[ English ]

Do you ever acquire that itch? The itch to bet, to head to the nearest casino, to come across a good stakes casino game of Hold em, to sit at a Chemin de fer table for hours on end. I love that itch. And I like to scratch it.

I also really like to watch men and women gamble. No 2 poker faces seem the same. When I gamble I like to believe I put on a poker face which is impassable. But I know I’ve particular gestures. For one, the only time I smoke is when I wager on poker or Blackjack. And then I smoke. But I smoke whether I am winning or losing, no matter whether I have a beneficial hand or bad.

I once played in a weekly poker game. The casino game was usually 5 card draw. There was a person who wagered with us each week who constantly wore a hat. When he was given a good hand, subconsciously, he would start touching and wagering with his hat. Needless to say, he by no means won.

The greatest poker player I ever saw was a player who manufactured far more actions and signals at a poker table than anyone I had ever seen. He was impressive in the way he dressed. Constantly an pricey suit and tie, footwear shined and nails manicured. He was diligent in this manner. And he was generally brushing his pants or holding his hands or stacking his chips in tidy little piles.

I use to study him for hours on end. I would tried to see if I could spot his tell. Choosing fuzz off his shirt- did this mean he was bluffing? Arranging his chips in a short pile – did this mean he had a beneficial hand?

Years later I ran into him in a bar in New York and we had a beverage. I asked him if he had been aware of all those motions he created or if they have been unconscious. He told me that every single individual thing he did at a poker table was deliberate. He said that everyone is generally checking out everyone else’s poker face. They are trying to detect the the tell.

So his technique was to provide them lots to assume about. His thinking was if they have been pondering about him selecting a piece of fuzz off his shirt and what it meant they certain weren’t thinking about their cards.

His system was diversion. And it worked for him. Never give up a technique that functions for you.