Chatting for Profit

by John Carlisle, MA, NCC

Playing in a No-Limit cash game in Las Vegas recently, I immediately started chatting up the table after settling into my seat. Being a weekend evening, the card room was busy and filled with energy and excitement. I could instantly tell that it was a table filled with a pretty outgoing and boisterous bunch, with everyone on my end of the table ready and willing to converse. Before long, I had tons of information on my opponents, even though they had assumed I was just striking up friendly conversation. The man directly to my right was a tourist from Arizona. He, his wife, and his two teenaged kids were stopping over in Vegas for two nights en route to a California vacation that was to include Disneyland. The guy across the table from me had played in two World Series events thus far this year and was planning to enter into a bunch of satellites in hopes of getting a cheap main event seat. If he didn't get a satellite seat, he would probably pony up the $10K to play. The kid to my left was a college student from Nevada who was in Sin City with three buddies to celebrate the end of the semester. He had a summer job lined up at a car wash back in his home town. He seemed very impressed to hear that the guy beside him was wiling and able to put up ten thousand of his own dollars. That reaction told me that the college kid was playing at limits above his comfort level. Sitting near the dealer was an older man with dark shades and a faded jacket that had an old Binion's emblem upon it. He didn't talk much, but he did say that he was a Vegas resident and it was apparent that the dealer knew him as a regular.

Even though I simply appeared to the others at the table as a socializer, I was actually scheming in an attempt to focus my play for the night. On this busy Friday night with the stacks juicy and the pots sizable, I wanted to get as much information as fast as I could to start cashing in on the action. It did not take long for the information that I gathered to enter into my decision making processes. Along with using pieces of the puzzle such as the opposition's position, actions in the hand, and actions in previous hands, I was able to also use their personality and lifestyle as part of the equation.

Is a dad on his way to Disney with the family likely to risk his money on a bold-faced bluff? I'd surmise that not too many fathers are willing to face their wives to admit that they lost a few hundred dollars of the vacation fund on a single busted bluff. Thus, when he moved a sizable raise into me soon after he settled into the game, I paused to ponder his mindset and goals of the evening. It was part of my evaluation which led me to a fold of my mediocre hand. If it would have been the gunslinger in town for the WSOP events pushing chips at me, my initial reaction may have been different.

While I would never advocate for you to judge others and their playing style on a snap judgment, I do want you to gather as much information as possible on your tablemates. In other words, I am not saying that you should judge a book by its cover. Instead, I am saying that you should get to know the "book" as much as possible in the quickest amount of time possible. This can often be accomplished by asking a few directed questions while you appear to simply be outgoing and friendly. A bit of seemingly meaningless table chat can actually provide nice clues into the psychology of your opposition. A Vegas local who plays every day in the same card room presents a much different set of skills, ability, and goals than a tourist who is in town for only a night or two. Then, as you observe the flow of play you are adding onto the information that you've already gathered.

Information is even more valuable than chips at a poker table. Watching the bets and raises of your opponents is not the only way to gather information. Seemingly friendly interactions about work, family, and playing experiences can give you some great insights on the psychology of your opponents. So, start listening intently as you learn about others while being sure to not give up too much information about yourself along the way.

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About the Author:
John is a National Certified Counselor (NCC). He has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from West Virginia University, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Lock Haven University. You can find out more about the psychology of poker from "the Poker Counselor" at pokercounselor@yahoo.com