.
If you do decide to listen to some music, I actually recommend playing it via a speaker and not too loudly. This will make it more of background noise and less of a distraction.
If you opt for headphones, you should make sure to get high-quality ones because having headphones on your ears for hours will start to hurt after some time unless you get a good pair.
In either case, playing some lounge music on medium volume may actually help you and stimulate your brain, while playing loud metal or RNB will more often than not end up costing you at the tables.
Poker Software
Now that you have your environment set up, you should consider what else you want to have open on your computer, aside from the poker site you are playing on.
If the site allows it, I highly recommend using a tracking software like Poker Tracker, as having the benefit of the extra stats will help your game greatly, especially once you learn to interpret them in a meaningful way.
On the other hand, I would suggest not having too much other software running on your computer, as it may interfere with the actual operation of the machine itself and also cause too many distractions during play.
You don't want to be running simulations or trying to learn new strategies while playing. Instead, look over your hands and poker stats once your session is done and find out what you could have done better for the next occasion.
Snacks and Drinks
Once again, we are talking about unnecessary distractions that so many online poker players like to indulge in.
The truth is that eating and drinking while playing, especially if you are playing multiple tables at once, will be a pretty major distraction.
Keeping a soft drink on hand to get some refreshment once in a while may be a good idea while drinking alcohol during sessions is something you should completely forget about if you are looking to win at online poker.
Taking a nice break to have some food and freshen up is a much better idea than munching on snacks during your sessions and interrupting your thought process to get the next bite.
Take these poker tips to heart and try to implement them on your next session. You’re almost guaranteed to see your results improve as you’ll have much better focus, resulting in better decisions in important spots!
