Do you ever obtain that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the nearest betting house, to discover a good stakes game of Texas hold’em, to sit at a Pontoon table for hours on end. I really like that itch. And I really like to scratch it.
I also love to watch folks gamble. No two poker faces seem the same. When I bet I like to consider I put on a poker face that’s impenetrable. But I know I’ve specific personal habits. For one, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I play poker or Twenty-one. And then I chain smoke. But I chain smoke whether I am winning or losing, no matter whether I have 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 week who constantly wore a hat. When he was dealt a great hand, unconsciously, he would start touching and playing with his hat. Needless to say, he in no way won.
The greatest poker player I ever saw was a man who manufactured 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 expensive suit and tie, footwear shined and nails trimmed. He was diligent in this manner. And he was always brushing his pant leg or rubbings his hands or putting his chips in neat little piles.
I use to examine him for hours. I would attempt to see if I could spot his tell. Picking fuzz off his vest- did this imply he was bluffing? Arranging his chips in a short pile – did this mean he had a beneficial hand?
Many years later I bumped into him inside a bar in Philly and we had a beverage. I asked him if he were aware of all those activities he manufactured or if they were unconscious. He informed me that each and every little thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is usually checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re trying to detect the the tell.
So his program was to give them lots to believe about. His reasoning was if they were pondering about him choosing a piece of fuzz off his vest and what it meant they certain weren’t pondering about their cards.
His technique was diversion. And it worked for him. Never give up a system that works for you.