Poker Face

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Do you ever have that itch? The itch to bet, to head to the nearest gambling house, to uncover a good stakes game of Hold’em, to sit at a Black-jack table for hours on end. I like that itch. And I love to scratch it.

I also like to watch people today bet. No two poker faces seem the same. When I bet I like to think I put on a poker face that is impassable. Except I know I have certain personal habits. For one, the only time I smoke is when I wager on poker or Black jack. And then I smoke. Except I smoke whether or not I am winning or losing, no matter if I’ve a beneficial hand or bad.

I once bet in a weekly poker game. The game was generally five card draw. There was a gentleman who wagered with us every single week who generally wore a hat. When he was given a beneficial hand, subconsciously, he would begin touching and betting with his hat. Needless to say, he in no way won.

The greatest poker player I ever saw was a gentleman who made more actions and gestures at a poker table than anyone I had ever seen. He was flawless in the way he dressed. Often an costly suit and tie, boots shined and nails manicured. 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 examine him for hours on end. I would attempt to see if I could notice his tell. Picking fuzz off his vest- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips within a short pile – did this imply he had a very good hand?

Years later I bumped into him in a bar in Philly and we had a beer. I asked him if he had been aware of all those motions he produced or if they had been unconscious. He told me that every single individual thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is often checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re attempting to notice the the tell.

So his system was to provide them lots to consider about. His thinking was if they have been pondering about him choosing a piece of lint off his coat and what it meant they certain weren’t thinking about their cards.

His process was diversion. And it worked for him. In no way give up a technique that operates for you.