Any poker player who has ever sat down to play Texas holdem in a live poker setting is keenly aware just how much their eyes can damage them. If during a game of casino poker or a home game of Texas holdem, one of your opponents tells you that you have beautiful eyes, it probably means that whatever is going on to the right and left of your nose is giving away your entire poker strategy. Of course it could also mean that the opposing poker player is smitten with you. This may not be a bad thing unless both of you share a love of the Three Stooges and have managed to grow hair on your back. Then it is just gross. Anyway, Texas holdem, casino poker, live poker, etc. don’t really go with discussions of one’s personal orientation or back hair, so we will go back to poker strategy.
There probably isn’t a poker player out there who hasn’t worried about what their eyes are doing to them during a live poker game or when they are playing a casino poker tournament. That is why so many of them wear sunglasses while playing Texas holdem. From a poker strategy standpoint, hiding something that may be weakness will keep an opposing poker player from taking advantage of it. What a lot of live poker players don’t seem to consider is that weak eyes can be turned into a very potent poker strategy during some live casino Texas holdem or a poker tournament.
A trait that is common to just about every poker player is that they are constantly looking for an edge over their competition, whether it be online or during live poker. Well actually this trait transcends Texas holdem and poker strategy. Any competitor is looking for an edge over a rival in any sport or activity. It can be a powerful tool if you are good at letting another poker player think they have found one of your “tells”.
Using your eyes during live poker or when playing in a casino poker tournament can send false positives to your opponents. If your act is convincing, you can influence what they do during a hand of Texas holdem with some well practiced (and subtle) looks. If you are going to attempt this poker strategy and use your face to fake out another poker player, try to avoid big, demonstrative facial expressions. That will be like sending up a flair that your faking, and they will do the opposite of what you want them to do (of course that is a poker strategy unto itself that we will cover in a future article, today we are talking about letting them think they have picked up on a legitimate tell during live poker.)
Subtlety in this case is key. Well subtlety and practice. Sometimes to get good at something you can use in a casino poker game, you have to do some things that seem rather silly. If you have the time, take some acting courses at a local community college. This may seem like an extreme thing to do in order to improve your game of poker, but it is a sport that involves bluffing, and occasional face acting. Learning how to do both of these better will only add to your game. Hey, if professional football players will take ballet to improve their skills, none of us are above participating in mime class to become more lethal poker players.
