Listen Carefully

I've run into people even now who do not know that I have not dealt a card in over 5 years - sans some extra curricular activity that I am waiting to divulge. No matter, to them I am still that dealer that dealt them broke, a jackpot or have always given them good cards. So, even though your opponents at the table are either betting, folding, or receiving cards, the one person that players remember just as well are the dealers.

Conversely, when I dealt the cards and then played afterwards, I would make mental note of most of the player's tendencies as it related to some unconscious gestures they would do.

That brings me to the point that I was illustrating in my last paragraph in the last issue. People reveal more about themselves unconsciously than if they were to engage you in conversation. Before there was ever card games people were revealing "tells" about themselves on a daily basis.

Why else would a person gifted in this respect -reading people - be able to get a pretty good "feel" for a total stranger? That is because the person being reviewed is not on the alert to try to conceal something. In a poker game where players' are conscious of this sort of informational search, may try to either camouflage (see glasses) or reverse psychology to throw you off the intended trail.

Subsequently, all that you really have left is, "is it real or is it Memorex?" Unconscious gestures are totally real, period. There are some good people in poker rooms as well as in life, but it has been my experience that most people in the business of giving advice, keep number one at the forefront of their thought process. Why would this type of person share invaluable information for free? I remember I used to listen to the horse racing results on the radio with my father when I was little. When my father would maybe, say, lose a race I would feel really badly for him. Suddenly, as a commercial played in the background..."friends, we got the blue ribbon special parlay that went out today, coupling the winners in the 3rd and 4th races that paid big $$$...that's horse and jockey a powerful source for winners!" I would inquire from my father why he in fact would not pay the required money and get the winners from this obvious good thing? I remember he looked at me with the most inquisitive facial expression. "If they really new who was going to win all the races, why would they tell the world and bring the price down? They would just bet it for themselves and retire to "shady acres" or some such place."

As a dealer who chose to utilize the information acquired from dealing to play, I was at a distinct disadvantage. Since the players were the ones - for the most part - paying me, I was handicapped when I sat down at the table to play against these very same people. Some people refer to this behavior - playing with their own money - ungracious.

That is debatable, when you take into account how many of these games are kept going by the dealers and more importantly how much more money do the players WIN from the dealers - as opposed to the tips that were individually dispensed. Because of this sort of "catch-22" I could not utilize all the tools of the trade so to speak. I will continually keep you updated on my demise in the early years playing the lower limit games. Until then be careful who you listen to.

More in Psychology

In 1940, Glenn Miller's popular song, "In the Mood," (sung by the Andrew Sisters) stressed how important it was to be in the right place, at the right time, and in the right spirit. The important ingredient to success remains being up for it--whether a person is in the mood to get chummy or to be competitive.

This is particularly true about the game of poker. There's a right time to play and a wrong time to even be at the table... read more