01.08
Poker Face
Do you ever acquire that itch? The itch to bet, to head to the closest gambling establishment, to uncover a great stakes casino game of Texas hold’em, to sit at a Pontoon table for hours on end. I love that itch. And I really like to scratch it.
I also like to watch individuals bet. No two poker faces seem equal. When I wager I like to believe I put on a poker face which is impassable. Except I know I have specific mannerisms. For 1, the only time I smoke is when I wager on poker or Blackjack. And then I chain smoke. Except I chain smoke regardless of whether I am succeeding or losing, whether I have a great hand or bad.
I once played in the weekly poker game. The game was usually 5 card draw. There was a guy who wagered with us every single week who often wore a hat. When he was dealt a good hand, unconsciously, he would begin touching and playing with his hat. Pointless to say, he by no means won.
The very best poker gambler I ever saw was a player who made more actions and signals at a poker table than anyone I had ever seen. He was flawless in the way he dressed. Constantly an high-priced suit and tie, shoes shined and nails trimmed. He was fastidious in this manner. And he was generally brushing his pants or rubbings his hands or putting his chips in neat little piles.
I use to analyze him for hours. I’d tried to see if I could notice his tell. Choosing fuzz off his vest- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips in a short pile – did this imply he had a excellent hand?
Years later I bumped into him in a bar in Chicago and we had a beer. I asked him if he have been aware of all those actions he produced or if they were unconscious. He informed me that every individual thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is always checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re attempting to notice the the tell.
So his system was to give them lots to assume about. His thinking was if they were pondering about him choosing a piece of fuzz off his vest and what it meant they sure were not thinking about their cards.
His system was diversion. And it worked for him. Never give up a process that works for you.