Skills For Poker & Life 6/12 Topic: Don't Expose

Posts: 3854 · Posted: 18.05.2011, 05:05

This is 6th of 12, so stay tuned!

6. Don't EXPOSE yourself or your cards!

If you habitually exposed your poker hand before the showdown, opponents would know what you had, and they'd know for certain whether to play against you, whether to raise you, whether to pass.

It would be stupid, but people do that everyday in real life. How?
They don't keep secrets.
Listen: Never volunteer personal information to anyone who isn't a friend, unless you know specifically that you have something to gain by volunteering the information.
Sound heartless? Well, OK, it's all right to volunteer useful information if it can't harm you.
But think back. I'll bet for every time you regretted keeping secrets, there are many more times you regretted telling secrets. People simply give away too much information, and it eventually haunts them.
Secrets can seem insignificant at the time they're shared, but later the sharing turns out to be an important mistake.
Like it or not, successful people keep secrets much better than unsuccessful people, just as successful poker players conceal their hands better than unsuccessful players.

Repeating: It's a fact that people who succeed keep secrets.
Instead of giving information about yourself, ask other people about themselves. Gain something from them, keep something to yourself.

One of life's most important goals is to gain as much useful information from others as possible, while guarding your own secrets wisely.

Posts: 1704 · Posted: 19.05.2011, 07:38

lol makes a good ant true read, only thing id say tho is i keep a lot of secrets and am hardly succeeding in life lol, but id agree if you expose yourself in public you will be in real trouble lol

Posts: 3854 · Posted: 19.05.2011, 12:38

LOL BABES- I HEAR YA & I HEAR THAT

.....BUT, I ACTUALLY HAD "CUT" ALOT OUT OF THIS ARTICLE I AM "QUOTING" FOR THESE 12 TIPS (SOURCE IN DESCRIPTION)

BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS LONG-WINDED, BUT IT MAKES IT MAKE, WELL, MORE SENSE....

AFTER THIS LINE....
People talk about their lives and their opinions, giving information that may later be damaging....
HERE IS THE OMITTED PART JUST FOR YOU Smile

They do this because they want to seem friendly. But, there's a special way you can be just as friendly and, instead of putting yourself in jeopardy, gain an advantage. How? Instead of giving information about yourself, use the same time to ask other people about themselves. If you're talking to a potential competitor, don't volunteer information; ask for opinions. I do this at the poker table.

After a hand, I ask an opponent how he would have played. Usually, the player is flattered and offers a sincere answer, such as he would have bluffed. I remember that answer, and weeks later--long after the opponent has forgotten our conversation--I call and win the pot.
It's the same in real life. You remember information, wether you meant to or not, and you use it later.

By the way, when I consult with businesses, there seems to be one recurring problem that comes up again and again.
How can supervisors best smooth up relationships between themselves and employees who don't like them. The answer is simple. Ask the employees for their opinions.
In life, you can patch up most relationships simply by softly asking a person: "What do you think?", "What would you do in this situation?", "How would you handle this?" People are universally flattered when you ask for opinions.
It works with enemies, it works with employees, it works with children. Trust me, and try it. And it's consistent with the powerful poker technique of concealing your own hand while learning as much as you can about your opponents.