Do you ever obtain that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the nearest gambling den, to locate a superior stakes casino game of Holdem, to sit at a Twenty-one table for hours on end. I love that itch. And I really like to scratch it.
I also love to watch folks wager. No 2 poker faces seem equal. When I gamble I like to believe I put on a poker face that is impenetrable. Except I know I’ve specific mannerisms. For 1, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I bet on poker or Black-jack. And then I smoke. But I chain smoke no matter if I am succeeding or losing, regardless of whether I have a great hand or bad.
I once bet in a weekly poker game. The game was generally five card draw. There was a man who bet with us each week who usually wore a hat. When he was given a excellent hand, unconsciously, he would start touching and playing with his hat. Pointless to say, he never won.
The greatest poker player I ever saw was a player who made a lot more movements and signals at a poker table than anybody I had ever seen. He was impeccable in the way he dressed. Usually an pricey suit and tie, shoes shined and nails trimmed. He was diligent in this manner. And he was constantly brushing his pants or rubbings his hands or putting his chips in tidy little piles.
I use to examine him for hours. I’d attempt to see if I could spot his tell. Choosing fuzz off his jacket- did this imply he was bluffing? Arranging his chips in a short pile – did this imply he had a great hand?
Several years later I bumped into him in a very bar in New York and we had a beer. I asked him if he had been aware of all those movements he manufactured or if they had been subconscious. He informed me that every single individual thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everybody is usually checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re attempting to spot the the tell.
So his method was to provide them lots to feel about. His thinking was if they were pondering about him selecting a piece of lint off his shirt and what it meant they sure were not thinking about their cards.
His method was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a system that operates for you.
