Act Like a Loser
If you can convince everyone else that you’re not there to win, they’ll be that much more surprised when you do. I have been guilty of this-the poker player that takes an extra effort to look serious, to look like a real player. Staring at the other players, showing that you can make your reads and trying to project your status of the alpha player at the table.
Even if you are the best poker player at the table, why on Earth would you want to tell anyone? All that chest-thumping does is tell everyone to watch out for you, to play more cautiously with you. If you really are a dangerous player, act like you’re just there to socialize. If people aren’t worried about you, you can get away with a whole lot more. If people think that you’re just goofing off, then they’re more likely to think you’re bluffing when you’re not, and they are a lot more susceptible to falling for a check raise.
It may take a bit of extra effort, but if you hide your reads and can calculate your odds without anyone else noticing, you’ll give yourself a better shot at walking away with other people’s chips in casino games.
