Psychological Techniques

Marcus Bateman / Marcus Bateman / 14 August 2009 / Leave a Comment

When talking to people at the table it is crucial that you try to listen to them closely when they are talking about more inane things just as closely as you do when they are talking about their hands.

In his memoir: Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People, Amarillo Slim describes a heads up match against the phenomenally successful poker player Betty Carey, where he negated a considerable skill difference between them (the next time they played Betty Carey wore ear plugs and beat Slim in less than ten minutes) through the use of a clever piece of verbal psychology.

Before the match started, Slim and Carey both ordered drinks, with Slim opting for cola and Carey going for tea. As Carey drank her tea, Slim harmlessly asked her 'How do you like your tea Betty?', to which she responded 'It tastes really good'. As the match went on, a critical hand developed between Carey and Slim where Slim could not work out if she was bluffing or not, so he asked her 'How is your hand Betty?', to which she responded along the lines that it was really good.

Slim quickly realised that the tone and manner that she had replied to the question about her hand differed to the one she had given about the tea. Reasoning that she had no reason to lie about how much she liked her tea, but plenty of reasons to lie about her hand, he made a marginal call, saw Carey had been bluffing, and went on to win the match.

What this anecdote shows is that frequently in poker subtle psychological techniques can really aid a player in later decision making. When talking to people at the table it is crucial that you try to listen to them closely when they are talking about more inane things just as closely as you do when they are talking about their hands.

Most people are very bad liars in reality, as all humans generally feel some sense of shame in being deceitful. As a result, their tone and mannerisms usually change somewhat when they lie. The problem is that this can only be spotted and worked out if you have a comparison where you are very sure deceit was the last thing on someone's mind. In the case of Slim and Carey, it was something no one would ever really lie about - how good a cup of tea is - but it could have been about basically anything.

By gaining a benchmark of honesty against a player, you give yourself a good chance of spotting bluffs and value bets if you compare their subsequent responses during hands. Conversely, each and every thing you say to other players can be a dangerous thing, and the best policy is usually to try and keep quiet around good talkative players - that small comment may well end up costing you a great deal.

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