The Psychology of Poker
Psychological Plays
The late John Crawford was one of the great games players and gamblers of all
time. His best games were bridge and backgammon, but he was also an excellent
gin rummy player. He and the legendary games expert Oswald Jacoby used to play
gin rummy against each other constantly. They were close in ability, but there
was no question Crawford had the psychological edge. He would needle Jacoby,
taunt him, and even laugh at his play, until Jacoby sometimes became so enraged
he could hardly see the cards in front of him.
Along the same lines, Los Angeles backgammon pro Gaby Horowitz is well-known
for his glib, sometimes disparaging talk during a game, which is calculated to
put his opponents on tilt. Seven-card stud poker pro Danny Robinson is equally
famous for his nonstop patter during a hand, which is used to distract and
confuse his opponents.
These are all psychological ploys, and there are an endless number of such
ploys. Some people approve of them. Some don't. While they have a definite
place in poker, they are not what we mean by the psychology of poker. They are
psychological devices that apply to all games or, for that matter, to all forms
of competition. Chess champion Bobby Fischer used them in his famous match
against Soviet master Boris Spassky. Managers like Earl Weaver and Billy Martin
use them on the baseball diamond. And the late Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev
was notorious for using them as tactics of cold war diplomacy.
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