Poker Face
Do you ever acquire that itch? The itch to bet, to head to the closest gambling house, to discover a great stakes game of Texas hold em, to sit at a Black-jack table for hours on end. I like that itch. And I really like to scratch it.
I also really like to watch people wager. No two poker faces seem the same. When I gamble I like to think I put on a poker face which is impenetrable. But I know I have particular gestures. For one, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I bet on poker or Blackjack. And then I chain smoke. But I chain smoke no matter if I am winning or losing, whether I have a great hand or bad.
I once wagered inside a weekly poker game. The game was usually 5 card draw. There was a person who wagered with us just about every week who always wore a hat. When he was dealt a excellent hand, unconsciously, he would begin touching and wagering with his hat. Needless to say, he never won.
The very best poker player I ever saw was a guy who made more actions and gestures at a poker table than anybody I had ever seen. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Often an expensive suit and tie, boots shined and nails trimmed. He was meticulous in this manner. And he was often brushing his pant leg or rubbings his hands or putting his chips in neat little piles.
I use to examine him for hours on end. I’d attempt to see if I could spot his tell. Selecting lint off his shirt- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips in a short pile – did this imply he had a good hand?
Several years later I bumped into him in the bar in Chi town and we had a drink. I asked him if he had been aware of all those movements he produced or if they have been unconscious. He told me that every individual thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everybody is generally checking out everyone else’s poker face. They are trying to spot the the tell.
So his program was to provide them lots to think about. His reasoning was if they had been pondering about him choosing a piece of lint off his vest and what it meant they positive weren’t thinking about their cards.
His system was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a technique that operates for you.
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