NLP & Poker

[MrDigital]

I play No Limit poker regularly on a Semi Proffessional basis and have been looking at aspects of NLP that can be utilised whilst playing...

Poker is a game where deciet is rewarded as you already know so my question is...

Anyone used NLP etc. to take advantage of their opponents with great effect ?

[Don]

As you know, poker has only a little to do with the cards and a lot to do with being able to "read" your opponents (i.e., look for "tells").

You should have learned a great deal on how to read people and eye accessing cues. Look for tells and eye activity just before they place a bet. Also look for micromuscular movements.

[MrDigital]

I have been considering...

Eye accessing cues... Monitoring opponents when they are in a hand with someone else - visual construct if they are bluffing ...

Suggestion... Establishing rapport with players/group then using suggestion as a means of disrupting/altering playing styles... "I'm not going to suggest you play passive against me" - possible live or online uses.

Strategies.... If I can suss a players bluffing strategy then WooooHooooooooo -=+)

I like the idea of anchoring the state of " I have a monster Hand " and " I am weak " .. Obviously this would be more likely to be against the real pro's or readers of the game.. General consensus in poker psychology is Strong means weak and vice versa.

Anyway I am going to dive in these possibilities in more depth but it's beer time, thanks for your input and any more is welcome..

[Don]

Most poker players want to get rid of tells. They hide behind dark glasses, brimmed hats, upturned collars, etc. From an NLP standpoint, why not set your own tells (anchors) and make use of them?

Give tell X with a few weak hands (i.e. anchor the concept of "weak hand" in your opponent's mind with X) and do Y for strong hands. Then use the anchors/tells in order to take some bigger pots.

Does your opponent have a tell when they read your tell?

[Merlin]

I keep it simple.
I just tell my opponent(s) to lose ;-)

[Poodle]

Would that be a little pattern interrupt in there with you lose, I win stuck in or maybe fold now ;)

[Merlin]

Would that be a little pattern interrupt in there with you lose, I win stuck in or maybe fold now ;)
Usually just an 'embedded command'

[Ice_9]

Any decent poker player (ie: semi pro onwards) will always look at the situation. Bluffing is only a very SMALL aspect - even for tight aggressive players.

The cards they hold, the cards they think you hold, the cards they think you think you hold, the odds of calling are the main aspects.

Chuck in position, short stacks, whether a raise has been re raised etc etc and you have a babillion different things other than reading body language and rapport. Most top players have rapport anyway.

If you want to use NLP for poker, look less at pattern interrupts and co and more at modelling to players and their/your strategy. Though as poker is SITUATIONAL (and the same player can act completely different with the SAME cards against the same opponents) it can be a very long strategy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Simon]

I noticed that most of the big players wear sunglasses now, so goodbye looking for EAQ :D

[Poodle]

that about all that was visiable was their hands. Interesting thought - the secret is in ideomotor responses of the fingers.

[MrDigital]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4oY0tL2cMsM

[Poodle]

it was enjoyable. Where were the dark glasses, hats, and high collared coats/shirts. Do you think it would really work like that with the pros? I was surprised to hear that "ya'll are playin' Texas Hold-em in England."

[Don]

What was disappointing is that instead of showing what Darren claimed were "tells" of bluffing, they were more interested in showing what were obviously card tricks including "forced" cards and a variation on a trick called "Out of This World."