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Poker Tournament Strategy From French Fiction
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Author: Marc Weinberg
While re-watching Dangerous Liaisons this afternoon I was struck by a speech made by Glenn Close that should be learned off by heart by all aspiring poker players, particularly those who wish to do well in tournaments. There are only two outcomes in this mode of poker: win or die. But why not let her speak, since it is done so well in the film:
"When I came out into society I was 15. I already knew that the role I was condemned to, namely to keep quiet and do what I was told, gave me the perfect opportunity to listen and observe. Not to what people told me, which naturally was of no interest, but to whatever it was they were trying to hide. I practiced detachment. I learned how to look cheerful while under the table I stuck a fork into the back of my hand. I became a virtuoso of deceit. It wasn't pleasure I was afer, it was knowledge. I consulted the strictest moralists to learn how to appear, philosophers to find out what to think, and novelists to see what I could get away with, and in the end, I distilled everything to one wonderfully simple principle: win or die.
Emphases are added by this author, and the points made could not be of more relevance to good poker play. When you are at the table the key is not to stick a fork in your hand while looking cheerful (that seems a bit extreme), but to listen and observe. What your opponents "tell you" is not that important - they show the best hand to win a pot, or they muck a losing hand, what is crucial is what they are "trying to hide". Pay attention to the way they alter bet sizes, whether they can get away from hands or will call when they know they're behind (the sign of a true gambler, and all gamblers ultimately lose), and whether they are playing cool poker or from a weakened emotional position like anger or self-loathing. You'd be surprised how many players are doing this on a daily basis, almost wanting to lose.
Poker is a pragmatic pursuit so it should come as no surprise that writers like Machiavelli, or characters like the pair of devils in Dangerous Liaisons should provide us with solid theory when it comes to understanding how to play the game. There is a lot of luck in poker, especially the bad luck that happens to those who are beaten, but there is also a fair amount of psychological nuance, and you could do a lot worse than playing that game just like the Marquise.
Related Poker Articles And News Items:
> Calling All Ins With Small Pairs - The Folly!
> Online Poker Tournament Strategy - The Absent Opponent
> Evaluating Starting Hands In Tournament Poker
> Poker Tournament Bankrolls
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