To TV or not TV? (2 Viewers)

[merkong]

I just don’t go looking for cheap angles. My comment was in reference to you saying that the players watching tv were soft because of it, and you act like that’s a good thing.

Sure you can dunk on 6yr olds playing basketball, but does that mean you should?

 

[doublebooyah85]

I just don’t go looking for cheap angles. My comment was in reference to you saying that the players watching tv were soft because of it, and you act like that’s a good thing.

Sure you can dunk on 6yr olds playing basketball, but does that mean you should?

No one isn’t saying he doesn’t gets distracted too lol!

 

[RocAFella1]

No one isn’t saying he gets distracted too lol!

 

[Jers28]

I just don’t go looking for cheap angles. My comment was in reference to you saying that the players watching tv were soft because of it, and you act like that’s a good thing.

Sure you can dunk on 6yr olds playing basketball, but does that mean you should?

It was a joke. Enjoy your day.

 

[Defarse]

No to TVs, yes to some background music.

I could see maybe if your group is really into watching the home state team for hockey, basketball, baseball, etc. But it's just a pretty big distraction. To have the TV on just to have it on is a big no for me.

When I started hosting I thought it would be a good idea to have Rounders or old WSOP episodes on, but it's all just too big of a distraction.

If there is a bigger PPV boxing event we will pause the tournament to watch the main event.

 

[Rakrul]

My game crawls to a stop several times a night for no particular reason, with TV off, so I could fill the room with strippers and it wouldn't really impact the average hands/hour numbers much...

 

[mike32]

Sports and poker go hand in hand for me. I think a tv is essential if any good games are on, it just makes a good thing better. If we see a few less hands due to distraction I probably save some money.

 

[dizzyChipper]

Probably were using KEM too.

In fairness to the producers all that lubricant would destroy paper cards.

 

[BleedingChips]

Quick update: I decided to go for two screens so each seat at the table has a view of the game. Not expecting this to become a regular occurrence, but I think it will be a fun experience. Will post pictures of my setup when I get back home.

 

[ChipFinderSK]

Needs a poll. I’d vote for a TV

 

[thePokerClub]

What I realized at the Event I hosted last weekend is that at this point whether there are TVs or not....people are just constantly on their phones anyway.

I don't have a TV where we play, we just have a speaker for music and tournament round updates come through there from the Blinds Up app. Guys just watch TV on their phones at this point.

 

[Goldfish]

Yes to TVs. Most of the guys playing bet on sports. Games need to be on. Plus, late night, rounders gets put on. We have watched it late night a 1000 times. The real question is how high to set the TVs on the wall. I think I went too low cause players heads get in the way. But if higher I thought it would look weird.

 

[ChipFinderSK]

Yes to TVs. Most of the guys playing bet on sports. Games need to be on. Plus, late night, rounders gets put on. We have watched it late night a 1000 times. The real question is how high to set the TVs on the wall. I think I went too low cause players heads get in the way. But if higher I thought it would look weird.
View attachment 1622323

Centered between the white trim and the ceiling, IMO

 

[ChippinUp]

We run two TV’s. One with sports and the other usually a poker stream. Doesn’t distract players at our game

 

[SALB]

Just finished playing with a new group last night. 9 Person table with TV on. By far the biggest distraction was the players conversing with each other and catching up in general not the TV. So I think it can go either way, however the TV was the least of our distractions.

 

[ChippinUp]

Just finished playing with a new group last night. 9 Person table with TV on. By far the biggest distraction was the players conversing with each other and catching up in general not the TV. So I think it can go either way, however the TV was the least of our distractions.

This is exactly our group!!

 

[FearlessFred]

No TV for me, way too distracting. The game, lack of screen time and conversation are the draws

 

[btbmason]

Speaking as a generally introverted and anxious person, having a TV on/around while playing makes me feel/seem less awkward because it’s something normal away from poker/conversation to focus on.

That being said I’ve been to plenty of games without a TV too, and sometimes it pulls me out of my shell a little bit. Other times it just intensifies the silence, especially if you’re playing in a crowd of people who are otherwise familiar with each other.

 

[drgg]

Have a TV on, unless you play music you need something with background noise

 

[CrackedAce]

There’s enough distractions going on at my games where a tv would just be a white noise that nobody bothers with. Then again, that might be a subtle reason for one.

 

[Jake14mw]

Centered between the white trim and the ceiling, IMO

Yeah, if the TVs are only used for poker, this height would be better. Where you have them now is better for general viewing, but if people's heads are blocking them that doesn't work.

 

[Old State]

I have a 120” projector and two tvs in the bar area next to the poker table. I play music while the tvs are on with separate games. It in no way interferes with the socialization aspect. People glance up ever once in a while to catch a score or watch a play…but 98% of the time they are talking.

I feel the TVs add an energy to the ambiance and make it feel like a card room. There is definitely less energy when I shut the TVs off even though no sound was coming from them. It’s a psychological thing I guess.

 

[TheUnseen]

I usually have the TV on with the volume all the way down.

The people who get distracted by the TV are usually the ones distracted by their phones anyway

 

[mickeydoo98]

I'll have a game on in the background with the volume off. Baseball/Golf in warm weather, and Hockey/Hoops in the winter.
I use YouTube for my music and will put on music videos (MTV-Style, volume on) if there isn't a local game, just so there's something on the screen. Our game is just for fun, so if you're card-dead for a prolonged period or having a bad night otherwise at least you have something to distract you from your losses. Hasn't been a problem thus far. Saturday Nights are usually a quiet night for sports anyways, so it usually ends up being the music videos.

 

[FlyEaglesFly]

At my home games we will put whatever big sporting event is happening on the main tv that everyone can see but with no audio and we play music instead. Usually I invite everyone to join the Spotify jam to curate the playlist. It helps when the game runs slow for us to have something else to watch and talk about but depending on your group I could see the argument for not doing that.

 

[Mesnik44]

When I run my league that has 3 tables we have to play in the Amenity room of my complex. There is only one TV and it is used for the poker clock.

When I host in my garage, I usually have 3 TV and 3 Poker clock monitors running. The TVs will play either some sporting event (Always if the championship game of any of the 4 major sports), or a movie but the sound will always be low to off.

I find that if the sound is on, that helps distracting the players.

 

[digster05]

I have been hosting a micro stakes cash game in my home for 2 years this year and purposely not had any TV in the room. The main goal of my game is to build connection and a tv seems to distract from that for me (and most guys I know). Just ask my wife if we go to a restaurant that has a tv haha!

With playoff season in full swing, my poker game this week is coinciding with an important football game. I have made an exception and moved a tv to the poker room so people don’t miss out on the game.

My questions for the group… Am I the anti-fun police for not wanting a tv at my games the rest of the year? If you have a tv, do you have more than 1 to allow for the whole table to view?

Update: thank you all for the feedback! I ended up using two screens - it worked out well for the game and when asked if it should become a permanent thing, everyone at the table agreed no tv. Surprising to me, but I won’t complain!

The bubble hockey is

 

[rrobyrrroby]

Never during tournament.
Always during cash games.