dzzz

Hungry, Famished? Wow, you certainly can woof down that meal you’re eating. We know you need it – You want to fuel the brain cells for those tough decisions at the poker table. Boy! This stuff tastes good.
Ah! Now that I’m full and contented, I can sit back down and win, win, win. Good meal or is it?
Let’s test our taste buds and see exactly what we just consumed. It’s not like knowledge or is it? Oh, yes, we maintain knowledge in our memory. So guess what we just stored what we ate in our bodies.
Hey, remember in poker you go with the ups and downs, the swings, so called. With all the calories, fat, and cholesterol is it possible we just ate a loaded lunch? Even eating healthy can be heavy.
Chicken sandwich – 320 calories Caesar Salad – 190 calories Soda/Sprite – 130 calories that’s a total of 640 calories.
Cheeseburger and fries - kids’ size – 610 calories Sub/sandwich 6 in double meat Italian – 630 calories.
McDonalds double quarter pounder with cheese – 740 calories and a heart clogging 155 milligrams of cholesterol. But, nothing beats out Burger King triple Whopper with cheese – 1230 calories, 82 grams of fat, 275 milligrams of cholesterol.
Remember, most nutritional information maybe on the food wrapper or posted somewhere in the establishment. So I guess the old adage applies “you are what you eat”.
With just a little research you can find out exactly what you are eating. Just like when you have a poker question and do the RESEARCH. In this way, you’ll be able to finish this great game of poker and come out a winner.
Oh! Excuse me is this cholesterol heaven? No, just the clogged artery playground, thanks but no thanks .... YOU DECIDE!

You can be assured that this question is asked many times when we play. Countless players have brainwashed themselves or yelled it out. You’ll also see them shake their heads in dismay.

“Beat again, lost that hand, oh! well, nice pot, holly shit, how could you play that hand, unbelievable, what were you thinking, why, unreal, you shouldn’t have been in that hand”.

All these emotions arise when we get beat. We all hate to lose to someone or something that doesn’t make sense to us. Are we truly correct in our thinking on how we should play this wonderful game of Texas Hold’em?

Yep, I know, hundreds maybe thousands of books have been written on the “How to play theories” along with all those odds and statistics, that say “do it this way!”

We follow most of the “how to” when we play, and still we get beat terribly, by what we consider illogical hand play, by players that don’t really know the “how to”. Are they really wrong? How do you figure that?

In our dismay, we always seem to pick ourselves up from those losses, and go on , only to find we occasionally lose it all to continued illogical players.

“Keeps you wondering doesn’t it” Is it me or is it them? What do you think?

"Gets down to what’s it all about, doesn't it? Making the wrong move at the right time."

 

Repetitive superstitious behavioral actions, or rituals, are well known in every society and intended to cause any number of desired results. Rituals are also notorious for being the gambler’s forte—actions performed by a gambler for the purpose of
gaining control of the outcome of a game of chance.

According to the anthropological definition of Magic, “The belief and/or practice in the control over objects or events by verbal or nonverbal gestures (words or actions) where there is no empirical (natural or logical) connection between the gesture as cause and the object or even as effect,” the behaviors demonstrated by gamblers, sports players, and others alike, are examples of magical superstitions and beliefs.

Magical belief systems help a person become comfortable in an unknown environment.
Developing these circumstances of the unknown, give the player-believer an apparent method of controlling the situation.

When actions or behaviors are performed for an intended purpose, there is no
empirical evidence of a connection between the act and the desired outcome.
Perhaps they are released as a vocal expletive, or an angry and defeated gesture.
This reaction acts as a substitute action to not knowing how to deal with the situation, and reduces the tension caused by the frustrating experience.

The gestures become the expected reaction in a given circumstance, and eventually become supported by myth. Eventually, they are seen to be the cause of desired results, and “When practiced instrumentally, one has magic.”

Magical and superstitious behaviors seek a connection between truly independent occurrences. If this association is reinforced by more occurrences, players are conditioned to believe its action directly affects the outcome. The response on the part of the individual, naturally, is to think something along the lines of “What did I just do to get that great reward? I must have done something.”

He tries it again, tries a slight variant on it, prepares to try it another time, when … bingo, the next random reward shows up and his theory is resoundingly confirmed confirmed—“I knew it, do this behavior enough times and that causes the reward to happen.”

This is the pattern humans follow in their conditioning. Addiction to these patterns constitutes a constellation of behaviors that predict a way of life. Such as a magical belief system of someone who carries a lucky Rabbit’s foot everywhere. This is the reason in one theory for the development of persistence in or pathological gambling.

Regardless of which comes first, superstitious beliefs are considered to play a large part in the maintenance of gambling behavior by giving a player a false illusion of control that lets the player have a very real reduction in stress level. A player, known as Preacher, won seven straight hands. This was attributed to his belief in his good relationship with God.

There is also a connection between need and winning, such that when you really need to win, you do. Knowing the probability of a game would propose bets based on any other factors and engage in magical behaviors, when viewed within their belief system, their gestures are indeed rational. They believe the cards can be controlled, and therefore, their behaviors are instead examples of the players’ rationality.

In human memory the testimony of a positive case always overshadows the negative one. One gain easily outweighs several losses. Thus the instances which affirm magic always loom far more conspicuously than those which deny it. Failure in gambling is often easily explained away by belief systems, while at other times it does not accurately become part of the believer’s consciousness.

It is for these reasons that belief systems are often so persistent. Reinforcement is
necessary to condition someone to believe that his actions or gestures are affecting or causing a certain occurrence. Despite understanding the probability and independence of events in gambling games, gamblers repeatedly exhibit actions that display their belief in an ability to control the outcome of an event in a game.

This information, while hopeful and aimed to help, is completely untested and purely conjecture. The magical beliefs pose many possibilities for gambling studies and research. So I leave you with this thought - "Is that your Rabbit's foot I see"?
Good Luck at the tables.

 

Remember to always take time out from playing to stretch and relax to take the edge off.
After hours of decisions, you surely should include something scrumptious in your experience.

It's a fact that all your senses come alive and good taste doesn't have to be complicated. While thinking about it and getting to the sandwich bar don't wear yourself out before you even arrive for these delicacies. Maybe you even will try a well chosen glass of wine (one only please) of course!You will still need to make more choices at your poker table.

This fantasy will be a well chosen outing into a happier you! We do react best to things that
are light, cool, and refreshing, giving us an easy tongue and palate. Use this break away from
your constant sitting at the poker table as an excuse, figuratively speaking! Twenty minutes of
self-delight might bring you the big stack, try it, experience in it, and then go WIN!

Bon appétit …. Good Luck at the tables … Please watch for my other articles – Thanks

 

Baffled by what women are getting at half the time you talk to them? Then keep this translation manual handy to decode her most misunderstood lines.

If you’ve ever spoken to a woman, it’s fair to say you’ve been confused by one. Yes doesn’t always mean yes, no doesn’t always mean no, and most of us have once in our lives even admitted, “Well, I may have said that, but I didn’t mean it.” What’s with all the mixed messages? “Women communicate by giving subtle suggestions instead of being literal, so we can check for positive reinforcement before we continue. We want to be careful about the impact we have on the other person,” explains Sharyn Wolf, CSW, a psychotherapist in New York City. But while figuring out what women really want can be difficult, it’s not impossible. So follow this guide to girl-speak. These are some of the things you might hear a woman say as you meet, date and woo her—and the code for reading between the lines.

What she says: “You’re really sweet, but I have a boyfriend.”
What she means: “You’re really sweet, but I definitely don’t want to date you.”
Why she says it: It’s a classic barstool scene: You see her sitting by herself and figure it’s as good a time as any to make a move. And it’s all going so well — she’s smiling, she’s answering your questions — until she drops the bomb that she has a boyfriend. Now, she may be telling the truth. But more likely this “boyfriend” is merely a ploy to get you to back off fast. “I use that line all the time, it really works without hurting a guy’s feelings too much,” says Claire McKimmie. “It shows immediately that there’s nothing more to say.”

What she says: “Why don’t I take your number and I’ll call you?”
What she means: “There’s no way I’m giving you my number so why don’t I take yours?”
Why she says it: Even in this day and age, most women like to be pursued, so if we really like you, we’ll happily hand over our digits and wait for you to call. Pretty much the only time we’ll ask for your number is — sorry — when we want to keep the ball in our court and, well, never see you again. Other not-so-great responses: “Why don’t you email me instead,” “You can get my number through our mutual friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend Marcy” or “I’m in the phone book.” Trust us, if she likes you, she’ll make it easy for you to call.

What she says: “Oh, sorry, I already have weekend plans.”
What she means: “I don’t necessarily have weekend plans, but you’re calling so last-minute, I’d feel like a loser if I admitted I was free and took you up on your offer.”
Why she says it: As much as we all say that The Rules is an outdated tome that brews trouble between the sexes, there are still some things we can’t let go of. And one of them is that we don’t want to accept plans with you last-minute, because we don’t want you to think we’re that easy to catch. “If a guy waits until Friday to ask me out on Saturday, I’ll probably say no,” says Claire Arnaud. “He has to work for it. And if he doesn’t have the patience to call back next week, too bad, that’s his loss.”

What she says: “This feels good, but we really shouldn’t.”
What she means: “I want you, bad, but don’t want to get burned.”
Why she says it: The night is winding down, and it’s time to decide whether she should hold ‘em, fold ‘em, or hop in the sack with you. So if your date isn’t telling you a flat-out “No,” “I don’t want to,” or “I don’t like you that way,” chances are she really does like you — and want you — that way. She’d just rather wait a few weeks or months until she knows you’re not a love-’em-and-leave-’em type. “It’s possible she’s been in the position before of sleeping with a man and wanting to hear from him and then not hearing from him—and she doesn’t want to make that mistake again,” says Wolf. So if you’re a guy who really does want the relationship to go further (be honest now), it’s worth telling her so to see if she’ll change her mind.

What she says: “So, what have you been up to?”
What she means: “Why haven’t you called me? Are you seeing someone else?”
Why she says it: If we haven’t talked to you in a few weeks and then you suddenly start calling again, all we want to know is, What the heck took you so long? But because we want you to think we’re laid-back “Hey, whatever” women, all we dare squeeze out is a general inquiry. “I don’t want him to know I care,” says Emilie Giroud Capet. Our biggest fear? That you’ve been calling other women instead of us. Whether that’s the case or not, you’re best off filling in your missing weeks with very un-sexy things. “I’m hoping he’ll tell me he’s been working really hard,” says Emilie, “or better, that he’s been really sick.”

What she says: “If you want to have a guy’s night, go ahead, fine.”
What she means: “I really, really don’t want you to go. And if you do, I’m going to be pissed.”
Why she says it: It seemed innocuous enough: You asked her if she’d mind rescheduling your romantic night in so you could go out with the guys. She’s given you the green light. So what’s the red flag in that statement? The word “fine.” See, when a woman says something is fine, it’s decidedly not. “A woman will say it’s fine for him to go without her because she doesn’t want to get in a fight about it, even though deep down, she doesn’t want him to go without her,” says Wolf. Another phrase women often use to clue you into their displeasure: “If you like.” As in, “Sure, you can go out with the guys tonight, if you like.” That’s a pretty clear sign that while you may like it, she sure won’t. Either way, feel free to play dumb and go out with your buddies—just be ready to accept the consequences when you return.

What she says: “So, tell me about Diane.”
What she means: “Should I be threatened by Diane?”
Why she says it: When a man brings up another female’s name in the midst of a story, a woman’s internal panic button is pressed—she fears that you’re talking about her because you’re secretly attracted to her. So until you make it clear you wouldn’t touch Diane with a ten-foot pole, our insecurities will lead us to assume she’s a wasp-waisted blonde who laughs at your jokes—and you’d love to take her to bed. So if Diane is attractive and bed-able, please don’t say, “She’s really cool.” Instead try, “Diane’s just someone I work with. Wow, she can be annoying sometimes. Some guys at the office have the hots for her but I don’t get it; she’s not all that.”

What she says: “I love the way you smell.”
What she means: “I love you, but I don’t dare tell you I love you before you tell me you love me.”
Why she says it: “I just told the guy I’ve been dating for three weeks that I loved the way he smelled,” says Lili De Monseignat, “but it’s more him that I love than his smell.” Then why hold back? Because women know that telling a guy we love him before he tells us could be too much for him to handle. “It’s too soon to tell him I love him, because he’ll freak out and run away!” says Lili. But if you want to be loved, perk your ears up for the word itself. “I love your dog,” “I love your apartment,” “I love the way you dress,” and “I love that you love Indian food” are all signs that something big is bubbling underneath that little heart of hers. In other words, gentlemen, please be gentle.

Amy Spencer wrote this ... hopefully you guys find it of interest.

 

In my early twenties I spent time living in California.
I worked their part-time for a general contractor. Many of the clients were exceptionally wealthy, some were even movie stars, and the homes, Wow!

Many were made of all glass, most overlooked the cliffs and the Pacific Ocean
what a view! I often looked at those massive glass windows, floor to ceiling
and thought, what if a bird flew into one of them? Would it shatter?

Well, one day while I was working at this glass house a large bird did actually
fly into one of the window. I heard a “thud” when it hit, and saw the bird fall
like a wet sponge.

The window, was still intact. I looked down at the bird lying on the ground
when all of a sudden, I heard a crackling sound, Oops! There goes the window!
It crystallized, like frost on a window in cold weather. It was picture perfect artwork, unbelievable!
This little incident reminded me of a card game in Monterey, California.
I had an A/K suited and there were 2 other players in the hand.
The flop came (7 9 A), the big blind bet it out, I called, and the other player called.

The turn card came a (10) so now it looked like (7 9 A 10), again the big blind bet it out, I called, and the other player raised, the blind and me just called. He comes the river card it’s a (9).
Now all the cards are out and the board looks like (7 9 A 10 9). The blind checked, I checked, and the other player bet, we both called. The blind turned over (A/3) I turned over (A/K) and the other player turned (A/6)
as you can see I won.

The guy with the (A/6) couldn’t believe it, he thought he had the best hand and was very upset. He picked up one of the cards and whipped it toward me,
it had such a force that it hit the glass on the table and shattered it. Naturally he was asked to leave by the management.
Theory, DON’T PLAY NAKED ACES - please no Aces with lousy kickers!
Moral..." People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones! "

Hope this little tip helps.... please watch for our next article. Good Luck!

 

READ - STUDY - LEARN - LISTEN and PLAY

The Five Advantages you have to improve the investment in yourself.

Hey.... I'm guessing you've read all the poker books and studied all the strategies
those books provided, but, they all seem to say the same thing and I'm still
losing.

I even watch all those pro's playing on TV and what they do and don't and I'm
still losing. What the hell is going on? Maybe, just maybe, those tips you thought you
referenced kind of faded away when you started to lose.

You didn't keep to your playbook and all the little tips in your arsenal.
Don't be negative because you haven’t found that Golden Book yet!

Losses have to be thought of as a "redistribution of funds” you lose to me and later
win it back from the other guy.

Utilize the Five Advantages all the time; it’s what you get out of it that counts.
Remember, it’s the same for everyone, never stop INVESTING IN YOUSELF.

Hope you enjoy the varied articles I write here at High Stakes News... I try and write poker articles to get people thinking, and to keep player interests.

I like to take views and turn them into knowledge about the game of Texas Hold'em.

Please watch for future articles and Good Luck at the tables.

We all have mysteries in our lives, good, bad or otherwise, and as poker players were always open to listen to our fellow players stories. Why? We love the action.

It was 1966 in Monterey, California. I was sitting in the local card room, a virtual hangout for addicted poker players like myself. The game back then was not Texas Hold’em, but Five Card Stud.

This girl walked into the card room, bought some chips, and sat down at my table, a cute girl with shabby cloths, but very sweet. At that time it was unusual to see a woman come into a smoky card room filled with all guys and playing poker.

You could notice all the guys at the table eyeballing her. Not for her looks but for her chips. She said hello to most of them and anted up for the next hand. The dealer preceded, one of the players said to her, “hey what’s your name”.

She looked over at him and said “MaryJane”.

He shook his head as an acknowledgement. The first couple of hands she played badly and lost. I then noticed she was staring at me. I looked over at her and gave her a nod to say hello and she smiled. The next hand she won a sizeable pot which brought back her losses. She looked over at me, and very softly winked. She was attractive in her own way, and if I remember, a chill ran up my back, WOW! Male adrenaline.

That wink, also made me wonder, “Can this girl really play well?” My gut feeling wasn’t too wrong after about 2 hours of play she had a fair amount of the chips that were on the table in front of her. She then decided to stop playing and thanked the guys for a good game. She stood up to leave and looked over at me and said

“Can I buy you a coffee?”

That male adrenaline popped up, I didn’t hesitate and said “Yes”. I got up from the table and we both walked out of the card room. I won’t go into what happened next I’ll leave that to your imagination. But, I will say “Never judge a book by its cover”. So! “Where are you now, MaryJane?” (note: THIS IS A TRUE STORY)

Good Luck at the tables - watch for our next article - Thanks.

Like to have comments from Readers in reference to our articles.

If you noticed most sports allow time outs and half time breaks for the players.

Where in the rule book does it say that all poker players must have the same! From what I’ve seen, most poker players hardly ever take time out from their game. Excuse me, yes they do! One is too buy more chips because there losing at the table, and the second is the plain old Mother Nature call.

Oh! Yes, and both times, poker players would still be rushing to get back to the action.

Let me tell you about one game, on one night, when all the players at the tables had about a 20 minute break from the action. It was a Tuesday, around 8pm, when all of a sudden, a loud noise over powered the action at the tables, it was like a volcano erupting, some players stood up, and all players were looking at the card room ceiling. Just then the security guards came running inside and said, “All players outside please, except the dealers”, “leave everything on the tables and come outside”.

I must say for all the commotion going on, players were very orderly in proceeding out. The noise became louder as you moved out the card room door, everyone looked up into the sky, the stars were out but it was slightly overcast.

High up in the sky were these three images just hanging their like someone stuck them up without any movement, The images had lights red in color, and players were yelling “flying saucers” the noise from them was extremely loud and you couldn’t hear the person next to you unless you yelled.

You couldn’t make out what these images were, and the noise just kept getting louder. The objects were just sitting there, then one of the objects turned on some powerful lights, like halogen lamps on a car, each object in turn did the same, and you could hear players yelling, “what the hell are those things” as you still couldn’t make out what these objects actually were.

My thoughts were military helicopters, or a group of news helicopters. Then out of nowhere, another object just like the others came flying by and circled the ones in the sky. Now I could see that the one that fly by was a helicopter, military type.

The card room manager came outside and yelled to the players to return to their seats, everything was fine, and that they weren’t flying saucers. Most of the players moved back inside to resume the action.

When things settled down, management came over the loudspeaker system advising what this episode was all about. Seems as though, a big beautiful female Cow got loose from a local quaint farm in the area.

All the military helicopters from the base and local police were trying to find and catch this animal. So you see, out of all the other two breaks a poker player normally uses, this third one, was the best overall psychological break from poker we could ever have. How about you?

Until next time Read-Study-Learn-Listen and Play!

Good Luck at the tables.