It may be entirely beyond the average poker player that at any moment of the game he or she projects a specific image. Players are either unaware of the fact that an image had better be consciously maintained or trying to avoid projecting any image by assuming a sort of somberly inexpressive expression. Shielded behind shades and baseball cap, unsmiling, moodily silent, they believe that they thus “minimize” communication with the rest of the table.

But unless they completely disappear - did Welles’s invisible man play poker? - they will always project just enough information for good players to exploit. They are not only likely to attract other and better skilled silent scarecrows similar to themselves, but they are also likely to scare away those players who would otherwise constitute the bulk of their regular income.

To become utterly neutral is not the same as to become beyond observation. Active controlled communication with opponents, when managed correctly, is likely to yield much better result than a blank attitude. A blank attitude is most probably, in most cases, a sign of weakness rather than of sense or strength.

If it is a retreat from controlled active participation, it is always a weakness (the alternative is not hyperactivity, but balanced calculated manipulation). Moreover, these players probably do not suspect that for the skilled opponent they probably still have tells of one type or another somewhere about their inevitably, even if reluctantly, living breathing person.

The amateur will drift toward a table full of people having fun. The non-professional is out for a good time, poker is not his career. They will actively search out the good-time table where players are relaxed and welcoming. They are not concerned with their fellow players skill levels.

On the other hand, those that play poker as a profession are also looking for that table of good time Charlies. Nothing like a bunch of fun loving amateurs to whet the pros appetite for the game. The laughing amateur will linger at the table as long as he has having fun and may not even notice he is losing his shirt. He will not play with a bunch of non-communicative, somber zombies.

Vibrant conversation and good humor with a few compliments on other’s good play will earn the expert their trust and keep the amateurs coming back to the table. They are not in the game for money or the rush of adrenaline in a high stakes game. Having a good time is their priority. Losing a little in the meantime is not a problem as long as they are being adequately entertained.

Players in a good mood, even though unskilled at the game, will remain hopeful that Lady Luck will smile upon them and will remain at the entertainers table. Luck will actually find its way to them on occasion and turn them into frequent players and attract more amateurs to the table.. The stony faced player of no emotion who is anything but fun to be around will not attract the amateur let alone keep him at the table.

Top professionals know that they always project an image and are always careful about what they project. They design the image according to the best of their interests, not to avoid contact. Their key to success lies not only in superior technique but often in the ability to create, through persona and ability to manipulate the game cleverly, situations which project a positive experience for their unsuspecting prey.

Share This