Concealing or Revealing?

Poker tells are something we are all looking for at the table. I doesn’t matter if it’s the obvious twitch or an inflection in someone’s voice. If you are not looking for a tell on your opponent then you are not doing your job. You don’t have to be involved in the hand necessarily but you do need to be involved in the game.

When I play live I see many player that are simply taking it all in “looking out the window” instead of paying attention to the play at the table. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad players but it does mean that they are potentially missing out on valuable information at the table on their opponents. I tend to be a very focused person by nature. I don’t do a whole lot of talking or joking around when I play poker. As a result my image, along with my demeanor,allows me to be taken a bit more seriously when I am involved in hands and my opponents tend to respect my raises just a little more than some of the other players.

That’s not to say that you cannot talk or have a good time at the table at all. It’s just my choice in how I approach the game. When my mind is moving I am having the time of my life. I enjoy the intellect required to compete in cash games as well as poker tournaments and to be at the top of my poker game I need to be quiet and focused.

There is also another reason why I don’t talk a whole lot. That reason is that I am familiar with what I call profilers and how they operate. Although I do not employ this particular tactic of making small talk in order to determine strength or weakness myself I have benefited greatly from listening to that small talk by other players. One of the biggest mistakes players make at the table is talking too much. Even a simple conversation seemingly meaningless at the time can reveal a lot about your personality and the possibilities as to how you may react under pressure. Without knowing it you may be revealing much more information than you intended.

So play it smart and conceal as much as you can. Keep your conversations short. The less information you give to your opponents the better. Get into a routine at the table and stick to it. I know it may feel mundane and boring but your bankroll will benefit from it in the long run.

Remember, it’s always better to conceal than reveal.