Poker Mind Tricks by Michael Hayter
One
thing you must always remember is that the
cards in front of you are only one part of the
game. The other part of the game is the people
around you and of course you are a big part of
the game. This is even more so in live games
where you come face to face with the people
whose money you are trying to take.
There
are many ways to play the game and there are
many techniques you can use to get an edge on
the opponents. Playing correct hole cards,
knowing pot odds and position betting are some
of these. But another fundamental part of
poker is the 'mind' game which can separate a
good player and a pro.
I
am now going to go into the three different
mind tricks that can be used in the game of
poker. Each one is extremely effective and
will take time to master. If you can manage to
master all of these techniques, which very
people have, then you will indeed be a shark
among the fishes in the poker worlds.
1.
THE STARE
You may notice that a lot of players like to
wear sunglasses at poker tables. The main
reason behind this is that, it is a
physiological fact that your eyes dilate when
you see something that interests you. So if a
king drops on the table and a players eyes
dilate then that means that card has taken his
interest. Some players look out for this.
What
players that wear sunglasses to avoid this
don't realize, is that they are actually
taking away the ability to use 'the stare'
trick. This technique when used properly will
also negate the ability of other players to
see if your pupils dilate. The only draw back
is the fact that you can only use this on one
player at a time. But this is why we have the
other mind tricks.
Basically
'the stare' is what the name implies, you
stare down an opponent. You may say 'Yes, yes
I have seen people do this' or 'someone has
tried this on me but it really isn't
effective.' But you would be wrong as what
most people do is only part of it. When most
people try to stare someone down, it is
usually during a showdown in which case they
are trying to see if someone is bluffing or
give up as little as possible of their own
bet.
In
fact to do this technique properly you need to
be staring down a player from the moment they
pick up their cards until they fold them. This
is the reason why you can only use this on one
player at a time. Once you get this right,
players will find it very hard to read you as
your body language will change very little.
You will also be able to pick up on any slight
changes in their plays. And finally and most
importantly you will make them uncomfortable,
which will inevitably throw their game off.
A
few notes. To practice, sit at home in front
of a mirror and focus intently on your own
eyes without blinking for as long as possible.
Beginners will find that initially they may
need to take eye drops with them as your eyes
will dry out a lot. When you first start out
choose either young players or women, as they
are more likely to be effected. Do not under
any circumstance try this technique on any old
person until you have fully mastered it, as
this can lead to hour long stare offs and
result in eye hemorrhages.
2.
DISTRACTION
The premise behind 'distraction' is to be as
spontaneous and unpredictable as possible.
This calls for timing, creativity and most
importantly you cannot be too self conscious
to pull this off.
Now
this is another trick to put a player out of
their comfort zone, but unlike the first
trick, this can be used on as many players as
you like. In some cases you will be using this
on more than one player at a time. The hard
part is maintaining your own concentration
while breaking others.
Simply
put, you are trying to break up the flow of
the game and break player's concentration,
especially when key decisions need to be made.
You are trying to distract them with seemingly
harmless questions, gestures or noises at
critical times. This is best way to explain
how this is done is by using examples.
One
example is constantly asking players what the
time is. First start by doing this when you
first sit down and continue to ask random
players while they are checking their cards.
Finally ask a player during a showdown when
they are making a decision on a
bet/call/raise. This is made even more
effective if there is a visible clock in the
room or if you have a watch on yourself (when
the inevitable question comes of why you are
asking when you have your own watch, simply
reply that you are just worried it has
stopped).
Another
example is laughing, burping or coughing at
opportune times. This example can be a little
more effective and be easier to pull off as
you can interchange between the noises you
make. A good friend of mine who uses this
effectively has numerous bodily noises that he
can pull out at will, sometimes at the same
time. Same as the other example use it when
decisions need to be made.
Talking
is also a good example. Just talk to everyone
and don't stop, especially if they are
deciding to go all in or not. And remember
that if they get angry just smile at them and
continue. If they are angry then their game
will defiantly be off.
As
I said you need to be creative and have timing
to really make this effective. But a master at
this can make a whole table lose their game.
To practice try this while at work on
colleagues by asking pointless questions
during important discussions. While at the
mall ask random people random questions as
they walk by. The more random the better.
3.
THE PAUSE
This can be the trickiest one of all but when
used properly and at the right time can bring
apart even the best players game. You will
have undoubtedly seen many players attempt
'the pause', even on ESPN during the World
Series of Poker. These are the players that
you see sitting there for an extended period
of time making a decision. Unfortunately most
players get it wrong and are too obvious. Two
major reasons that players get this wrong is
that they over simplify it and that they don't
use it enough.
If
you just sit there staring at the other player
or the cards on the table it will become
obvious that you are not really thinking about
what is going on, you can only get so much
information out of a persons face. On the
other hand if you are doing things like
counting your chips, checking your hole cards
or checking the time on your watch (this can
go in handy with the distraction method), you
will really throw other players off.
Another
thing to keep in mind when putting this
technique to use is to animate your self. Look
confused, blink a lot or wrinkle your nose.
Try tapping your fingers on the table or
cracking your knuckles/neck. Ask the dealer
questions like how many chips your opponent
has and then ask that player the same thing.
These are all signs that you are actually
thinking and not just wasting time... which of
course you are.
Don't
just limit the pause to heads up situations
either. It's the first round of betting, no
one has raised yet and you have a 3 and 7
unsuited. Take a minute to think about it
before folding. It's the flop and you have
drawn trips with your pocket pair, you better
have a long hard think about calling that
other players bet.
Now
you are probably wondering what the whole
point of 'the pause' is. The reason is to keep
everyone guessing. You want them to be
guessing what you are holding, how long are
you going to sit there doing nothing this time
and once you have mastered this trick you will
have them asking if they should be thinking a
lot more about their actions.
You
can practice this technique in many ways. When
ordering take away see how long you can take
to place your order. When you go to the movies
see how much detail you can get about each
movie that is playing from the ticket sales
person. When at a red light and it turns green
try to be the only car that make it through
before it turns red again.
The
hardest part after mastering these tricks will
be combining them. Knowing when to use each
one and who to use them on is critical. And if
you can use all three at the same moment then
you are a real pro.
Complete
Online Poker
About the Author
Casino Host & avid poker player, Michael Hayter is
the webmaster for http://www.completeonlinepoker.com
