A - Z of Poker: Day 19

From London to Vegas in 26 Letters

Day 19: S is for ...

S is for Sunglasses. In the common perception, sunglasses must be one of the first things that are associated with the game. And, if I think about recent WSOP champions, then the immediate mental image of Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker and (especially) Greg Raymer has them wearing their trademark sunglasses.

I have never worn them myself during the game. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to see the cards properly ! I also have chosen not to wear headphones or use an iPod. I rarely wear a hat at the table. In all these cases I suppose I am concerned I would lose more in terms of being able to follow the action than I would gain by appearing inscrutable. (Admittedly the hat shouldn't be too much of an issue!).

I have been wondering lately about changing my approach. It does, genuinely, seem to be the case that most successful players do use the full armoury. A case of "if you can't beat'em, join'em ?"

S is for Speech Play. This is an area of the game that I feel I am way behind in. I disapprove of certain tactics in poker which verge on rule-breaking but there are some devices that are definitely part of the game. I think physical "acting" such as feinting to move all-in or making a dummy "fold" action are completely acceptable and it's up to the opponent to defend against these. I don't use these very much, either.

Speech play is a 100% valid weapon I believe (obviously abusive language, and so on, is not).

Jamie Gold (2006 Main Event champion) is generally reckoned to have made enormous use of it. Admittedly his tactics were said to be at the very edge of the rules, so I do find that my admiration for his skillful application is significantly tempered by the thought that he was angle-shooting. That, and the fact he seems to be very annoying to play with ! Overall, in fact, I am neutral on him as I haven't met him and haven't played with him and I don't like to form a judgement based purely on the media. It's safe to say that the media isn't fair and balanced.

I think in the big tournaments I may revert to the default position of being silent in hands I am involved with. I think this is probably the safest option as I know I am weak at speech play. The counterargument is that trying to do this is likely to be pretty tricky (you may think I am a pretty quiet chap, but still 12 hours a day is a long time to be mute !) and that what could happen is that I end up giving a lot away on the few occasions I break the pledge.

The alternative - constant babble - may be worth a try. Maybe the English accent will confuse them, to my advantage !