Best Poker Glasses for Live Events

When you walk into a casino, you will often find poker players wearing sunglasses. Most people find this odd, as wearing sunglasses indoors may hinder your ability to see your surroundings properly.

However, that doesn’t stop poker players, and you will notice a number of professional players frequently wear them in tournaments. This article will look at why poker players like wearing sunglasses while playing and look at some of the best poker sunglasses to get.

Why Do People Wear Poker Glasses?

Being successful in poker is all about being able to read the poker face of another player. One of the main reasons poker players prefer wearing sunglasses is because they don’t want to give away their advantage to other players. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and you can tell a lot about a player and the kind of game they are having by looking into their eyes.

Therefore, to prevent other players from reading their eyes, they prefer wearing poker glasses indoors. You never know what your eyes might give away, as they may twitch, or your pupils might even dilate when you have a good hand.

That’s why it’s best to consider wearing poker glasses, as they prevent your opponents from reading your eyes and body language and getting an advantage over you in a game.

In the early 2000s wearing sunglasses in poker games became popular. Poker player Chris Moneymaker actually initiated and popularized this trend globally. He managed to win the World Series of Poker in 2003 and sent shockwaves throughout the poker world. The success he achieved inspired many amateur players to take poker seriously and start wearing sunglasses as well.

Suddenly, an entire generation of poker players wore baseball hats and sunglasses when playing poker at the table.

Pros of Wearing Poker Glasses

Most people who play poker frequently believe that wearing poker glasses at the table gives you a distinct advantage and is more than just an accessory. Here are some of the pros of wearing poker glasses, according to the professionals:

  • Hide Your Tells

A person’s pupils dilate when they become excited, and it’s difficult to stop your eyes from showing excitement when you have a good hand. Even though reading your opponent’s eyes during a match is challenging, seasoned players can easily spot the eyes dilating. Therefore, players prefer wearing poker glasses to hide a tell and avoid giving their opponent an edge.

  • Observe Your Opponent

When you cover your eyes by wearing sunglasses, you can observe your opponents in their natural setting. You can easily watch their tells like card covering, face touching, and handshaking discreetly, and they have no idea you’re observing their moves.

  • Increased Focus

There are plenty of distractions around the poker table, and wearing poker glasses helps improve your focus on the game. Even though wearing sunglasses may limit your vision and make it difficult to see other people’s cards, they eliminate bright lights around the table, so you remain focused on the game.

  • Boost Your Confidence

It’s easy to lose your calm during a game or become frustrated with your cards. However, when you’re wearing sunglasses, you won’t give anything away from your eyes. It helps provide an intimidating facial expression to your opponents and makes you seem emotionless. It raises your confidence and ensures your opponents are second-guessing your every move at the table.

Cons of Wearing Poker Glasses

Even though wearing glasses at the table is popular among players, sometimes it doesn’t work out in their favour. Here are some of the cons of wearing poker glasses:

  • You Can Misread Your Hand

If you’re not used to wearing sunglasses indoors, your vision will be limited when you wear poker glasses. That makes it difficult to read your hand and can easily lead to a mistake. You can’t afford to do that when you’re in a high-pressure game and tensions are high.

  • Others May Accuse You of Cheating

There have been instances where poker players wearing sunglasses have been caught cheating. Your opponents at the table can raise doubts about your wearing poker glasses and may even accuse you of cheating them if you’re doing surprisingly well.

  • The Reflection From the Glasses Can Reveal Your Cards

The last thing you want to do in a poker game is reveal your cards to your opponent. Unfortunately, when you’re wearing poker glasses indoors, there is a risk of you inadvertently exposing your cards. Therefore, you need to practice and learn to hold your cards when wearing sunglasses to avoid reflection or get special poker mirrored glasses. 

  • You Only Play Poker Online

It goes without saying that all the pros are nullified if you only play online poker. Still, considering it’s your house and your rules, you play however you please. But we do note, it’s rather silly.

How to Pick the Best Glasses?

If you’re looking for the best poker glasses in the market and have a hard time choosing one, we can help you. Here is what you need to look at when picking the best sunglasses for poker:

  • Price: You first need to determine that the glasses are affordable, as you don’t want to spend a fortune on them. However, there are plenty of affordable poker glasses and brands, which are of excellent quality.
  • Quality: Speaking of quality, you need to ensure the glasses you buy will last a decent amount of time, and you can make the most of the price you pay. You should avoid purchasing cheap/fake items which can break easily or have poor visibility.
  • Visibility: You don’t want sunglasses that completely ruin your visibility at the table. There are various types of poker glasses available in the market, and you should pick one that gives you good visibility to observe your opponents and avoid misreading your hand.
  • Style: The poker glasses you choose makes a difference when playing because you want to look classy and sophisticated while sitting at the poker table. You want to present an intimidating presence, which is why you should pick poker glasses that help you convey that feeling to your opponents.

List of Best Poker Glasses

There are plenty of poker glasses brands available in the market, which can sometimes be overwhelming, so we’ve done the hard work and reviewed some of the best ones out there. Here is our list:

Poker Armor

Poker Armor is one of the best poker glasses brands out there. They’re one of the biggest suppliers for poker sunglasses and have plenty of choices to fit your style. Popular options include The Secret Agent, The Dark Vader, and The Bond.

They are reasonably priced and have proprietary lenses, where the upper part is reflective and the bottom is clear. This design allows you to look at your cards clearly, without revealing your hand to your opponents.

Blue Shark Optics

Blue Shark Optics poker glasses are popular globally, but their options may be a bit pricier. However, the brand offers a vast selection of glasses you can choose from, you can also upgrade your lenses to prescription, and you can even get non-tinted glasses. So although they may be a splurge, they are worth the investment, as proven by the many professional players who wear them.

AceTen Eyewear

AceTen Eyewear is an excellent choice for anyone looking to invest in poker glasses, as they are designed with the comfort of poker players in mind. The glasses feature biodegradable frames and are incredibly lightweight. In addition, they offer blue-light resistance, which allows you to play for hours without feeling any discomfort. The design is so good you might even forget you are wearing them while playing poker.

Our Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, the type or brand of poker glasses you buy will depend on your budget, comfort level, and style. If you’re looking for the best poker glasses in the market, you can’t go wrong with Blue Shark Optics. However, if you’re only a casual player looking for poker sunglasses, you could wear any regular sunglasses.

FAQ

We understand that you may have some questions regarding the best poker glasses in the market. Therefore, we have decided to answer the most frequently asked questions on poker glasses.

Why do poker players wear glasses?

Most poker players wear glasses at the table because it gives them greater confidence during the match, as they appear cool, calm, and composed. As a result, they can focus on their game and not worry about giving their opponents hints.

Can you wear sunglasses in a casino?

There is a strict “no tolerance” policy against drug use in some casinos, and they have staff trained to look for signs that indicate a player may be high. So, if you wear sunglasses regularly at the table without playing poker, it could be a sign that you’re high, and you could be thrown out of the casino. However, if you’re someone who only wears sunglasses when playing poker, you won’t need to worry about it.

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