Hiding Tells

Do you ever receive that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the nearest gambling establishment, to uncover a superior stakes game of Holdem, to sit at a Twenty-one table for hours on end. I really like that itch. And I really like to scratch it.

I also really like to watch people bet. No two poker faces seem equal. When I wager I like to think I put on a poker face that’s impassable. Except I know I have certain actions. For 1, the only time I smoke is when I bet on poker or Black jack. And then I smoke. But I chain smoke no matter if I am winning or losing, whether I have a very good hand or bad.

I once played in a weekly poker game. The casino game was usually 5 card draw. There was a gentleman who bet with us every week who constantly wore a hat. When he was given a great hand, subconsciously, he would begin touching and betting with his hat. Pointless to say, he never won.

The very best poker player I ever saw was a player who produced more actions and gestures at a poker table than anyone I had ever met. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Always an expensive suit and tie, shoes shined and nails trimmed. He was fastidious in this manner. And he was often brushing his pants or holding his hands or putting his chips in neat little piles.

I use to study him for hours. I would tried to see if I could notice his tell. Choosing fuzz off his jacket- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips in a very short pile – did this imply he had a great hand?

Years later I bumped into him in a bar in Chicago and we had a beer. I asked him if he were aware of all those activities he made or if they have been unconscious. He informed me that just about every single thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everyone is usually checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re trying to detect the the tell.

So his program was to give them lots to think about. His thinking was if they had been thinking about him choosing a piece of fuzz off his jacket and what it meant they positive were not pondering about their cards.

His technique was distraction. And it worked for him. By no means give up a method that operates for you.

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