More Mind Games
The ancient art of deception
By Jim Feist
As a longtime poker player who also studies and wagers on sports on a regular basis, I understand the art of deception. Baseball season is commencing and there is a constant cat and mouse game between catchers, hitters, pitchers and managers. Is the steal sign on? Is the batter expecting a fastball? Let’s throw something different.
Football teams use deception, too. Dallas Cowboy great Tom Landry used to have his tight end come to the line of scrimmage on one side, then when the quarterback hollered “set” to get his linemen into position, the tight end would quickly head over to the opposite side of the line, either to double team a talented pass rusher or as an extra blocker on a run heading his way.
Linebackers and safeties will often walkup to the line showing blitz, then pull back into pass coverage the moment the football is snapped. All these things are meant to confuse the other player or team.
Poker offers endless examples of deception as well, though not by tackling opponents to the ground. Rather, poker is a game of mathematics, skill and psychology, so mind games are in constant motion. You don’t sit back and wait for the best hand—because many times you’ll be waiting a long time. The best players use all the weapons in their arsenal.
Three key psychological weapons in poker are bluffing, semi-bluffing, and slow playing. All are centered around the art of deception. Bluffing can take many forms. You can pretend to be cautious even though have an exceptional hand, or you can come out firing away with a less than ideal hand, all with the intent to deceive the opponents.
Bluffing is more useful in a no-limit game than in a limit game. In a no-limit game, a player’s entire stack is at risk with each hand, while in a limit game, players know they can only lose so much if they call. It’s best to utilize bluffing as a weapon in high-limit games. For instance, betting at the flop with a high card on the board puts it in the minds of your opponents you already have a pair, or raising with a flush draw out implies you might be in line for a potential pot-busting flush.
Semi-bluffing is used in sports by coaches and players. A basketball player can make a cut in an attempt to draw a double team freeing the ball handler to exploit somewhere else on the court or make a pass to an open man. In football, a receiver can trick the defense into thinking a reverse is coming, only to have the quarterback hold the football and make a play somewhere else. The players are originally involved in the play at the start, only to have the play develop elsewhere.
At the poker tables, semi-bluffing is bluffing when you are close to having a great hand, but not quite there. For instance, you ante up when you have one or more cards from being a straight, a flush or a straight flush, also known as a drawing hand. If you wager with this hand, you are bluffing, but you also have a respectable probability of gaining a strong hand on later betting rounds. Semi-bluffing is an excellent technique, especially in no-limit games.
Slow playing is when the cards that are shown aren’t exceptional, but you hold an outstanding hand, such as two kings or a pair of aces. Your intent is to trick the opponents into thinking you have something unremarkable, when you’re actually sitting on a very strong hand. The purpose at first is you don’t want to scare anyone out. It’s all about building up the pot and knowing the odds are in your favor based on the cards you already see.
While football and basketball is about matchups on the court and coaching strategy, poker is a game of people and situations. There’s only so much planning you can do before grabbing a seat at the poker table. It’s essential to make so many of your decisions as you are playing, which requires quick thinking and being flexible. And this comes through trial and error, so don’t be afraid to attack the tables with confidence. Taking your lumps and making mistakes is actually a good thing—as long as you file them away and learn each lesson. It’s all about reading minds like a prophet to try and make a profit!
