Do you ever acquire that itch? The itch to gamble, 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 like that itch. And I love to scratch it.
I also really like to watch men and women gamble. No 2 poker faces seem similar. When I gamble I like to consider I put on a poker face which is impenetrable. But I know I have certain personal habits. For one, the only time I smoke is when I play poker or Twenty-one. And then I smoke. But I chain smoke no matter if I am winning or losing, whether or not I have a great hand or bad.
I once played inside a weekly poker game. The casino game was often five card draw. There was a player who wagered with us each week who often wore a hat. When he was given a very good hand, unconsciously, he would start touching and playing with his hat. Pointless to say, he by no means won.
The very best poker gambler I ever saw was a man who created a lot more actions and signals at a poker table than anyone I had ever met. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Usually an high-priced 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 neat little piles.
I use to analyze him for hours. I’d attempt to see if I could notice his tell. Picking fuzz off his shirt- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips within a short pile – did this imply he had a great hand?
Many years later I ran into him in a bar in Boston and we had a beer. I asked him if he have been aware of all those movements he created or if they had been subconscious. He informed me that each little thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everyone is usually checking out everybody else’s poker face. They are attempting to detect the the tell.
So his method was to give them lots to feel about. His reasoning was if they were pondering about him choosing a piece of fuzz off his jacket and what it meant they sure weren’t pondering about their cards.
His method was distraction. And it worked for him. In no way give up a method that functions for you.