Do you ever receive that itch? The itch to bet, to head to the nearest gambling establishment, to come across a superior stakes casino game of Hold’em, to sit at a Blackjack table for hours on end. I really like that itch. And I really like to scratch it.
I also love to watch people today bet. No 2 poker faces seem the same. When I gamble I like to feel I put on a poker face which is impassable. But I know I’ve particular personal habits. For 1, the only time I smoke cigarettes is when I play poker or Blackjack. And then I smoke. But I smoke whether I am winning or losing, regardless of whether I have a beneficial hand or bad.
I once bet in a weekly poker game. The game was always five card draw. There was a man who bet with us every single week who often wore a hat. When he was given a very good hand, unconsciously, he would begin touching and wagering with his hat. Needless to say, he never won.
The greatest poker gambler I ever saw was a player who produced a lot more movements and signals at a poker table than anybody I had ever seen. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Often an costly suit and tie, boots shined and nails trimmed. He was meticulous in this manner. And he was generally brushing his pant leg or holding his hands or stacking his chips in neat little piles.
I use to study 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? Arranging his chips in a short pile – did this mean he had a great hand?
Several years later I ran into him in the bar in Boston and we had a drink. I asked him if he were aware of all those movements he produced or if they have been subconscious. He informed me that each and every little thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everybody is generally checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re trying to notice the the tell.
So his program was to give them lots to think about. His reasoning was if they have been thinking about him choosing a piece of fuzz off his vest and what it meant they certain weren’t pondering about their cards.
His program was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a system that functions for you.