The Statement The Make

You might be asking yourself how this applies to poker. Poker is a game where money determines the score. Many people play in games where the money means something to them.

To paraphrase Doyle Brunson, "When they have decisions to make about this money, it often puts their system under stress". Under stress, a person's true self may be exposed. If you know how their true self will behave, you will know what they are doing and why.

Even if they are not playing for stakes that matter to them (Bill Gates reputedly plays $3-$6 and $4-$8), they are still trying for some form of gratification. Is it social? Is it the competition? Is it to kill time while their wife plays slots? You need to understand what each player wants and needs from the game to take advantage of them.

People will actually play in ways that they know costs them money so that they can get other needs met. An easy example would be that of someone who tended to be slightly sadistic. Causing other people pain might be worth paying for (by playing poorly) to them.

Your job, then, is to deduce the story that they are telling, and interpret how it will affect the way they play poker. You will see recurring themes throughout the clues you evaluate. How organized is this person?

How much attention do they pay to the details of their life? Which assumptions can we make based on this information? An area where poker is unique compared to other games of skill, like chess, is that emotions frequently play a role in how people play.

The more accurately tuned you are to the inner workings of your opponents, the easier the game is to play, and the more profitable it will be.

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