They don't know it but maybe they are on too something.

[flair1239]

When I played at my B&M room the other day, I got to thinking of something. I was at the 2/4 holdem table, it was about 8:00am. I was doing a early session.

There was this nice socialable gentleman of about 65-70 sitting next too me. Whenever he would lose a couple hands in a row, he would request a deck change.

He was nice so this did not annoy me. The game was laid back so nobody else was uptight either. We had been chatting and around 11:30 agreed to go get lunch together.

So at lunch I broached the subject of the deck changes. Pointing out that the cards were random and that deck changes were superstitious. He looked at me and (it was almost a moment out of a Kenny Rogers song) he said (I am paraphrasing) "I know it does not make a difference... but it makes me play better."

What I think is this: People do seemingly superstitious things; but they are not stupid, they know those things in and of themselves make no difference. BUT, they make those people play better, by putting them in the correct frame of mind. Kind of like a person with an obsessive compulsive disorder, they know that the alarm clock is set, but they still check it 10 times because it makes thme sleep better. So If a person requests a deck change, knowing that it does not make a difference (rationally), but it puts them in a better frame of mind... can you blame them for doing it???

[BugSplatt]

With the automated card shufflers so many of the poker rooms are using today, it has made the annoying practice of people continually asking for a deck change non-existent. The deck changes with every hand, and has not only sped up the dealers, but slowed down the superstitious players. More hands per hour! Ya gotta love that.

Let it be engraved on my tombstone:

"He never asked for a deck change"

Bug

[thirddan]

maybe he thinks he plays better for this reason...

assuming he is a losing player, more deck changes = less hands dealt per hour = he loses less money because he plays less hands = "I play much better when i change the deck"

[kalooki45]

I like the old guy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
I'm mostly a bridge player (poker newbie). I've seen the bleeping cards go one way for HOURS on end. They just DO that...it's in their nature

You can see it online, too....we've all seen one player get the nuts 12 hands in a row...randomness includes this. If it's ME--I'm playing well. If it's HIM, he's a lucky sod and there's no justice in the world..lol

(There's a bridge superstition that says the cards will go the direction the bathtub is pointing in the house--let me know if any personal research bears this out..lol)

Anyway, a deck change might not be a bad idea..if it's shuffled by humans. Due to the grouping of winning cards, superstitions start.. (where all 52 are dealt, and are collected in tricks) certain cards in bridge are played to fall in certain ways above the probabilities...barring better info.(play for the Q to lie over the J, etc.)

Your old guy may feel that getting new pitchers out of the bullpen is a good idea, if the current roster is favoring his opps. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[Al Schoonmaker]

He is rationalizing because deep down he really does not believe that there is nothing he can do to control the cards.

Changing the deck may indirectly make him play better because he thinks he has somehow done something positive.

But all rationalizations are expensive mistakes because they direct attention toward the only thing that counts: your own decisions.

Regards,

Al

[Saint_D]

I think Fliar could be correct. Lets say that the deck changes helped the old man not to go on tilt. When he takes a bad beat, he channels it into just asking for a deck change. The tilty feelings go away.

Lets say that even though he is nice, the delays slight annoy the other players. Esp. the loose ones. They loosen up just a little more so they can play hands to make up for the delays.

Suddenly he has hit on a winning combination.

It could just be superstition, but you would have to know his BB/hr to know for sure.

People are superstitious, poker punishes that in a lot of ways. However, its not impossible that some small percentage of people could gain a "correct" superstition.

[Dan Mezick]

If the older gentleman allowed himself to fully experience the feeling of wanting a deck change after losing hands repeatedly, the actual change-of-deck would probably no longer be needed to make him play better.

[flair1239]

What I thought was siginificant about this is it bears a simalairty to what I do online.

I play (2) tables at once. What I find sometimes is when I am up on one table and down on the other; I find myself able to play more aggresseively on the positive table and find myself not able to execute the same type of plays on the negative table.

I attribute this to (2) things, one internal and one external.

I believe that even bad players notice the progress of your chip stack. When you are up they tend to give you more respect, this allows me to steal more blinds, small pots, and to force people out heads up. This would be the external factor.

The Internal one has to do with emotion. I find myself more optimistic about hands on the positive table. Where on the negative table I have to monitor myslef more carefully to make sure I continue playing aggressively.

So what I frequently do is if I am hovering between -12BB to -20BB on a table for an extended period (an hour or more). I will switch tables.

The reason is not necesasarily because I feel the table is bad or that I am playing horrible (although I am probably not playing optimally). It is just that, it gives me a clean emotional slate so to speak.

I think with some people a deck change or a seat change accomplishes the same thing. Allowing them to kind of hit the reset button emotionally, thus making them play better.

[golFUR]

I agree, with both the original post and this clarification. It didn't look as if people were answering the question you asked.

"Superstition" or no, if it helps your game it helps, don't question it. He knows rationally that changing decks doesn't do anything for him, he also knows rationally that asking for a deck change refocuses him or makes him play better. So ask.

[Richard K.]

Nope. He's a dumbass.