Poker Face
Do you ever get that itch? The itch to wager, to head to the closest gambling den, to locate a high stakes game of Hold em, to sit at a Twenty-one table for hours on end. I really like that itch. And I like to scratch it.
I also really like to watch folks bet. No 2 poker faces seem alike. When I gamble I like to consider I put on a poker face that is impenetrable. But I know I have specific mannerisms. For one, the only time I smoke is when I play poker or Pontoon. And then I smoke. Except I chain smoke regardless of whether I am succeeding or losing, whether I have a very good hand or bad.
I once wagered inside a weekly poker game. The casino game was usually 5 card draw. There was a person who wagered with us each week who usually wore a hat. When he was given a beneficial hand, unconsciously, he would begin touching and betting with his hat. Needless to say, he by no means won.
The greatest poker player I ever saw was a man who manufactured additional actions and signals at a poker table than anyone I had ever met. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Usually an expensive suit and tie, shoes shined and nails trimmed. He was diligent in this manner. And he was constantly brushing his pants or holding his hands or putting his chips in tidy little piles.
I use to study him for long periods of time. I’d tried to see if I could notice his tell. Selecting lint off his jacket- did this imply he was bluffing? Stacking his chips in a short pile – did this mean he had a excellent hand?
Many years later I bumped into him in a very bar in Vegas and we had a drink. I asked him if he have been aware of all those motions he made or if they were unconscious. He told me that every single single thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is often checking out everybody else’s poker face. They are trying to notice the the tell.
So his program was to provide them lots to think about. His reasoning was if they were thinking about him selecting a piece of lint off his shirt and what it meant they positive weren’t pondering about their cards.
His program was distraction. And it worked for him. In no way give up a technique that works for you.
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