Do you ever receive that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the nearest gambling den, to find a great stakes game of Texas holdem, to sit at a Black jack table for hours on end. I love that itch. And I really like to scratch it.
I also love to watch people wager. No two poker faces seem the same. When I bet I like to think I put on a poker face which is impenetrable. Except I know I have specific mannerisms. For one, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I bet on poker or Chemin de fer. And then I smoke. But I smoke no matter whether I am winning or losing, whether I’ve a good hand or bad.
I once bet in a very weekly poker game. The casino game was always 5 card draw. There was a gentleman who bet with us just about every week who usually wore a hat. When he was given a excellent hand, subconsciously, he would start touching and playing with his hat. Needless to say, he by no means won.
The very best poker gambler I ever saw was a man who made additional actions and signals at a poker table than anyone I had ever seen. He was flawless in the way he dressed. Often an costly suit and tie, shoes shined and nails manicured. He was diligent in this manner. And he was usually brushing his pant leg or rubbings his hands or stacking his chips in tidy little piles.
I use to study him for long periods of time. I’d attempt to see if I could notice his tell. Selecting lint off his shirt- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips within a short pile – did this mean he had a beneficial hand?
Years later I ran into him within a bar in Vegas and we had a drink. I asked him if he have been aware of all those motions he created or if they had been unconscious. He informed me that every single thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everybody is constantly checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re trying to detect the the tell.
So his method was to provide them lots to consider about. His reasoning was if they were pondering about him choosing a piece of fuzz off his vest and what it meant they sure weren’t pondering about their cards.
His method was diversion. And it worked for him. By no means give up a technique that operates for you.