The present invention describes an optical distance measuring device having a pulsed radiation source that is implemented to transmit, in a temporally contiguous radiation pulse period, a radiation pulse having a pulse duration tp that is shorter than the radiation pulse period, and to transmit no radiation pulse in a temporally contiguous dark period. Further, the optical distance measuring device includes a detector for detecting different amounts of radiation in two overlapping detection periods during the radiation pulse period to capture reflections of the radiation pulse at an object surface and a background radiation and/or in two overlapping detection periods during the dark period to capture background radiation. The optical distance measuring device further includes an evaluator determining a signal depending on a distance of the optical distance measuring device to an object based on the detected amount of radiation. Further, the present invention provides a method for optical distance measurement and for multiple sampling.