You probably think that the most important part is the cards; what cards you get how to use them, ECT… These are very important, you are correct, but it all starts with your ability to use your body language to your advantage. The cards are going to be relatively the same for all the players. Luck usually doesnít factor in well in poker since everyone has the same chance to get the same cards.

In case luck begins to play a large role in your game then what can you does? A player always has 4 basic choices; you can check, bet or call, raise, or fold. If you are not getting good cards you can always fold right?
This is not always a good idea. You may be leaving large amounts of money on the table in the long run after a few initial folds. Sure you seemingly get away with losing less but you give up the chance to even try. Bluffing is the art of misguidance. You want them to think you have a bad hand one second and the next a great hand with all the best cards that are sure to win you the pot.

How do you accomplish such a thing? Simply with your body language this can be done. If you have good cards act happy. You may not want them to know that you have good cards but itís a way to change there thinking; now every time you act “happy” they will think you have good cards and may fold.
If you have bad cards and you act happy they might fold because now they are afraid.

What you want to do is create a complicated pattern of sad, happy, indifferent, ecstatic, angry, ECT. Actions for certain hands. You want to throw them off but try and lure them into a safe zone where they think they understand your bluffing pattern and then hit them with the reality. As long as they are trying to keep up with whatever pattern you have, you will have them all under your control.

In one game of poker tournament I was playing in I decided to create very complex poker faces. They where not good they where not bad. I scrunched my face, grabbed my lip and scratched my leg; I did the craziest thing that nobody understood. They had no idea what my faces meant so they assumed that when I didnít raise that my cards where not good and they would raise and raise. When it came time to show, guess who took home the pot.

The moral of this little story is that you have to be creative. This is step two of poker (after learning the basics and learning them by heart), body language is very important. If you are known as a newbie and you come in they will expect you to show your cards loud and clear through your body language. You can mislead and kill your competition with a good poker face.

• August 4, 2011 -- Texas Hold’em poker tips
• April 20, 2010 -- Casino games: Poker recognition
• January 3, 2010 -- Becoming A Smart Gambler

Know thy game

Don’t play any casino game seriously unless you know it really well. It’s one thing to spend a few bucks while learning or just having fun, but it’s another to play it over and over without knowing the fine details of odds, strategy, etc.

Know more than one game

It’s fine to “specialize” in one game, but you should know two games or more well. There will be times when it’s smart to walk away from a game. Maybe your head just isn’t working well at that time or the game is too hot the wrong way.

Slots are for fun

Show me one player that’s played slots a ton and has won a lot and I’ll show you either someone that happened to get lucky by hitting a very large jackpot or a liar. Slots are for fun, not profit. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying them in doses, but don’t make this your main game.

A tip is a loss

This is for the guys and gals playing in the real world. It’s a common courtesy for players to tip good dealers or the cocktail waitress. This is fine, but it’s money lost, so you need to treat it as such. If you’re playing $1 Blackjack and you’re up $10 when the cocktail waitress comes around think for a minute. If you tip $1, you’ve just lost 10% of your profits. I’m not saying don’t tip, but you need to keep it relative. And all money out is money lost-good cause or not.

Love what you do

It doesn’t matter if Baccarat (House Bet) is the best bet in the house if the game bores you to tears. You’ve got to love what you’re doing. If not, you’ll get mentally lazy and that’s when money is lost for sure. Stick with your passions.

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