Art Of Being Playful

After all, they've already seen you make these plays.
I get tremendous mileage out of one or two very blatant plays. I like to spread hopeless hands. I want them to be so absurd that players will remember them and giggle with me. If I just play a lot of semi-weak hands, that's not advertising. That's just doing what they do. And they won't notice.
When you master the art of being playful, you can fold and describe ridiculous hands that "almost won," and opponents will think you really had them, because they saw one or two equally silly plays with their own eyes. Mastering this technique is an art form, and you risk seeming forced and phony unless you practice. But, it's worth the effort. At best, you can make a single advertising play and make opponents think you're playing frivolously all the time. This means many bonus calls that build your bankroll.

A Mans True Feelings

You'll see smart lawyers playing Poker and giggling and carrying on like school kids. And a man's hostilities can boil over after a while, too.
Watch a ballgame with a man when he's betting a lot of money on it. You'll learn what kind of temperament he's got, how well he can take disappointment. That's the way it is with Poker.
If you wanted to use Poker just for a test of character, solely to learn about the men you'll have to deal with away from the Poker table, it would be a telling test. As a matter of fact, isn't that what a lot of Friday night Poker games between business acquaintances are really all about? Size them up at the Friday night Poker sessions ... and then take advantage of them during the next business week.
This brings us to another subtlety of Poker: Not everybody you're going to play against thinks the way you do. Almost everybody wants to win, but they expect to win in different ways.

What Makes Him Tick?

Poker depends on your understanding your opponent. You've got to know what makes him tick. More importantly, you've got to know what makes him tick at the moment you're involved in a pot with him. What's his mood ... his feeling? What's his apparent psychological frame of mind right now? Is he in the Mood to gamble ... or is he just sitting there waiting for the nuts? Is he a loser and on tilt (playing far below his normal capability) ... or has he screwed down (despite his being loser) and begun playing his best possible game? Is he a cocky winner who's now playing carelessly and throwing off most of his winnings...or is he a winner who's started to play very tight so he can protect his gains?

The Third Golden Rule of Poker

Avoid playing too consistently; take note of the consistencies in your opponents