When poker first started getting big in the mid-2000’s after the Moneymaker Effect, the mainstream population began noticing more and more about the game. And one of the first things many people noted was how a larger percentage of the players would wear sunglasses indoors. Up until this time, wearing sunglasses indoors was seen as more of something that hip-hop stars or people who were desperately seeking attention (or a combination of the two) would do.
But most poker players weren’t trying to look cool with their shades as they were instead attempting to conceal tells they might give off with their eyes or be able to stare at other people to get tells without freaking them out. Of course there have been people like Greg Raymer who will wear crazy sunglasses at the table in order to try and look cool, but for the most part it was a strategical move.
However, some people today are starting to question the use of sunglasses in today’s poker game. Poker pro Beth Shak is one such player as she’s said in the past that people who wear sunglasses at the table are cowards and losers. Personally I wouldn’t go as far as to call them cowards and losers, but I do think that the use of sunglasses as a strategical tool is overrated.
Even if you wear sunglasses you’re still going to be giving off tells through other ways if you don’t have a good poker face. And wearing sunglasses can even lead to more tells if you are constantly adjusting them or taking them off because it sucks so bad to wear sunglasses for such long period of time indoors. Basically, I think most people only wear sunglasses in poker to look cool nowadays.