Hiding Tells
Do you ever acquire that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the nearest gambling house, to find a great stakes casino game of Hold em, to sit at a Pontoon table for hours on end. I like that itch. And I like to scratch it.
I also love to watch people today gamble. No 2 poker faces seem the same. When I gamble I like to consider I put on a poker face which is impassable. Except I know I have particular mannerisms. For 1, the only time I smoke is when I bet on poker or Black-jack. And then I chain smoke. But I smoke regardless of whether I am succeeding or losing, whether I’ve a excellent hand or bad.
I once played in a very weekly poker game. The game was often five card draw. There was a guy who bet with us just about every week who always wore a hat. When he was given a good hand, subconsciously, he would begin touching and playing with his hat. Pointless to say, he in no way won.
The greatest poker player I ever saw was a man who produced much more actions and signals at a poker table than anyone I had ever met. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Generally an high-priced suit and tie, shoes shined and nails manicured. He was meticulous in this manner. And he was usually brushing his pant leg or holding his hands or putting his chips in neat little piles.
I use to examine him for long periods of time. I’d tried to see if I could notice his tell. Picking fuzz off his vest- did this mean he was bluffing? Arranging his chips in a very short pile – did this imply he had a beneficial hand?
Several years later I ran into him inside a bar in Philly and we had a drink. I asked him if he were aware of all those activities he manufactured or if they had been unconscious. He informed me that every single single thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everyone is constantly checking out everybody else’s poker face. They’re attempting to notice the the tell.
So his system was to give them lots to think about. His reasoning was if they were pondering about him picking a piece of fuzz off his vest and what it meant they certain weren’t thinking about their cards.
His process was diversion. And it worked for him. Never give up a process that works for you.
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