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How to Bluff @ Poker – Like a Pro

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What is Bluffing?

Basically – bluffing is the technique of utilizing deception and misdirection to achieve a result.  For example, you may wish to secure a raise and so could threaten to leave your job if you don’t get it. You really have no desire to resign, but you may be able to get a raise by running this bluff.

Know Your Opponent

The 1st part of the bluff, whether in poker or in real life, is to know your adversary. Are they going to believe you and your bluff in the first place? Also, are they a person who does not intimidate easily and will call your bluff.

If you are going into your work office to demand a raise “or you’re resigning” you will need to know whether your employer values your work contribution enough and whether the bluff will work.  If easily replaceable, then your bluff is doomed to failure.

Don’t Let up That You’re Bluffing

One of the worst things you can do if trying to bluff is give off  what  is termed a “tell”.  Tells are clues that provide your opponent information about your bluff, or in this case your true intentions.

For example, car salesmen are expert at determining tells.  They can see when they have a client “on the hook”  for a car and with those clients they can extract the maximum amount for the car.

While shopping for a car with these salesmen, you want to carefully hide your tells.  Keep to the basic facts about the vehicle and don’t show too much emotion.  You might want to shop around in order to counter with prices you have seen at other yards.

 Exit Strategy

While bluffing, leave yourself an exit if your bluff is called.  For example, you may want to refresh your resume and test the job market prior to asking your boss for a raise.  For that car you are looking at, you may want to contact a number of dealerships to determine the best price on the car in the event your dealer doesn’t want to give you the best price.

Providing yourself exits is known as semi-bluffing in poker.  You really don’t have the ability to carry through your threat, but in the right circumstances you can still get your desired result.

There are many other methods to improve your bluffing ability, but these three principles are great ways to start fine-tuning your bluffing skills in poker or the real world.

How not to be a jerk online

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JerkThere’s something about those inter-webs  that spins a relatively mild-mannered guy into a ranting moron. In a place where openly sharing your opinions is so straightforward, many guys these days massively “over-share”, usually via the political rant, ongoing sports commentary, or everyday updates about life. We all know about the breakfast intagram.

To me, the most annoying occurrence of oversharing on the internet is the political rant. I like a decent political debate just as much as anyone else, but unfortunately there isn’t much actual debate going on, and most of it is mindless zombie-like blathering. Sure, there are certain crannies and nooks on the net where intelligent debate thrives, but for the most part it’s idiots voicing their views and opinions as facts with one underlying theme: “if anyone disagrees, they are wrong.” Here’s how to not be a jerk if talking politics on the web:

1. Don’t say a thing. Maybe sharing a provocative URL is all you need to do. Leave your own commentary off and let your link speak for itself.

2. Accept opposing views, and thank the person for providing them. “Great. Thanks for your feedback Uncle Bob!” While you might be seething internally, just accept that others see things in different lights and move fofrward.

3. Engage with your dissenters, but engage with their ideas, not with them personally. When you start to label your opponent  you’re going into dangerous territory, and this is where internet debates always go astray.

4. Exchange places. Consider, “If what they’re saying is correct, what ramifications would there be?” If you place yourself in their shoes, you might realize they have a decent point…or maybe they don’t.

5. Use correct grammar. Once you start TYPING IN UPPER CAPS AND BOLDING WITHOUT REASON, people cease reading. Nothing makes you look like a moron faster than engaging caps lock.

6. Keep it minimal. No one really wants to read your 20 links a day about African children. Yes, it’s really sad, but consider about how much information you disregard on the net every day. Why? Because it’s commonly from a source that showers you with data that you don’t really want. The people who Tweet, Facebook, or share the least that you should probably pay the most attention to.

7. Joke. Jokes are perfect teaching methods. If you can condense a tough concern into a funny joke (like political cartoonists do), you are adding value to the information and people appreciate this.

Remember that you are interacting with a real person not the computer; if you wouldn’t say it to their face, you probably shouldn’t type it online (this generally works for most people). There’s no need to let fly with every thought that runs through your consciousness.

 

Best Film Car Chases Ever

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The famous chase scene The Bourne Identity is instantly memorable as one of the handful of occasions a little Cooper  dominates in a  chase (see: An Italian Guy , Job (1969), a film which would  show on this list, were it longer). Matt Damon and Franka Potente, using the streets (and pathways and paths) of Paris, evading their pursuers at each and every turn, causing mayhem and destruction in their wake.

The main  element is using the Mini’s advantageous small size in the narrow Parisian streets; in addition to  the short wheelbase and low center of gravity, enabling impressive handbrake turns and quick maneuvering. This scene is really a memorable clip in a memorable movie.