Sorry for the Delay

Okay guys, I hear you. I am sorry for the delayed posting, but I was extremely busy in DC at my conference. The time was well spent professionally and I am glad I went, but now, back to the grindstone.

People Reading

I had about four hours to kill, which was not enough time to do any tourist activity and then get back to the hotel for my bags, then to the airport, so........

I went to the sports bar at the airport. I was hoping to have wireless internet, but no good. So I sat and read Barry Greenstein's book, which I highly recommend if you want your total poker ability to increase. He does not go into detailed pre-flop analysis, but does go into the poker life in general. I enjoyed it and hope it helps me in the long run. While I was sitting there reading my book and watching the crowd filter in and out I pulled out my IPOD and turned on some soothing music.

Update Number 2, I have new earphones for the IPOD that are amazing. All I could hear was the music. I started looking at the crowd, and was amazed at the non-verbal interaction people had with each other. Examples:

A young couple. These two were just hillarious. She would give him looks like "take me now," and he would constantly be looking down at her more than ample breasts. It was amazing, I thought that they were going to head to the bathroom at anytime, and I never heard a word. And they never physically touched each other, but were clearly putting out the signals.

Three young businessmen. These guys took the table of the young couple once they took off. They were all wearing blackberries and were in intense discussion about something. They were clearly on the same side of the discussion as this was not a negotiation or an argument, just three guys agreeing profusely over some important topic, probably the pending demise of another Cardinal season. Sigh, but that is another story.

A middle aged man and woman on a business trip. This was the best. They were sitting at a counter directly in front of me and they were a trip. They were drinking beer, laughing and talking adamently about something. She was talking with her hands the entire time, while he would puncuate a sentence by tapping the table with his index finger. She would occassionally touch his thigh when she was laughing.

A single college-age guy. This guy was just there. He was looking at every female that came in the bar. Head to toe. He was Mr. Testoterone with a clear ego issue, and he never said a word for me to base that information on.

It was clearly a loud reminder as to the importance of non-verbal communication at the poker table. You have to look at how people are interacting to get some very important reads on that person. It is a skill set that I miss all too often. I recommend to the serious player to get Mike Caro's book on tells and then go to a large public area, like a bar or restaurant maybe even a mall center court, and just quietly watch how different types of people interact with each other. That information along with the history of playing styles you have built up regarding players will greatly increase your playing ability against stronger foes. Easy competition does not require such skills, but the stronger the competition, the stronger your reading ability needs to be.

Until next time,

Good Luck and See You at the Felt.......................