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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.

About the Author
Casino Host & avid poker player, Michael Hayter is the webmaster for http://www.completeonlinepoker.com