The explosion in the popularity of poker the last few years has seen everything that can somehow be attached to the game marketed and sold. This includes books, games, calendars, cards and even poker camps.
It may seem like a novelty idea, but poker camps have become very popular and are big business recently. A number of professional poker players either run their own camp or are affiliated with one in some way. Howard Lederer helps run Poker Reality Camp, Camp Hellmuth is run by Phil Hellmuth and even Doyle Brunson got in on the act with his son Todd Brunson in the Super System Poker Camp. One of the most popular and well-known camps is the WPT Boot Camp run by the same people that produce the World Poker Tour.
With a wide range of admission fees (from as low as $1,500 to as high as $3,500 and up), is it worth shelling out the cash? It’s worth noting that anyone who thinks they can’t learn a few things from a poker pro is a fool, and deserves to keep making mistakes at the table. Internet message boards indicate that most poker players (novice or experts) find the camps well worth the time and money because of the close interaction with the pros and the close attention paid to skills that are actually helpful at the table. If you do have a couple extra grand, attending a poker camp may be a good investment to improve your game and win more cash.
The job of an FBI spy catcher is not an easy one. Ever realize a person was lying to you just because they took a breath a certain way or lifted their eyebrow ever so slightly?
Joseph Navarro has. For more than 25 years Navarro worked espionage cases for the FBI, becoming a world-renowned expert in non-verbal behavior and earning him a spot on nearly every U.S. spy investigation between 1993 and 2003- including those of notorious moles Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen.
Now retired from the FBI, Navarro brings his keen eye to the poker table and shares some of his secrets with players eager for an edge in play.
“Poker players lie all the time,” Navarro says. “They pretend they are strong when they are weak or weak when they are strong. The truth is they can all be read. You can have a poker face, but I’ve yet to see someone with a poker body.”
“When you are feeling good — or have a monster hand — your body will manifest what it feels,” he says. “You get happy feet. Your feet begin to bounce up and down like a kid going to Disney World.”
Navarro teaches players to observe and collect behavioral information from the minute they sit at the card table. When players are confident, they tend to use their hands more and claim more territory at the table. When they have good hands, they generally look down at their chips.
“While you can’t control the cards you are dealt,” Navarro says, “you can make them win.”
1. Quads over top boat.
You – AA / Opponent – 88 / Board – A, 8, 8, 7, 2
2. Bigger flush than yours
You – Kd, Qd / Opponent – Ad 10d / Board – 9d, 6d, 2d, Qh, 10h
3. Two flopped sets
You – K, K / Opponent – 9, 9 / Board – K, 9, 6, 2, A
4. Two pair over top pair
You – A, K / Opponent – Q, 9 / Board – A, Q, 9
5. Higher straight
You – A, 9 / Opponent 9, 10 / Board 6, 7, 8, 5, 2
6. Runner – runner
You – A, K / Opponent 6, 7 / Board A, Q, 4, 6, 7
7. Two-outer
You Q, Q / Opponent 6, 6 / Board 10, 9, 2, K, 6
8. Straight flush over Ace high flush
You – Ad, 10d / Opponent – 6c, 4c / Board – 2c, 3c, Ah, 8s, 5c
9. A set over two pair
You – 8, 8 / Opponent – K, J / Board - K, J, 8, 6, 2
10. Busted Aces
You – A, A / Opponent – Q, J / Board – K, 10, 4, 2, 9
If poker is anything, it’s a microcosm of life.
The same traits that make one a winning poker player will also help one be successful in other endeavours. Impatience is rarely rewarded in life or poker. Losing emotional control will send you in a downward spin both in life and at the poker tables. How we behave when we play is often reflected in how we conduct ourselves during our daily grind.
Player types are usually closely connected to that player’s personality. Tight players tend to be more meticulous in their lives, and loose players are always ready for action. Players that continue to try and improve their game usually practice that in other parts of their lives, and become successful at most things in which they get involved.
How does your play reflect your personality? Are you a deceitful player, a calculating player or perhaps just a recreational player? What does your game tell you about yourself?
