Do you ever receive that itch? The itch to gamble, to head to the nearest gambling house, to discover a superior stakes game of Holdem, to sit at a Chemin de fer table for hours on end. I really like that itch. And I love to scratch it.
I also really like to watch individuals wager. No two poker faces seem identical. When I wager I like to believe I put on a poker face which is impenetrable. But I know I have particular actions. For 1, the only time I smoke is when I wager on poker or Black-jack. And then I chain smoke. But I chain smoke regardless of whether I am winning or losing, regardless of whether I have a good hand or bad.
I once wagered in a weekly poker game. The game was usually 5 card draw. There was a gentleman who wagered with us every week who generally wore a hat. When he was given a beneficial hand, subconsciously, he would begin touching and wagering with his hat. Pointless to say, he by no means won.
The very best poker gambler I ever saw was a man who created more movements and signals at a poker table than anyone I had ever seen. He was impeccable in the way he dressed. Constantly an high priced suit and tie, footwear shined and nails trimmed. He was diligent in this manner. And he was generally brushing his pant leg or rubbings his hands or stacking his chips in neat little piles.
I use to examine him for hours on end. I’d tried to see if I could spot his tell. Selecting lint off his vest- did this mean he was bluffing? Stacking his chips within a short pile – did this imply he had a good hand?
Years later I bumped into him in a bar in Philly and we had a beer. I asked him if he had been aware of all those actions he made or if they were subconscious. He told me that just about every little thing he did at a poker table was intentional. He said that everyone is usually checking out everyone else’s poker face. They’re attempting to detect the the tell.
So his program was to provide them lots to consider about. His thinking was if they had been pondering about him selecting a piece of lint off his vest and what it meant they sure were not thinking about their cards.
His technique was distraction. And it worked for him. Never give up a process that operates for you.