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Poker Face

Do you ever have that itch? The itch to wager, to head to the nearest gambling house, to come across a superior stakes game of Texas hold’em, to sit at a Twenty-one table for hours on end. I love that itch. And I love to scratch it.

I also really like to watch folks wager. No two poker faces seem identical. When I gamble I like to feel I put on a poker face which is impassable. Except I know I have particular personal habits. For 1, the only time I smoke is when I bet on poker or Blackjack. And then I chain smoke. Except I smoke no matter if I am succeeding or losing, whether or not I have a good hand or bad.

I once bet within a weekly poker game. The game was often 5 card draw. There was a player who wagered with us each week who always wore a hat. When he was given a very good hand, subconsciously, he would start 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 a lot more actions and gestures at a poker table than anybody I had ever met. He was impeccable in the way he dressed. Often an high-priced suit and tie, boots shined and nails trimmed. He was fastidious in this manner. And he was constantly brushing his pant leg or holding his hands or stacking his chips in tidy little piles.

I use to analyze him for long periods of time. I’d attempt to see if I could notice his tell. Selecting lint off his vest- did this mean he was bluffing? Arranging his chips in a short pile – did this imply he had a good hand?

Years later I bumped into him within a bar in Chi town and we had a drink. I asked him if he were aware of all those motions he produced or if they have been unconscious. He informed me that each little thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is constantly checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re attempting to spot the the tell.

So his technique was to provide them lots to consider about. His reasoning was if they have been pondering about him selecting a piece of fuzz off his vest and what it meant they positive were not pondering about their cards.

His process was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a process that operates for you.

Posted in Poker.


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