Do you ever get that itch? The itch to bet, to head to the closest gambling house, to find a high stakes casino game of Hold’em, to sit at a Twenty-one table for hours on end. I really like that itch. And I love to scratch it.
I also like to watch folks gamble. No two poker faces seem similar. When I wager I like to feel I put on a poker face that is impenetrable. But I know I’ve certain gestures. For one, the only time I smoke is when I bet on poker or Chemin de fer. And then I smoke. But I smoke whether I am succeeding or losing, whether or not I have a good hand or bad.
I once bet in the weekly poker game. The game was generally 5 card draw. There was a guy who bet with us every single week who constantly wore a hat. When he was dealt a very good hand, unconsciously, he would start touching and betting with his hat. Pointless to say, he by no means won.
The greatest poker gambler I ever saw was a guy who manufactured additional actions and gestures at a poker table than anybody I had ever seen. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Often an high priced suit and tie, footwear shined and nails manicured. He was diligent in this manner. And he was constantly brushing his pants or holding his hands or stacking his chips in neat little piles.
I use to examine him for long periods of time. I’d tried to see if I could spot his tell. Selecting lint off his jacket- did this imply he was bluffing? Stacking his chips in a short pile – did this imply he had a beneficial hand?
Several years later I ran into him within a bar in Philly and we had a beverage. I asked him if he had been aware of all those motions he manufactured or if they have been subconscious. He informed me that each and every single thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is usually checking out everyone else’s poker face. They are attempting to spot the the tell.
So his technique was to give them lots to think about. His thinking was if they have been thinking about him choosing a piece of lint off his coat and what it meant they sure were not thinking about their cards.
His program was distraction. And it worked for him. In no way give up a process that works for you.
