FBI on Poker’s case

Author: Simon Dexter

A former FBI secret agent is using the skills he was taught to catch double agents, to help poker players improve their game.

Joseph Navarro believes that subtle body language can reveal much about a player’s intentions and whether they hold a good hand or are bluffing.

Transferring the skills that brought him success in the interrogation room, Navarro believes that spotting things like a hunched posture (a tell that somebody has something to hide) and joggling legs (a sign of confidence) will enable any player to improve their poker game.

“Despite some players’ attempts to hide their mood behind dark glasses, hooded tops and silence, it is impossible to conceal non-verbal mannerisms as they are displayed sub-consciously”, he told the Daily Telegraph.

“The involuntary non-verbal mannerisms dictated by the brain will always betray the strength or weakness of a player’s hand,” he continued.

To spot a confident player, Navarro recommends looking at an opponent’s feet. Should they be ‘bouncing’ then it is likely the player has a good hand. On the other hand, if a player has a crinkled nose, a pursed lip or squinty eyes then he has been dealt a bad hand.

“If your boss asks at a meeting, ‘Who is not pulling their weight?’, the shoulders will rise on those who are not confident,” he said.

“It’s called ‘The Turtle Effect’. You are trying to hide your head inside your shoulders.”

Tags: How To Play Poker, Poker Lesson, Poker tells, Poker Tutorial, Theory of Poker

This entry was posted on Monday, November 5th, 2007 at 12:18 pm and is filed under News & Promotions Blog, Poker News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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