Reading Eyes for Poker Tells

With many online players now switching to live play since Black Friday, I figured that they may need a little hand with a few things to prep them for live play.


My son triggered this post last night when I swore he was telling me tales. I looked deep into his eyes and asked him to tell me the truth. His eyes veered to the left as he replied "Tyrone said I could". Now that was one hellava lie! I knew Tyrone (his step dad) would never say he could. It made me think of the left eye movement and what it meant.




Usually I can tell when my kids are telling tales. I didn't need eye movement to tell me this kid was full of shit. I thought about poker (of course) during all of this, I came to the realization that many people alike me would know if their loved ones lied. What about players at the poker table though? Could people get tells from eye movements? Only one way to know. Get everyone who reads my blog to test it this theory.


Ok, so let me start with that left movement my son made, also called AC (Auditory Constructed).

I asked my son " Tell me who said you could do that, who gave you permission?", His eyes moved to the left (according to scientific facts) as this is the direction the eyes move as a person thinks about the question they have been asked as they "Auditory Construct" a sound that they have never heard. Of course Tyrone never would tell him "he could". He was at that very moment thinking of Tyrone actually saying it. This look is definitely a look of deception and make believe (remember that to YOU they will be looking the opposite direction - this is their face looking straight on:


I told my son he was grounded for telling me tales. Which brings me to AI (Internal Dialog). The next eye indicator.



He sat there talking to himself (kind of so I would hear but to himself non the less). He was cussing under his breath and whining how bad his life was. As he did this he looked down and to the right. This is the direction someones eyes move as they talk to themselves.



I suddenly found myself into this subject and went looking for my eye tell tale signs. Not because anyone was doing them, simply because I wanted to to educate myself on eye movement and lie detection. I knew it would certainly help me in the future at one time in my life, likely with the kids but also with poker!



The next eye movement tell would be (If I was continue what has become alphabetical) AR (Auditory Remembering).



If i asked (or you ask) your child to remember what his dads voice sounds like. The eyes will automatically move to the right as they think about the question and Auditory Remember the sound of the voice. Alike little AR below:


The next eye movement tell would be F (Feeling / Kinesthetic). Or in my words FAWK! I do F a lot since my house burnt down!



If you asked me "Can you remember the smell of your house when it was burning? ", my eyes would move down and to the left while thinking about the question as I used recalled that smell. F also applies to feeling, or taste. Remembering a feeling or taste my eyes would move the same way. Here is Mr Fawk:



Eye movements up and to the left, also known as VC (Visually Constructed Images) are next on the eye mapping agenda!



If you asked someone to "Imagine a green road with a pink lizard on it", this would be the direction their eyes moved in while thinking about the question as they "Visually Constructed" a green road with a pink lizard on it in their mind.

Lastly we have VR (Visually remembered) eye movements on the list. It is the last of the eye movements i could find.



If you asked anyone "What color was the first car that they owned?" or a child "What did the first pet they have look like?" the eyes would move up and to the right while they were thinking about the question as they "Visually Remembered" the color of the car or in the case of the child, remembered what the first pet looked like.



Lastly, other things to consider are:



Left-handed players would have the opposite meanings for their eye-directions, they would look the opposite way (typically). Make sure you know if a person is left handed otherwise you will confuse yourself!



If the a person is trying to remember something that was recent then his eyes may not go to any direction and just stay in the middle



Some people tend to remember by focusing and refocusing without having their eye move into any direction, you cant read anything in this case (ultimate poker eyes!)



The mind has hundreds of thoughts happening within at most times, many thoughts could run into the mind in one second and so the eye may move into any direction depending on one of these thoughts. This will give you false clues, and since you cant read the other person's thoughts you can get false results


As with other signs of lying, you should first establish and understand a persons behavior before concluding they are lying by the direction of their eyes.



Last thoughts, get sunglasses to avoid having your eyes read at a poker table.

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Merge Poker Bans Australians - The Ins and Outs from my Prospective

It isn't often I go an entire week without positing or writing. Alike many people it has been a long hard time for me even if the DOJ and FBI didn't seize the sites i play on. Regardless of not being a US citizen I can no longer play poker on my home turf and have lost my poker deal with FeltStars. This is due to the Australian Government Laws. What happened? How did it happen? Is this because of the US online poker happenings? What effects have there been on me personally? These are things i have been asked. Here are the answers.

Firstly, what happened?

The Merge gaming network allowed FeltStars to be the first Merge site to accept Aussie players, last year,2010 in May by memory. I was signed with FS (feltstars) and started June 1st 2010 as a team pro. Merge then started accepting Aussie players network wide I think just over 1 month ago. The US black Friday incident happened leaving me a little worried but being in Australia I assumed it would not effect me. I then received the following statement at around 11pm on Tuesday the 19th of April:

Unfortunately it is against the law for Australians to use Real Money on our site. Unsure when this will change, but there is some progress in parliament in regards to changing this law. Only a preliminary review has been conducted.

Online Gambling Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA), Parliament established a regulatory system which makes it an offence to provide certain interactive gambling services to a customer physically present in Australia. The prohibited interactive gambling content under the IGA includes services that are often described as 'online casinos' and usually involve using the Internet to play games of chance, or games of mixed chance and skill. Examples include roulette, poker, craps, online 'pokies' and blackjack

I freaked out at this statement and went to my friends at Ontilt Radio (banner on the left of this blog) and asked if they had any news. The news was grim for Merge players but at this stage not for me as a FeltStars player.

I received the following statement 30 minutes later:

Effective immediately we have had to reactivate our ban on real money play for Australian players using the Merge cashier. A restriction has been put in place so that Australian players can now submit a withdrawal from the Merge cashier, but cannot deposit or play for real money. This has been forced by recent industry changes. We request that you send a mailout to your Australian players advising them that "Unfortunately is no longer able to accept real money play from Australian players at this point in time. You are still able to withdraw your funds via the cashier. We thank you for playing with us and apologise for the inconvenience ."


I looked at the wording, logged onto FeltStars and was able to play. All other Merge sites were bringing up messages about the ban and restricting play. I realized that FS did not use the Merge cashier system and that I could still play.

Unfortunately 2 days later FeltStars made changes to their site implementing the Merge Cashier. At 12:35pm AEST I saw the site go down for the cashier change and that was the last time I or any other Australians could play.

How does this happen?

Merge now (again) has the policy not to accept Australian players. The IGA (Internet Gaming Act) of 2001 pinpoints the legal issues that sites can find themselves in if they allow Australian players on their sites. Since this Merge incident has happened and black Friday in the USA, it has been notated in the press that many instances in Australia have been referred to the AFP (Australian Federal Police) which I "guess" are equivalent to the FBI in the USA. This poses real issues for Merge as they are Australian based. Merge following the rules of the Australian Government is the same as Party Poker following the ruling of the US government. For Merge to stop offering services to Australians is an ethical and legal move which will hopefully stop them getting in the same issues as sites in the USA.

An article from The Australian a newspaper in Australia sums up the happenings for the land down under:

"Australian regulators -- including the Australian Communication and Media Authority and the Australian Federal Police -- have failed to enforce the ban, despite ACMA confirming it had received 46 "valid complaints" about the sites in the 2009-10 financial year.

An ACMA spokesperson said those complaints were "still being investigated".

It also can be revealed that all three major online gaming operators targeted in the US investigation had their sites hosted by Sydney-based IP servers."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/local-banks-handling-us-online-poker-bets/story-e6frg6nf-1226042446419

Obviously this is something an Australian based company doesn't want or need, which is how this happened in my opinion.

Is this because of the US online poker happenings?

This has a lot to do with the US poker happenings and black Friday. If black Friday never happened there would be no need for this to happen in Australia with the Merge network - or moreso it wouldn't have happened so quickly. Let's remember that the US online poker issues have made media headlines and obviously raised flags in other countries. Countries such as Australia which are now investigating as indicated in the article above.

What effects have there been on me personally?

This has made my world collapse. I am very much a home body that spends my time on poker related articles and online play. I have severe anxiety and choose to stay at home most of the time doing "my thing" which no longer exists.

I obviously will have issues getting paid my hobby writing fee as a columnist by online poker sites who relied on funds from the large US poker sites (advertising funds). I also have no bankroll as it was all on FeltStars, no longer am I playing poker. I have gone from winning and cashing out to playing freerolls and 1c/2c games overnight pretty much. Only last week I was in $500 cash pots with up to $600 on tables at any given time. Now I am lucky to have a $5 pot and $5 on a table.

I have many poker related internet sites which I will not be working on or operating at this stage, I will no longer be on radio as there is nothing for me to say. If one was to look at the status of online US pros - at this moment I am the same. Lifeless and fruitless and i have to tell you its mentally draining being the first Australian online pro to have this happen to them.

This alteration in my life has caused me grief and many tears. I know I am not the best poker player in the world - not by a long shot, but regardless poker was my life, fun, and hobby and a means to buy the additional things my children needed. It has crushed my soul to work for years on a sponsorship so I had money to play with - to now be "homeless" and starting again.

I have had to re-do my personal budget and my finances look bleak. I had somewhat become reliant on this game of ours and my writing associated with it. I now face the uphill battle everyone does in the poker industry yet again - to get somewhere.

I have had some offers placed on the table and briefly discussed, I will deal with them over the coming weeks, after I have gotten over this life changing event.

Please note I do not for a second think that players from any other site that reside in Australia will be effected at this stage. Alike the US it will take a long time for anything more to happen - years! In saying that - poker players in Australia can obviously play on the various other sites and networks available to them and play in my opinion at this stage with an easy mind.

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FeltStars Upgrades and Streamlines To Cater for Growth

A deal was struck today with the Merge Cashier System in an effort to help manage the growth that FeltStars is experiencing due to the latest developments in online poker.


You will experience a new and more streamlined cashier system in which will make for easier cash outs and virtually uninterrupted ability to make deposits.


This change effective from when the site is accessible in a few hours time means the perfect gaming portal for poker and casino enthusiasts.


Unfortunately this change means Australians will no longer be able to play at
FeltStars. This of course includes myself.


With that said, Australian's will still have the ability to cash out easily through the new cashier system. They will however no longer be able to make deposits nor play. FeltStars has been my home for a long time now, I love the staff, the team, the software, the games and the patrons and I will truly miss everything about the site.


I shall inform you if there are any changes in the status for Australian players. For now, good luck to all
United States, Canadian and European players. To all my FeltStars Aussie friends a big oi oi oi!

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Poker Celebrities Mad Marty Wilson Celebrity 10

Marty Wilson better known as Mad Marty Wilson is an English professional poker player from Wolverhampton. His nickname (Mad Marty Wilson) originates from when, as a teenager, he escaped several rival football fans by madly jumping into a polar bear pit.

Mad Marty Wilsons extensive poker career dates back to 1985 with a World Series of Poker visit. He first grabbed the public's attention by finishing runner-up in the £300 Pot Limit Hold'em event at the Victoria Casino in London.

After his win Mad Marty become a regular on the Late Night Poker television series, being one of few players to appear in every series. His only win on the series was in his heat during series 3, where he defeated the field to get his seat in the Grand Final. He went on to finish 4th in the Final, which was eventually won by Phil Hellmuth Jr. Mad Marty Wilson's biggest win ever came in 1998, when he won the Carnival of Poker tournament at the Rio, taking home $171,000.00.

After quite a few more wins Mad Marty Wilson won the No Limit Hold-Em tournament at the Crown Australasian Poker Championship in Melbourne in 2004 He defeated a final table including Peter "The Poet" Costa, "Barmy" Barny Boatman and "Cowboy" Kenna James. He returned to the Crown Championship in 2005, taking the Pot Limit Omaha title as well.

In addition to playing tournaments, Marty is also a consultant for Matchroom Sports, the Floor Manager for the PartyPoker Den and an online player for NoblePoker. Although these could have changed since the time I wrote this article.

He has also taught several celebrities how to play poker, including Matthew Stevens, Barry Hearn, Phil "The Power" Taylor,Tom Cruise, Michael Greco and Helen Chamberlain (who went on to place second in the 2005 Poker Million tournament).

Mad Marty Wilson's total live tournament winnings exceed $4,000,000.00.

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Poker Celebrities Lou Diamond Phillips Celebrity 9

Lou Diamond Phillips was born on February 17th, 1962. He was born Lou Diamond Upchurch, adopting the name Phillips from his step father. Lou is a Filipino-American television, film and stage actor. He was probably first noticed by the world in a big way for his role in La Bamba. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and an Award nomination for his role in The King and I.

Outside of acting Lou Diamond Phillips has turned to a deck of cards and the game of poker. He has had some outstanding results including finishing in the top 3% of the field in the 2009 World Series of Poker World Championships No Limit Texas hold 'em main event. He was the last celebrity poker player left standing in the event. Due to this fact he was given more attention then any other extra-curriculum poker player.

Lou Diamond Phillips start playing poker in college with his friends. When he started his first movie La Bamba and moved to Los Angeles near his friends and co-stars, he would apparently have a weekly poker game. Today he plays celebrity poker games with actors such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Jason Priestley at his home. It has been said that Lou plays poker at least two times in any given month.

It can be expected that Lou Diamond Phillips will be playing in each and every World Series of Poker main event. He stated to numerous people that he had experienced the best week of his life during it. Although he may have had a brief step off the acting stage to the felt; playing in the World Series of Poker is something he stated to numerous people, something he had wanted to do for 5 years.

Lou Diamond Phillips was originally a 7 Card Stud and 5 card draw player, Texas Holdem now sinking into his system.

Phillips plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games whenever they are on.

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Poker Celebrities Edward Giddins Celebrity 7

Edward Simon Hunter Giddins better known as Edward Giddens was born 20 July 1971 in Eastbourne, Sussex. Edward is a former English cricketer who played in four tests from 1999 to 2000. Giddins played for four counties during his career Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, and.

Edward Giddins' career was full of controversy. In 1996 he was sacked by Sussex because of drug offences and was banned from cricket for 18 months. Almost seven years later he was fined £5000, plus £1000 costs, and was banned from cricket for a further five years after being found guilty of placing a £7000 bet on his own side (at the time) Surrey, to lose their County Championship game.

He has recently turned to poker to earn his living and has appeared on the poker chat show Heads Up with Richard Herring to discuss this career.

Edward Giddens has cashed in 16 big tournaments to date with total winnings of $81,676.00. He has only had one first place finish.

Edward Giddens Poker Tournament Career Wins include the following:

SpringFest No Limit Hold'em - 9th $2,456 Apr 11, 2007

Sussex Masters No Limit Hold'em - 1st $18,747 Apr 5, 2007

Sussex Masters No Limit Hold'em - 5th $1,968 Apr 4, 2007

Dom Classics 2007 No Limit Hold'em - 6th $3,404 Jan 25, 2007

Summer Shaker Event #1 - Pot Limit Hold'em - 2nd $3,149 Aug 14, 2006

The Summer FestivalNo Limit Hold'em -3rd $6,580 May 23, 2006

Celeb Poker Dublin Classic No Limit Hold'em - 4th $4,587 May 13, 2006

Sussex Masters Pot Limit Hold'em - 2nd $3,665 Apr 10, 2006

Midlands Medley Pot Limit Hold'em - 2nd $7,686 Feb 26, 2006

Midlands Medley No Limit Hold'em - 3rd $11,811 Feb 22, 2006

Christmas Cracker Tournament No Limit Hold'em - 2nd $5,812 Dec 13, 2005

European Poker Championships No Limit Hold'em - 12th $656 Aug 7, 2005

January Sales Pot Limit Hold'em - 10th $375 Jan 28, 2005

Christmas Cracker Tournament No Limit Hold'em - 5th $6,749 Dec 4, 2004

Southampton Poker Festival Pot Limit Hold'em - 10th $469 Nov 1, 2004

Harbour Lights Poker Tournament Pot Limit Hold'em - 5th $3,562 Oct 29, 2004

It is unknown as to whether Edward plays or wins a lot of ring/cash games but it is assumed he does pretty well in them considering his placings in the above poker tournaments.

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Poker AFL Luck and Sport

It was only this morning I realized how right I had been about poker being a sport, well almost a sport hehe. I had many the argument (or rather discussion) with David Saab over this topic. Is poker a sport? He said no as there was no sweating involved. I said yes as there was sweating involved. He said it wasn't a game that took physical endurance, I said it was; as 12 plus hours sitting and concentrating and having sleepless nights - one certainly physically feels the pain. Anyway back to the title heading. Is the luck factor in AFL and Poker comparable? I know all the AFL players and supporters out there are going to say I am nuts! I say "Think about it".

How many times have you been on the sideline or on the field and said or thought "Damn! Bad bounce!" or "Wow! Lucky Bounce". I ask you - is that lucky or bad bounce not equivalent to a bad flop or lucky flop? AFL players train hard, poker players also do. Serious ones anyway, players from both games who are serious about their game give it all they have! Is this not again comparable?

All of the training involved amounts to a massive amount of skill. This skill excelling to levels of elite levels over years and years of playing, training and studying the game they love. There is also the natural ability factor we must add in. There are so many AFL and poker players that have a natural talent for the games.

In saying all of this, it doesn't matter how skilled an AFL player is, he can be right in front of goals about to receive a kick which if it bounces his way will result in a posession and goal! The same applies to a poker player who is hitting the river and turn and hoping the right card comes down. If an AFL player cops a bad bounce thats SUCH BAD LUCK!! Such a BAD BOUNCE!! If a poker player cops a bad turn card or is rivered after being in front, the same applies - SUCH BAD LUCK!!! Such a BAD CARD!!

Remember that it doesn't matter what sport you are playing, there is always a luck factor. Cricket bats break, runners get bad lanes, soccer players can slip over, polo cross players can have their horse go mad. It doesnt matter what sport you play - you are sure to cop some bad luck and or a bad beat.

That brings me back to the luck comparison. Poker is comparable when it comes to luck and skill, against AFL - against any sport at all really. I think that makes it a sport (That's thinks - still not 100% certain). Again, I expect attacks, especially from people who don't know what bad bounces are :)

I should take this opportunity to get all my overseas friends barracking for the right team in AFL lol. Regardless of results, the best team is as per the logo used for this post: The Richmond Tigers :)

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