If no one is gambling at the table, ask for a table change.

Are the headphones lucky headphones or regular headphones?

I wear ear buds, but when I'm playing in my bigger game, I just listen to classical music and soft enough that I can still have a conversation.

I purchased some QC3's in March '10, and wore them religiously over my last 1000 hours of grinding. I have just played the last 60 hours without even taking them out with me, and the difference (at 1/2, 1/3) is immense. I've been joking around with my customers/fish, cracking jokes and making sure they are having a good time. I DEFINITELY have felt a marked drop in hostility towards me, as well as an ability to drop the guard of the better recreational players through convo and banter, who in turn will make mistakes/soft play you. Also, in smaller rooms with only a couple of tables, I have noticed fish hanging around more, rebuying when its short-handed, and the game lasting longer at the end of the night. Amazing!!!!

I'm a convert, and won't be wearing 'phones at the cash tables any more

Nice info!

The whole headphones issue is largely irrelevant. It depends on the player, the table, etc. I wear headphones but I try very hard to be social at the tables and have fun with other players. I also agree that there is a ton of information given away, but if you are paying attention then wearing headphones doesn't necessarily mean you will miss this info. I do agree that the players who never or rarely speak, wear headphones and are hoodied up like the uni bomber are hurting themselves by killing the social aspect of the game. Pfap is spot on when he talks about helping your "customers" to have a good time by chatting, laughing and fostering a fun and collegial environment. This makes the overall table a more friendly and welcoming environment and it makes it much more fun for those that are at the table for social reasons or to gamboool to give their money away.

Table selection is important but it may take time for your to understand what type of table works for you. As you gain experience you will find that you will be able to exploit many table types, i.e. you will find ways to exploit the old nits at one table yet you will be able to play at loose passive tables by maximizing your strong hands, it will come with time and experience.

It also appears that there are many more important concepts that you need to focus on to consistently beat live 1/2, most of which centers around understanding your opponents tendencies. Venice made an excellent suggestion regarding reading the low limit strategy thread, there is some really good information in there and just reading it will help your poker knowledge and thinking which will in turn help your game. Here is a link to some of the better LLSNL strategy posts:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/170/live-low-stakes-nl/best-llsnl-1168186/[/url]

I would also highly recommend reading up on some of the books recommended in other threads regarding low stakes NLHE.

Good luck!