Years ago, I played a Friday night poker game for girls. Naturally, the radio blared Top 40 songs non-stop. And, all my opponents spoke in their obvious girl talk of ‘a boy is near’. It was absolutely the most fun I’ve ever had playing poker. Except for one problem, I never won. I guess that’s why they kept inviting me back. I was really trying to win. Actually. But what guy can think about poker surrounded by all those distractions?

Whether we are at home or at the casino, the poker scene is often the same. One distraction after another. In fact, most of our lives are spent in a state of distraction. I’m distracted right now. Let’s see: I’m writing this article, worrying about my overdue email, thinking about bills to pay and errands to run, there’s a loud noise outside, and I’m eating a sandwich while my coffee is brewing. My mind is literally a whirlwind with all sorts of unrelated thoughts vying for center stage.

In this age of multitasking, one might think that they are more productive when they tackle several tasks at once. But most likely they are not. Even today, the human brain is only capable of thinking about one thing at a time. Do I have to repeat? Your mind can focus on only one thing at a time. If your thinking is scattered, you are ultimately less productive.

When we are in our usual active, wide awake state of mind, known as Beta, we are normally in a state of continual distraction. This is also usually the state of mind we find ourselves in when we play poker. Do you see the problem?

The waitress, the television, the dog, the loudmouth—they’re really not conducive to peak mental performance in poker. After all, poker is a mental sport. So how can we maintain the level of concentration required for peak mental performance with all those distractions bombarding us?

If you were tied for first place in the last leg of a marathon, none of those entertaining thoughts would enter your mind. If they did, he wouldn’t be tied for first for long. So why do we allow distractions to enter our minds at the poker table? Perhaps, there is a really simple answer: we don’t know how to block them. There are many methods for blocking out distraction in order to achieve focused concentration. This article is about one called brain wave entrainment music.

Ideally, if we could induce the right amount or mix of alpha (intuitive) or theta (relaxed) brain waves while playing poker, then we could block out distractions. Because these are the highest concentration brain wave states. We all know the importance of playing relaxed, playing intuitively and staying focused. Don’t we wish we could invoke and maintain this state of mind every time we play poker?

Certain music, especially music with lyrics, can be terribly distracting. Whereas, some music can actually induce concentration. The right music can do wonders for your poker game. If you’re not familiar with the role music can play in concentration, wait. This could be as revealing for you as it was for me.

Every person is unique, so I won’t try to establish a standard preferred music list. And, while this is a discussion about what works for me, we all appreciate that everyone’s brains are wired differently. So what works for me may not work for you, and vice versa. But this information will give you something new to think about.

The most successful forms of music for me are some classical selections and some new age. They greatly improve my concentration while playing poker. I have loaded the respective CDs in my MP3 and play them continuously during a game, online or offline. Several of the New Age selections are designed by their composers to induce certain states of mind, such as increased creativity, relaxation, or concentration. The process of inducing these mental states is known as brain wave entrainment.

The best brain wave entrainment effect is obtained by listening with headphones. Distractions will tend to fade away, giving way to a much-desired state of focused concentration. Load your MP3 and you can use this type of music while you play live or online. For effective mental preparation, I’ll even listen while driving to a game. Then when I get to the game my poker mind is ready to turn on.

A while back, I played a lot of Limit Hold’em in a casino. My standards for gambling and bankroll management were rigid. This required a lot of concentration, especially with some sessions lasting ten hours or more. You simply couldn’t afford the distractions, but it was almost impossible to maintain the level of concentration that was required.

Then, I discovered brain wave training music. My MP3 loaded up and played my favorite selections continuously, hour after hour. I quickly learned to carry a lot of extra batteries in my pocket. In the months that followed, the dealers got to know me well. They started calling me the player who never lost.

The effect of brain wave training music on my concentration is just amazing. There is no other technique that I can employ, while playing, that will help me achieve and maintain my ‘A’ game. I’m sure you will have the same experience.