Psychology of Tattoos And Poker

[eOXevious]

I think your table image is important both for yourself and your opponents.
Suppose you are playing Holdem with your regular friends, and one of your friends brings a friend that you have never met before. This guy is pretty friendly, talkitive. He rolls up his sleeves or better yet he is wearing a short sleeve shirt. On his forarms are tattoos. They are very large, and very good colorful artwork. What do you think about this guy at the table? Loose player, tight player? Good player? Do you know anyone with a lot of tattoos that play a certain way? I'm just curious to find out what the general assumption is about a poker player who has tattoos all up and around his forarms, and possibly upper arms too, but you see the forarms. Would you think different if you were at a casino?

[blaze666]

[ QUOTE ]
I think your table image is important both for yourself and your opponents.
Suppose you are playing Holdem with your regular friends, and one of your friends brings a friend that you have never met before. This guy is pretty friendly, talkitive. He rolls up his sleeves or better yet he is wearing a short sleeve shirt. On his forarms are tattoos. They are very large, and very good colorful artwork. What do you think about this guy at the table? Loose player, tight player? Good player? Do you know anyone with a lot of tattoos that play a certain way? I'm just curious to find out what the general assumption is about a poker player who has tattoos all up and around his forarms, and possibly upper arms too, but you see the forarms. Would you think different if you were at a casino?

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i wouldn't make any difference sub conciously, but if i thought about it conciously, i'd think this guy was a LAG, especially if they are poker tatoos. the reasoning is that anyone with a poker tatoo probably thinks the game is a glorious game, where only the coolest of the cool play. thus, he is more likely to be a glory hunter, going all-in hoping to make a draw.

[wildzer0]

I have a full sleeve on one arm and a large tattoo on the other forearm so they're usually visible when I play. I also have a few facial piercings. I'm amazed at how much this throws off the better players at the table (better being relative, as I play 3/6 limit live so the quality isn't stellar). I'm a tight/aggressive player who's on the tighter end of the spectrum and quite often when I play a hand I get played against as if I was a Maniac by otherwise tight and/or passive players (rocks raising/calling down with bottom pair, ace high etc). It varies by table, but it's generally the case. Aside from a couple of bad beats, it's definitely helped me get more action on my bigger hands and raise my hourly rate at live play.

Of course I can't be sure if it's because of my tattoos or whatever, but it's the only thing that instantly seperates me from others at the table so I assume that's gotta be it.

Edit: this is in a casino, and no, they're not poker tattoos.

[Bodhi]

I don't think you can draw any solid psychological conclusions about an overly tattooed player. If I had to pigeon-hole them as a first guess, I would say loose and aggressive, but loose passive is also possible. Some people I've known who had lots of tatoos said they liked them because they got a rush from the pain, and liked the feeling of conquering the pain. The answer surprised me, but once I thought about it more, it seemed like a plausible reaction to early childhood traumas or abuse that have never been worked through or expressed overtly.

[eOXevious]

My tattoos are not poker tattoos

[21times20]

the only time i ever made a judgement about someone at poker table based on their ink was when i saw a guy in his early 20's with a poker tattoo, all my instincts told me that this guy was a huge dork

[tonypaladino]

[ QUOTE ]
the only time i ever made a judgement about someone at poker table based on their ink was when i saw a guy in his early 20's with a poker tattoo, all my instincts told me that this guy was a huge dork

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This is a good read.
Especially if it was the Rounders tatoo

[marsvolta619]

i have a sleeve on my left arm and my right forearm blacked out. Except for the regulars at the tables when I play, I'm always accused of being a maniac and getting lucky cards by the old ladies on the opposite end of the table. It really makes poker a fun game

[franco]

I have a guy in my group who has tattoos (he runs a tattoo shop). He's a normal guy, good player, has a job, a home, drinks beer like the rest of us, likes kids and is a fun guy to hang with. He has tattoos and I wear khakis and gap shirts. Refuse to be fooled by what clothes people wear, glasses/no glasses or whether they tip the dealer or
not. crazy question.

[Warren Whitmore]

Two correlations

(1) People who think long term. Are able to predict the future based on the past tend to have higher IQ's than those who do not.

(2) People who get tattos tend to think in terms of the present.

There are of course lots of exceptions.

I think I read somewhere that Doyle Brunson said "I like to see an opponant with tatto's and that smokes because that tells me he wasent thinking clearly at some point in the past and still isent" But I am not sure it was him.

First of all,after reading many of the posts about this Ive been reminded at how narrow minded people are.If you are going to comment about people with tattoos then you should know something about tattooing.Secondly,you should also know,that like everything in life,people do the same thing for different resons.This goes for tattoos also.You cant just lump people with tattoos into one giant catagory because thats not how it is.I am covered in tattoos and I run a tattoo shop in NYC and to be honest,i try to keep my tattoos covered most of the year.Why?Because people,like the people on this page make generalizations about people with tattoos.Now Im not defending myself but as an example,every single tattoo I have has a reason behind it.I went to art school and got into tattooing for the love of the art.It takes years and years to become good at this craft.Its a trade like any other trade.After running a shop for 3 years,I can tell you that there are a multitude of reasons people get tattoos.For example,some people get them for spiritual reasons,some like the pain,many for aesthetic reasons,religious reasons,memorials,like i said the reasons are endless.Ignore that Miami Ink reality tv bullshit because thats a filtered mirage of what this buisness is really like.
As far as tattoos relating to poker,thats a different story.I can tell you from experiance that Ive gone to the casino covered up and Ive also gone showing my full arms.There is a huge difference.I wont lie,there have been many times Ive been able to intimidate players when I first sit down at a table in certain hands.On the other end of that,my intimidation only works on some people and usually it doesnt last for very long.I dont feel this has as much to do with me having tattoos as me being able to read another player and use what else I have besides the cards Im holding to my advantage.Look at alot of the pros...do they not have certain techniques they use to help them win hands or dupe someone into thinking they have something that they dont.Of course they do.Some guys have big mouths,some guys stay quiet,some guys stare you in the eye,there are endless techniques people use to benefit themselves.
As far as judging a player with tattoos,I think thats rediculous.Thatd be like me judging a guy wearing a cowboy hat and saying,"oh gee,he must be good because cowboys like cards and he probably plays alot."Judging someone with tattoos is stereotyping someone like anything else and you should just do what you do against anybody else,Let the cards and the stacks do the talking.Money talks,bullshit walks.

[wildzer0]

Meh, i think only one person in this thread made an out and out stupid comment. The OP was basically asking how people react to tattooed people at the poker table. People judge others based on their appearance. Be happy they are willing to give you action and play badly at you just because you have tattoos. it's pretty nice.

[wildzer0]

[ QUOTE ]

I think I read somewhere that Doyle Brunson said "I like to see an opponant with tatto's and that smokes because that tells me he wasent thinking clearly at some point in the past and still isent" But I am not sure it was him.

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Never heard that before, pretty funny.
/smokes
//tattooed
///high iq