Do you ever get that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the closest betting house, to discover a great stakes casino game of Texas hold’em, to sit at a Black jack table for hours on end. I love that itch. And I really like to scratch it.
I also love to watch men and women gamble. No 2 poker faces seem alike. When I gamble I like to believe I put on a poker face that’s impassable. But I know I have particular gestures. For one, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I bet on poker or Black jack. And then I chain smoke. Except I smoke whether or not I am succeeding or losing, whether I’ve a very good hand or bad.
I once wagered in a weekly poker game. The game was generally 5 card draw. There was a person who played with us just about every week who often wore a hat. When he was dealt a excellent hand, subconsciously, he would start touching and betting with his hat. Needless to say, he in no way won.
The very best poker gambler I ever saw was a player who manufactured much more movements and signals at a poker table than anybody I had ever seen. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Often an pricey suit and tie, shoes shined and nails trimmed. He was meticulous in this manner. And he was usually brushing his pants or holding his hands or stacking his chips in neat little piles.
I use to analyze him for hours. I’d tried 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 very good hand?
Many years later I bumped into him in the bar in Chi town and we had a beer. I asked him if he have been aware of all those motions he produced or if they had been subconscious. He told me that every single little thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is usually checking out everybody else’s poker face. They’re attempting to spot the the tell.
So his system was to give them lots to consider about. His reasoning was if they had been pondering about him selecting a piece of fuzz off his vest and what it meant they sure weren’t pondering about their cards.
His technique was diversion. And it worked for him. Never give up a process that operates for you.
