Backpack Poker
When you step into the live-room of a poker tournament, one fashion accessory that you will commonly see with poker players is backpacks. Irrespective of the country the player belongs to or their age, the chances of them toting a backpack are high.
- Backpack For Poker Players
- Backpack Concrete Poker
- Backpack Pockets Explained
- Backpack For Poker
- Backpack Pockets
Now, before you start thinking that pros use a backpack to carry cash, hold your thoughts! The backpack comprises essential resources that poker players need over a gruelling 14-hour day on the felt.
So, if you are going to play a poker tournament, take a look at the following essentials that you must carry in your backpack:
Water
You don’t want to have a headache because of dehydration. That’s not fun. And even though it is obvious that you have cocktail waitresses all around ready to take your order, there are some important benefits of why you should carry water for yourself.
Petrol Backpack Poker This backpack allows the user to cover large area over extended period. High quality Petrol Backpack Poker for hire from HML Ltd. Get a quote from HML for hiring tools. Gaming Backpack FAQ Q: What is a gaming backpack? A: A gaming backpack is exactly what the name suggests: a backpack that can be used to carry gaming equipment safely. It is usually a backpack with laptop protection, as the last thing anyone wants is finding their prized possession has gotten damaged during their journey.
First, you don’t need to get distracted trying to find a waitress who can bring you something as basic as water. Second, you don’t need to wait because you can simply drink from your bottle when you’re thirsty.
Hoodie or Sweatshirt
The temperature inside most poker rooms is low. And if you can’t tolerate the cold, it is a good idea to carry a hoodie or sweatshirt. You don’t want to lose your focus because you are feeling cold throughout the tournament.
Headphones
Headphones are one of the most common devices used by poker players. This is because it keeps them away from all the noise that is being created otherwise at the event – the clicks and clacks of poker chips, the chatterboxes at the table, the background music, buzzing sounds, and more.
A good pair of headphones is probably the most crucial investment for a poker player. A common rookie mistake is to carry only one pair of headphones. What if the Bluetooth battery dies or you accidentally forget the headphones in your hotel room? You must always put a backup for an emergency.
Medicines
This varies from one individual to another but it is recommended that you keep basic medicines for headache, cold, backache, stiff neck, etc. Most casinos have fluorescent lighting and as you spend a few hours focusing on the opponents under those bright lights, a tension headache is obvious. Additionally, sitting upright on those chairs can give you backache or a stiff neck and you wouldn’t like to get frustrated in the game because of body aches or discomfort.
Portable Charger/Charging Cables
If you’re carrying a smartphone or a tablet to the table, you need a portable charger to sustain your batteries throughout the day. A few casinos have updated their tables and installed built-in charging stations underneath every seat but you can’t take a chance. Sometimes, players don’t get wall outlets because there are so many others waiting in the queue. In other cases, players have a charging station underneath their seat but they are not carrying their charging cables. So, to remain on the safe side, carry the essentials in your backpack.
Hand Sanitizer
This one is completely your choice. As you move around the casino or poker room, you touch several things and in case your hand gets in contact with something filthy, you don’t want to run around finding a washroom to simply wash your hands. A small bottle of sanitizer and some tissues can do the needful.
Backpack For Poker Players
Use this step-by-step guide to ready your backpack and you’ll have everything you need for your next poker tournament. You can also add other items such as a reading book (non-poker strategy), or some snacks. Having everything with you saves time and eliminates the chances of interruption and distraction as you play a big poker tournament. If you’re more into playing online, we’ll have a guide up very soon on how to create the best environment to play well from home. Here’s an awesome story about a player earning from home during the lockdown.
Make sure to follow our Instagram and Facebook page to stay updated on all the Poker tournaments happening live and online in India.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
On a few different occasions I’ve heard players wonder what all of the backpack-toting poker pros are carrying in their bag. Cash game players have the luxury of getting up and leaving the table any time they get hungry, have a headache, start to lose focus or go on tilt but with tournament days often lasting 12-14 hours or more it’s important to stay prepared in order to remain focused and avoid distractions at the table. Here’s a list of what I consider the essentials when I pack my bag for a tournament.
Water
Playing poker with a headache is not fun AT ALL and a huge (or yuuuuuge if you ask the President-elect) percentage of headaches are caused by dehydration. Obviously there are cocktail waitresses at pretty much every tournament, but there are at least three significant benefits to keeping a bottle of water in your backpack.
- You won’t have to wait for or be distracted trying to find a waitress to order from.
- If you buy a large reusable BPA-free plastic or stainless steel bottle you will be doing the environment a favor by saving hundreds of plastic bottles from being used during its useful life.
- You’ll save on tip money. Saving $2-3/day may seem relatively insignificant but it adds up to hundreds per year when you play a lot of live poker.
Snacks
A good poker snack should be healthy, provide sustained energy and be low in sugar to prevent crashes. You also want to make sure you have your sweet and your salty cravings covered. Ideally, you also want to find items that won’t require you to put your disgustingly dirty hands on the food after touching poker chips and cards all day, even if it means putting it in a plastic bag and eating it directly out of that. Some of my personal favorites are:
- Blueberries (a brain food!)
- Various flavors of almonds and peanuts
- Planter’s Nuts and Chocolate Trail Mix
- Lenny & Larry’s Complete Cookies (high protein / relatively healthy)
- Granola bars (especially Kind Bars)
- Bananas
- Apples
Hand Sanitizer
In case you actually have to touch anything with your filthy, disease-ridden hands, it’s always good to keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your backpack.
Medication
This obviously varies based on the individual, but I usually keep Excedrin and caffeine pills around in case I get a headache or can’t seem to drink enough coffee to stay alert. I’m also getting ready to try some other natural supplements that are purported to improve memory and focus.
Backup Battery
It’s absurd that our damn phone batteries won’t last all day when we’re only running 471 apps and spending 57 minutes per hour staring at its bright, glowing screen…right?!?!?! I have the iPhone 6 Plus which is was touted as having the longest-lasting battery Apple has ever produced when it came out, yet I have managed to run through my battery almost three full times in a single day of tournament poker. Fortunately, you can get a >15000 mAh portable battery backup from RAVPower for less than $50 on Amazon which will recharge your phone’s battery at least 5-6 times before running out of juice.
Charging Cables
Your RAVPower backup battery is going to prove pretty useless when you grab it out of your bag then realize you forgot to bring your phone cable. I purchased an extra iPhone cable and an extra microUSB cable for my Bluetooth headphones that never come out of my poker backpack. Spending the extra $20-30 will be well worth it to avoid ever being bored out of your mind with a dead phone or dead headphones at the table.
iPad or Microsoft Surface Pro
Backpack Concrete Poker
I try not to distract myself too much at the table, especially when playing bigger events, but at times I almost wouldn’t be able to live without my tablets … especially during the NHL playoffs! I like having one around in case I bored or restless at the table. They’re also great in case playing live just isn’t enough and I feel like playing some online poker at the table.
I’ve owned both an iPad 2 and Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and love both for different reasons. My iPad is great, works very well with my Bluetooth headphones, and provide superb picture and sound when using iTunes. I also love playing board games like Monopoly and Ticket to Ride on iPad apps. However I recently purchased a Surface Pro so that I could play more than one table at a time on BorgataPoker.com from my tablet and to be able to use a mouse when doing so. The Surface Pro is great for that purpose, but has a lot of issues connecting/staying connected to my Bluetooth headphones. Also, not surprisingly, iTunes doesn’t look or sound quite as sharp when running the Windows version of it on my Surface Pro.
Headphones
A great pair of headphones is a crucial investment for the essential poker backpack. I’ve decided to go Bluetooth since I’m klutzy and often get my headphone wire caught on things, eventually ruining them and causing me to buy new pairs. I use Bose Bluetooth Around Ear SoundLink headphones. I’ve tested the old version I’s verses the more expensive version II’s and can say that the old version is better than the new in every way: lighter, better sound quality, and more comfortable.
More Headphones
Having one pair of headphones in your backpack is a common rookie mistake. What happens when your bluetooth battery dies or you accidentally left your headphones in the car or at home and Allen Kessler finds something he’s annoyed by or worse: Mike Dentale takes a bad beat at your table? WHAT WILL YOU DO THEN, I ASK YOU!?!?!? That is why I keep an extra pair of earbuds stashed away in my backpack in case of emergency.
NOT CASH
I’ll end with a word of advice on what NOT to have in your backpack, and that’s large amounts of cash. This is not only a precaution in case of the unlikely event of your bag being stolen, but also to protect you if you’re like me or my friends who forget things all over the place. One friend of mine was walking around Vegas with ~$120k in his backpack after a big score, left it in the sportsbook at Caesars Palace, and walked off. His backpack was eventually found and returned … but the cash was not. If you do need to walk around with cash, keep it in your pockets and get cargo pockets if necessary!
Backpack Pockets Explained
Matt Stout