I'm sure this has been posted before, but I couldn't find anything on my search, and I'm still curious:

What kind of music do you guys play when your hosting your home game? If any at all? And how do your regulars respond to it? They like it, or just pull out their own head phones? Have you ever changed your tunes for somebody?

I'll get the ball rolling. I've been playing (for the most part) funk at my game. My mid-20 crowd snickered at first, expecting their usual whiney indie-alternative. But I persisted, because I dig it, and I think they now get and enjoy it too.

Here's a couple things I've been enjoying. Whether I'm on the felt or not, these tunes remind me of how it feels to be running good:

the Apples

Curtis Mayfield

Little Feat

Bob Marley on Pandora radio

Meh, I think music is to personal for one genre to please 6-10 people for 4+ hours. I think headphones is the best, with sportscenter/game or an action flick on TV in the background.

^^ headphones in a homegame? Doesn't sound very social...

Yeah, no kidding. I've had great success pleasing a wide variety of people with my mixes. I would generally load up about 5GB onto the iPod, let it shuffle.

Sample mix (October '10):

Barry Adamson, Luther Allison, Trey Anastasio, Erykah Badu, The Beatles, Jeff Beck, The Black Keys, Bonerama, Bonobo, James Brown, The Budos Band, Cake, Leonard Cohen, Corey Harris, Cymande, Dan the Automator, Digable Planets, Easy Star All-Stars, Duke Ellington, Enya, The Evolution Control Committee, Four Tet, Funkadelic, G. Love & Special Sauce, Stan Getz, Gipsy Kings, Mike Gordon, Grateful Dead, Macy Gray, Grant Green, Guitarmageddon, Halou, Herbie Hancock, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Fela Kuti, Thelonious Monk, Monophonics, The New Mastersounds, Fredrik Öhr, Phish, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Bola Sete, Eddie Vedder, Ween, and a few lounge and psymbient compilations.

I'll definitely change the mix if something's getting downvoted. I like a nice balance.

Headphones are the LAST thing I want at my game.

Korn, Slipknot, Zombie, Static-X. I like to keep the aggression level high

I'd like to play in that game. Can you throw in some Sublime and Pantera?

I think listening to Metal during a live game would make me spew like crazy. I did have a particularly decent MTT win online whilst grinding to Reveille back in the day, pretty aggro!

pfapfap did a whole series for posts about his mixes. It was quite impressive.

I generally use Pandora. Lately I have been playing the generic Jazz Bebop/Combo station. We have several jazz lovers. It may not be to everyone's taste, but at least I keep it low and in the background.

I also keep it a little low and in the background. I actually tried to watch a basketball game the last time we played, and I don't know if I liked it so much. It distracted a lot of the players and slowed the game down a bunch.

It looks like you've got a good variety pfapfap. I need to add some good jazz to my playlist, some ellington and monk. Just curious though: What's the reaction when Enya pops on?

Here's a couple more of my favs:

Shawn Lee

Uptown Funk Empire

Young Holt Unlimited

Lyle Workman

Breakbot

I recently got cable, those music channels are a good standby for me. Pick a genre and there is enough random stuff that is pleasant, with the occasional crowd pleaser. They also put up bits of trivia, which are interesting conversation makers or betting opportunities!

Alt Rock, Classic Rock, Blues are generally the choices.

I don't allow headphones at my game or sunglasses for that matter, I've finally relented on texting since that's what all the rooms do now. As for a music mix, I for sure set aside my own tastes for the most part and spin about 90% fun music from the past 50 years that everyone recognizes. It is a fine line to walk not to get too syrupy, I avoid the sweetest bubble gum stuff, but I do not shy away from "Build me up Buttercup" and that sort of thing. Who wants to listen to obscure music, or have stuff they've never heard before inflicted on them when they've come to play some cards and have some fun? Not me. I'd rather play joyful stuff, from Elvis and the Beatles to Bruno Mars and LMFAO; things that people can sing along to, or at least hum and tap.

Thats a good point manzoni, which brings up the question: Is it the hosts responsibility to play music that everyone can enjoy? Or is it the hosts right to play what they want, considering it's their home?

I'll skip a song every once and a while if somebody's complaining about it, but I'll continue to play my own playlist. It's a part of the atmosphere in my home, and besides, it's just background music.

I go to other home games expecting something different. There are people out there who just can't listen to something new, but I'm the complete opposite. I don't think I've ever experienced "stuff I've never heard before inflicted on me" because things I haven't heard before are always the most interesting to me.

Headphones would get you a quick ban at my game!

At a recent 3 table home game tournament I was at the table that was in a different room. The host has the same music piped in throughout his townhouse off his MP3 device. One of the players decided the selections being broadcast were too laid back & putting him to sleep. He put on his headphones & plugged in his IPod.

Problem was, after a couple of minutes one of his favorite tunes came on his player and he started to sing along under his breath. Far more irritating than the piped in tune selections.

This very story was on our latest home game poker podcast (www.toppair.net)

I have satellite TV and rely on the music channels, Classic Rock, Adult Alternative, 80's Hits and surprisingly Folk Rock. All are endorsed by the players.

I really love hearing stuff i haven't heard before when i go to a game, only way to actually discover new music

So Hosts bring the weird not hugely popular stuff and be flexible enough to adjust if your players vote down your selections

I guess I'm one of the few that puts the TV on Sportcenter or game/games of choice. I specifically had to add a 2nd TV to appease the Mets fans that dominate in numbers, but not ownership of the Yankees home-owner.

We occasionally have sport on too, and Im pretty flexible with requests. I find sport is more distracting, and we aren't the best at staying on task as it is. I blame the host!

FREEBIRD!

Classic Rock on Pandora lately. I'm surprised by how many hosts are annoyed by headphones. I only get annoyed by them if it's causing them to pay less attention ("oh, it's on me?!). I think that's a personal choice though and as a host I am not offended at all.

Thanks!

The reaction was not favorable. I usually had two or three "joke" albums in the mix, to see how long until someone said "WTF, dude?"

Who says obscure means un-fun? I bet The New Mastersounds are obscure for you. Are you telling me this isn't fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Os5CpNsqM ... I play something like that as chill-out background music, and it gets faces smiling and heads bopping.

Or maybe this track from The Budos Band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBjT168zyFE ... the video even features a poker game!

I usually skip the Phish in the early part of the night, but late at night few object to a southern-fried jam:

Why can't it be both? The reason I started hosting games was because I felt I could put something together that I enjoyed but couldn't find anywhere else, and that would also be popular and well-received. That goes for my music mixes as well.

You might not get what you expect at my game, but chances are you're going to like it. That goes for structure, procedures, and music.

Pretty much, yeah. I've gotten more new music through poker games than anywhere else. It was also a nice challenge for me to keep up with new and upcoming artists, so that my playlists didn't get stale. Now that I'm not hosting games any more, I don't seek out music as much. There's no audience for my mixes.

I split the headphone thing off into another thread, as I like both topics and didnt want either to get derailed...

But this thread has inspired me to pick something to play in the background for PLO tonight, I'll have a think about something appropriate!

You intro'ed me to some interesting music, and some really good music I was not aware of. But I am sure I would be that someone if I played in your game.

I miss those (daily?) music posts you used to do.

Thanks! They were a lot of time and effort. I did them in January of last year.

My players are rockers. Classic, new, you name it. Makes it easier to program the tunes. I've found that the Blues works well, always get lots of compliments. Trick is finding enough uptempo stuff.