“Music can change the world because it can change people.”

The quote from Bono is a powerful one but for poker players perhaps they’re hoping it can change the cards instead. And maybe some have that belief considering a common sight in any poker room these days is players sporting headphones as the action unfolds.

Some great music memorabilia overlooks the poker roomSome claim it helps them focus and get in the zone during long events, while others use it to relax and take the edge off the stressful spots they can find themselves in. A quick count here today shows that there’s at least one player per table with headphones on and sometimes up to half the table.

The quote is even more fitting here at the City of Dreams complex with PokerStars LIVE Macau sitting a stone’s throw from the Hard Rock Café restaurant, and surrounded by classic music memorabilia.

Overlooking the players on Day 1a of the Main Event towers a wall of famous musicians and priceless props from historic shows. Whether it’s guitars from rock band Kiss, the shoes of Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee or the hat of Guns ‘n Roses Slash, players have a lot to look at in between hands.

Not only does the Hard Rock Café display some great memorabilia, but they also offer live music to accompany the authentic American food. While this is the first day here for the PokerStarsBlog crew, reporting colleague Mateusz Pater told us that the band was performing all last night as players battled it out in the HK$50K Freezeout event.

Music history on display behind players on Main Event Day 1aThe general rule for tournaments across the world is that once a tournament reaches the money, headphones aren’t allowed. Players here in the Main Event won’t have to sweat that for a few days though, with 102 still remaining in Day 1a, and more to come for another Day 1 flight tomorrow before we edge closer to the bubble later in the week.

While there isn’t any real indicator whether listening to music gives players an edge at the poker table, we’ll be watching closely this week to see if we can spot a trend. Don’t forget, all the Main Event updates can be found in the live reporting section of the APPT9 Macau page, and the PokerStarsBlog will continue to have all the feature stories from right here in Macau.

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