To Be Or Not To Be

All poker players are actors. I'm talking about the good ones. And if they aren't, they should be if they are really interested in making money.

I had an actor friend named Dick Alexander who made television commercials, movies and who appeared regularly on Michael Landon's popular television series, 'Little House On The Prairie.' When he wasn't acting, Dick Played poker at some of my favorite card rooms in Phoenix, AZ.

His movies included: 'Raising Arizona,' 'Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure' and 'Electra Glide In Blue.'

When he was seated at a poker table, Dick loved to take on roles to confuse the other players. He must have done a good job because he was one of the most successful poker players in my circle.

When I started playing poker...

...I was laid back and not as aggressive as I should be. But that changed. I remember a tournament at The Orleans Resort and Casino in Las Vegas where my acting ability played a major role in my win and it helped me pocket $10,000.

Here is how it happened:

I began the tournament laid back, letting things happened. But early in the tournament, I ran into a couple of players who stripped me of half of my tournament chips. That was a jarring test of reality and snapped me awake. It upset me and I was determined to strike back. No more Mr. Nice Guy!

The most aggressive player I knew...

...was Doyle 'Texas Dolly' Brunson. As I sat there waiting for the dealer to shuffle the cards, I began thinking of how Brunson would play the next hand. I was wearing my usual cowboy hat, serape and boots and in an instant made a decision: for the rest of the tournament, I would play the way Texas Dolly played.

My Coca Cola Cowboy Image Pays Off

The cards began coming to me, I played my hands aggressively, and I quickly doubled my chip stack. It was amazing how well it worked. I would be on the button and pretend to look at my cards. In my mind the 10-4 offsuit was aces, and I played them like pocket aces. I won that hand and won the following hand (pocket kings). I was off and running.

When the break came, I was the chip leader. One of the other players, who happened to be a friend, came to me shaking his head.

"Have you been drinking?," he said in awe. "You're playing differently." I smiled and said something. Little did he know.

I saw Doyle a month later but never shared the story with him. I am sure it would have made him smile.

Taking on another person's image can help you in other endeavors including sports. My son played on a baseball team and had trouble hitting. I took him to a field and told him to imagine he was his favorite player who happened to be Roberto Clemente.

Clemente had a habit of twirling his bat around like a windmill before the pitcher delivered the ball. Dale began doing that and he was soon cracking doubles and triples. It amazed his coach and made him one of the leading hitters on the team.

Poker Players are Actors

We act weak when we have a strong hand and act strong when we are weak. A flush card hits the board. We have the ace to that suit and come out betting. Most of the time the player wins the pot. Or a player acts like he is folding, reconsiders and comes out with a check-raise when he has nothing.

I have a grandson named Harrison. He recently celebrated his 10th birthday. Sometimes he sits behind me when I am at my computer playing poker. When I win a hand, he applauds. One day he told his mother, "Mom, when I grow up I'm going to play poker just like grandpa."

I never had a finer compliment.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).