Do you ever have that itch? The itch to wager, to head to the closest betting house, to find a high stakes game of Hold’em, to sit at a Black-jack table for hours on end. I love that itch. And I love to scratch it.
I also love to watch folks wager. No two poker faces seem identical. When I gamble I like to consider I put on a poker face that’s impassable. But I know I have particular gestures. For 1, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I bet on poker or Black jack. And then I chain smoke. But I chain smoke whether or not I am winning or losing, no matter if I’ve a very good hand or bad.
I once bet in a weekly poker game. The game was usually 5 card draw. There was a player who bet with us just about every week who often wore a hat. When he was given a very good hand, unconsciously, he would begin touching and wagering with his hat. Pointless to say, he never won.
The greatest poker gambler I ever saw was a guy who manufactured more movements and gestures at a poker table than anybody I had ever met. He was impeccable in the way he dressed. Usually an expensive suit and tie, boots shined and nails manicured. He was diligent 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 examine him for hours on end. I would attempt to see if I could notice his tell. Picking lint off his vest- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips in a short pile – did this imply he had a excellent hand?
Several years later I ran into him inside a bar in Vegas and we had a beverage. I asked him if he have been aware of all those motions he made or if they have been subconscious. He informed me that each little thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everybody is generally 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 picking a piece of lint off his vest and what it meant they positive were not pondering about their cards.
His method was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a method that works for you.
