I have recently had a few emails sent my way asking for edition 2 of the Suited Aces newsletter.
I have looked into and discovered it was never sent.
I don't have the full newsletter But I can post the 2nd part to Guru Garth here.
By the way I hate that title.
Last edition we discussed concealing your tells and limiting the amount of knowledge you release to your opponents.
This edition I would like to educate on the true keys to becoming a great “reader” on the felt.
The greatest skill you have at a poker table is the ability to observe your opponents and what is occurring on the poker table. At all times you should be observing what is occurring around you, especially when you are not involved in the hand. These are the most opportune time to observe your opponents and attempt to pick off their tells or deviation in baseline behaviour.
In the above paragraph I mentioned the phrase baseline behaviour. Baseline behaviour is the behaviour, stance or physical attributes expressed by a person when they are not under stress or affected by external stimuli in a positive or negative way.
When a player is seated at a table and they are comfortable and have not had any previous big wins or huge suckouts this is the best time to get a baseline reading. There are several areas you need to be aware of:
1.) Where are their hands located? Hand placement on the table is crucial. More on this in edition 3.
2.) How are they seating? Is their torso running parallel to the table or are they slightly faced away.
3.) Do they rest their head on their hands? How do they tilt their head, what are they looking at?
There are many more things to keep an eye out for, but in the meantime we will keep it to the basics.
Now that you have a baseline reading on your opponent we can look out for deviations in this baseline and try and assimilate that information and decide whether those changes imply a positive or negative stimulus of your opponents limbic brain reaction. We will discuss non verbal tells in more detail next edition.
Now not all of us have the ability to observe to a Daniel Negreanu or Phill Helmuth level but you can train yourself to improve your observation skills.
Next time you walk into a room take two seconds to look around and then close your eyes. Try to recall every little detail of that room. Eventually you will be able to recall more and more details because you are consciously taking the action of increasing your observation skills. Practice this little task two or three times a day and you will see the improvement you make.
Eventually you will start to use these skills in real life, for example; whilst you are sitting in the restaurant you will begin to notice that you are aware of the placement of all the wait people the movement of customers around you and what the couple in the back corner are wearing and how they are interacting and the type of relationship they have by reading their non verbal communications.
Good Luck on the felt!
