One of the most popular stereotypes of a poker player is the sunglasses wearing. Just about everyone is aware that there are poker players that wear sunglasses. Some people think it is just ridiculous, while others will not go without playing with their sunglasses. Whether it seems goofy or kind of cool, it does actually help with a lot of different things. It has nothing to do with the sun, but it does have a lot to do with poker; believe it or not.
The reason that most players will give you when you ask them why they are wearing sunglasses is always the same. They say one of two things; so people cannot read them or because the lights get too bright. The players that are not ashamed of wearing sunglasses inside blame it on the light, while the ones that don’t care state exactly why they are wearing them. Some players do not eve know whey they are wearing them; they just think it is the cool thing to do.
So, what do they actually help with?
They do actually help quite a bit with people not being able to read you. One of the best reads people can get is from your eyes. That is also a read that is hard to stop. Your body language probably cannot be hidden with sunglasses, but that is easier to change. If you have sunglasses on and people cannot see your eyes, then that is one less thing that people can read about you. Just be sure that you are not showing your cards off in the reflection of your sunglasses; that does really happen.
The glasses also will work the opposite. There are a lot of poker players that wear sunglasses to get reads on other people. If they cannot see your eyes then it makes it a lot easier to stare at them without them knowing you are doing that. You would be amazed of what people do when they don’t know you are staring right into their eyes. It is pretty funny actually. All jokes aside; this really does help to read your players and get some great information. Without the glasses they are probably going to be aware that you are staring and avoid doing anything stupid.
Lastly is the way that they make you feel at the table. This one probably sounds really stupid but it is a fact that some people just feel more comfortable hiding behind the glasses. It is a good way to kind of hide and pretend like you are not there. You can be a behind the scenes type player and get away with a lot more in your head. Even though it doesn’t really matter if you have glasses or not, it can make you a lot more confident, especially if you are used to wearing them all the time.
No matter what the reason is that a poker player wears sunglasses; it all comes down to one simple thing. They are used to hide your eyes, and that has become something that can be of a benefit for a lot of people. So the answer to that question would have to be yes, it does help to wear sunglasses at the poker table. Still, there are many people (especially the old timers) that will insist that there is no reason at all to put on sunglasses while you are inside of a building.
Michael Monroe writes articles for RuffPoker.com about poker, useful poker resources including reviews and poker strategy. Visit Full Tilt Poker Referral Code for more information and also read the Full Tilt Poker Review. They have many poker strategy articles and full bonus reviews.