Sherlock Holmes & Poker

Imagine having Sherlock Holmes teaching you the science of deduction when you are a beginner in poker! So I am currently hooked onto this master character by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who solved mysteries with the ease with which we would solve a 2 + 2. It is so essential and fun to apply everything you see and learn in your day to day life to poker; not only is it great learning but also immensely profitable.

And so I landed on this chapter: “The Science of Deduction.” It applies the eccentric Holmes fundamentals to read a person inside out like a book. He says, and I quote, “Let him (man) on meeting a fellow mortal; learn at a glance to distinguish the history of the man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look for. By a man’s fingernails, by his coat sleeve, by his boots, by his trousers, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression: by each of these things a man’s calling is plainly revealed”

I wondered. This knack was so relevant to the poker table! To observe; just observe closely and characterize the tells of my opponents. The way the cards are held, a cough, an itch, a twitch, a breath; just meticulously observing these movements and deducing the tilt of the game would be such a skill to acquire. And yes I wrote acquire. It is easier said than done. After all, this is just one of the components of the gaming experience. Nobody wants to give away their own game while focusing on the traits of others.

Nevertheless a lesson well learnt from the genius of Holmes. Coupled with my odds calculation, intuition and own bluff this science of deduction would definitely make me more confident of enhancing my bankroll! I’ll take Mr. Sherlock Holmes with me to the poker tables any day – especially online poker tables where making money online would be much easier! :)