A while ago, I noticed that whenever I was playing online, I had at least one distraction. Whether I’m watching the television, listening to iTunes, reading some newspaper articles or playing other tournaments.

While it kept me stimulated and satisfied my attention deficit, it was a major leak on my game.

Take this science experiment as an example:

A group of people were split up and half were given a two-digit number to remember the other half were given a seven-digit number to remember. Each person was then instructed to walk down a hall to another room.

As they walked to the next room, they were stopped by someone, offering them to pick a snack of either chocolate cake or a bowl of fresh fruit. Overwhelmingly, the people who had to remember the seven-digit number chose the fatty chocolate cake. The people with the two-digit number wrestled with their choice, then picked the fruit bowl.

It seems the people who had to remember seven digits had the rational part of their brain bogged down with memorization, so much so, they didn’t have the mental power to overcome the temptation of the chocolate cake.

It’s that same part of the brain most utilized when you’re playing poker. In order to make the most intelligent decisions, you need to be free from distractions, and let your mind focus on the task at hand.

When I’m watching the television, I’m not watching my opponents and I’m not taking note of their tendencies.

In mid-to-high-stakes tournaments and cash games, you have to use whatever information you get in the short time that you have. Not paying attention to the hands your opponents show down, or their post-flop bets will cost you.

Playing solid poker can only take you so far — eventually you have to play your opponents and listening to Lady GaGa while playing Klondike Solitaire while watching YouTube videos of people getting hit in the groin, isn’t the best way to get a read on the guy that just four-bet you.

Next time you play, find a comfortable chair and make sure the only thing open on your desktop is your poker client — I promise you’ll make smarter decisions.