12.06
Hiding Tells
Do you ever have that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the closest gambling den, to discover a superior stakes casino game of Hold’em, to sit at a Twenty-one table for hours on end. I love 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 assume I put on a poker face which is impenetrable. But I know I’ve specific actions. For one, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I wager on poker or Pontoon. And then I smoke. But I smoke no matter whether I am winning or losing, regardless of whether I’ve a beneficial hand or bad.
I once played in a weekly poker game. The casino game was always five card draw. There was a player who wagered with us every single week who constantly wore a hat. When he was dealt a very good hand, subconsciously, he would start touching and playing with his hat. Pointless to say, he never won.
The very best poker player I ever saw was a gentleman who created additional movements and signals at a poker table than anybody I had ever seen. He was impeccable in the way he dressed. Usually an high priced suit and tie, boots shined and nails manicured. He was diligent in this manner. And he was generally brushing his pants or rubbings his hands or putting his chips in tidy little piles.
I use to examine him for hours. I’d tried to see if I could notice his tell. Picking fuzz off his vest- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips in a very short pile – did this imply he had a excellent hand?
Several years later I bumped into him inside a bar in New York and we had a beverage. I asked him if he have been aware of all those actions he produced or if they were subconscious. He informed me that each single thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everyone is often checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re trying to detect the the tell.
So his method was to provide them lots to assume about. His reasoning was if they were thinking about him choosing a piece of lint off his shirt and what it meant they sure weren’t thinking about their cards.
His system was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a process that functions for you.