In poker, players make decisions based on incomplete information. The results of these decisions determine how good a player someone is.
This past weekend, former FBI agent Joe Navarro looked to help players gain more complete information by teaching them to observe the nonverbal behaviors of their opponents during his seminar at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Navarro discussed the importance of discerning what nonverbal communication is unintentional or deliberate. He pointed out a few tells people give off that connote strength and confidence or weakness, and he did it all in an eight-hour seminar that he says is akin to the three-day classes he teaches to young investigators.
"You have to be careful with nonverbal behavior because you have to put things in context," Navarro said, and he gave many examples of how to do it during his lecture and real-life poker games, which took place in the afternoon.
While participants were playing, Navarro walked around the poker room and pointed out some of the things he observed.
Mandi Birkinbine, an antiques dealer from Idaho, caught Navarro's eye during a hand she won. As with all players he observes, he pulled her aside to give her some advice after noticing some things she was telling players without saying a word.
"He told me that I was not confident when I bet. I completely missed (the flop), but was betting," Birkinbine said. "He said I should use try to use some of the confidence behavior tells when bluffing to confuse other players."
She's been playing poker for three years and attended the seminar with her husband.
Michael Gabriel, 27, attended a World Series of Poker Academy where Navarro also spoke.
"He came up to me and said, anything that I am still doing wrong he will warn me once and smack me twice," says Gabriel.
Andy Rich, poker room manager for the Flamingo and O'Shea's and a live action manager during the WSOP said, "The seminar is very enjoyable. A lot of the topics discussed, I felt like I already had a good idea of, but I did not know that the feet are more reliable than the face for tells."
Tim Rod, a casino employee in Las Vegas, attested to the advantage of understanding nonverbal behavior. He attended Camp Hellmuth in August where Navarro also lectured.
"I learned that tells are involuntary and immediate. I have been very successful in tournaments and cash games since then," Rod said.
The seminar costs $999 to attend, however, Michael Morales won his way into the seminar for free. He voted on a Card Player TV video, and was chosen to go without charge.
"I read the book, but this really brings it to life. It is good to take what you learn and to see it with examples," Morales said.
As for hiding one's own tells, Navarro suggests wearing hats to cover the forehead and turtlenecks to cover the neck. Although sunglasses may look good, Navarro says they may not be the best choice because it inhibits what the player can observe.
