While playing poker in a casino there is very little you can do to control the environment that you are playing in, outside of a complaint to the floor about the temperature of the room or the smell emanating from a particularly odious player. A great benefit of playing poker online is that you are in complete control of where, when, and how you play. Unfortunately a common mistake that people make is that they allow their environment to be a detriment to their playing. Even professional online poker players can fall into the trap of a poor playing environment negatively affecting their poker play. Any distractions in your environment take away from the most important part of the game: your poker state of mind. Ideally you want to be playing your A-game at all times. If you are checking your email or watching a movie on TV while you are playing poker then you aren’t going to be paying as much attention to your tables as you should be. Watching the action as it unfolds, observing your opponents, and taking notes are all vital components to playing the best poker possible. Before starting a session make sure that you have ...