Do you ever have that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the closest betting house, to find a high stakes casino game of Holdem, to sit at a Black-jack table for hours on end. I really like that itch. And I like to scratch it.
I also like to watch people bet. No 2 poker faces seem the same. When I bet I like to feel I put on a poker face that’s impenetrable. But I know I’ve particular personal habits. For one, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I play poker or Black-jack. And then I smoke. But I chain smoke no matter if I am winning or losing, no matter whether I have a good hand or bad.
I once wagered in a very weekly poker game. The game was often 5 card draw. There was a person who played with us every week who usually wore a hat. When he was dealt a excellent hand, subconsciously, he would begin touching and playing with his hat. Needless to say, he by no means won.
The greatest poker player I ever saw was a gentleman who manufactured a lot more actions and signals at a poker table than anybody I had ever met. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Often an costly suit and tie, shoes shined and nails trimmed. He was fastidious in this manner. And he was usually brushing his pant leg or holding his hands or stacking his chips in tidy little piles.
I use to examine him for long periods of time. 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 in a very short pile – did this mean he had a good hand?
Many years later I bumped into him in a bar in Boston and we had a drink. I asked him if he have been aware of all those actions he manufactured or if they were unconscious. He told me that every single little thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is always checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re attempting to notice the the tell.
So his technique was to provide them lots to believe about. His reasoning was if they had been thinking about him choosing a piece of lint off his coat and what it meant they certain were not pondering about their cards.
His process was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a process that operates for you.