Candidates tell everything

Author: Simon Dexter

Barack Obama is “winning support for his presidential bid from America’s poker players” according to last weekend’s Sunday Telegraph. This pillar of the newspaper establishment reports that “Las Vegas pros” are “putting their chips on Mr Obama, who is himself a skilled player of Texas Hold ‘Em and seven-card stud.”

Among the players to have declared their support for Obama are Doyle Brunson, formerly a staunch Republican and Andy Bloch; there is even a group called ‘Poker Players for Obama’ who write a regular blog for the presidential candidate’s website.

Although Obama is a renowned poker player, his opponent John McCain is more of a craps man, described as a ‘dedicated gambler’ by the Sun Tel which notes that he “plays 14-hour sessions at the craps table.” No way.

Bloch has no doubts about Obama though; he reckons his poker skills would come in handy at the White House. “There are a lot of skills playing poker that would help the chief executive,” he says. “In poker you have to put yourself in the shoes of your opponents, get inside their heads and figure out what they’re thinking, what their actions mean…and read bluffs.”

It’s difficult to disagree with such an assessment, but both Obama and McCain need to work on their poker faces according to the ‘Poker Players for Obama’ group. One writes of Senator McCain that “every time he bends the truth, dissembles, or just outright lies, his left eye starts twitching. He then looks away from the interviewer, breaking eye contact.”

Of Obama, the same group are a little less harsh: “Obama has several mannerisms which give away when he’s stalling for time, trying to phrase a statement, or just crafting a half-truth. Watch how he touches his face when a comment disturbs him.”

Given the extent of this analysis, whichever man makes it to the White House, at their first game of poker as the new President, everyone will know what tells to look for, which doesn’t really give them much chance of winning now does it? How unfair.

Tags: Barack Obama, John McCain, poker, US President

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 10:53 am and is filed under News & Promotions Blog.