All About Poker

Probably not the time for this (especially after my "think for the best" speech), but upon awaking after 3 hours of sleep last night, I couldn't get one thing out of my mind, my initial read**. Many that know me well understand that I would rather play poker than most anything, but life and the need to actually receive a paycheck keeps getting in the way. I study body language and reaction to get a read on what to do, fold, raise, call, talk, don't talk, etc. (for those that lost money to me, ignore this post as I am not paying attention, really).

So, what does this have to do with Sophie and the surgery? When Dr. Asano and Dr. Chugani came into the room to give us the surgery news, I had two different reads. Dr. Chugani was displaying subtle confidence (consistent with the not terrible but not great news) but my read on Dr. Asano was much much different. As Dr. Chugani took over the description, I never took my eyes off Dr. Asano. My initial read (the one that poker players say you should stick with 90% of the time) was that there was a level of guilt or concern there. He consistently looked down to the right. As I awoke this morning, I couldn't get this image out of my head. I recalled from the show Lie to Me (predictable but also very interesting analyzing body language) that my read was probably accurate, but what about the Japanese culture. Could it have just been a sign of respect (but then why not just down...why the right also)? Am I overanalyzing? Probably... Nonetheless, I couldn't fall back to asleep, because I didn't trust my read and folded. I chickened out! I did ask the question "knowing what you know now, would you have recommended starting the surgery"; however, only Dr. Chugani answered. What would have Dr. Asano have said?

So, I searched for looking down and to the right on Google and confirmed:

"Looking down

Looking at a person can be an act of power and domination. Looking down involves not looking at the other person, which hence may be a sign of submission ('I am not a threat, really; please do not hurt me. You are so glorious I would be dazzled if I looked at you.')

Looking down can thus be a signal of submission. It can also indicate that the person is feeling guilty.

A notable way that a lower person looks down at a higher person is by tilting their head back. Even taller people may do this.

Looking down and to the left can indicate that they are talking to themselves (look for slight movement of the lips). Looking down and to the right can indicate that they are attending to internal emotions.

In many cultures where eye contact is a rude or dominant signal, people will look down when talking with others in order to show respect."

Pretty consistent with the read but I missed the attending to internal emotions. Maybe he does just take these things personally. Maybe he was feeling guilty for approving the surgery (he is the most conservative, but I hope not). Maybe he was showing respect but he wasn't talking at the time and why right??? Maybe he thought I looked glorious and was dazzled by me...probably not. Part of me wishes I didn't notice.

Okay enough of that. I will ask him in a couple hours. Won't change our course but I need to know that all of my questions were answered and that I hear directly from Dr. Asano what he is feeling...maybe I will get a few more reads :)

Speaking of poker, while talking to Elaine last night, the only analogy I could come up with is that this feels like a race...a coin flip. We have pocket 10s and the infantile spasms has AK suited... The pocket 10s are a slight favorite so maybe it is the other way around. Either way, heads we win, tails we lose. Are we prepared to flip a coin on this? Are both sides tails? If the alternative is don't flip the coin and always lose, don't you have to flip?

I guess I am back to think the worst and hope for the best philosophy. It just works better for me. Many times when facing a race, I will say "I know I am going to lose this hand". Reverse psychology...although it doesn't change a thing. The flop, turn, and river are set. The cards are on the table for everyone to see.

Thanks for reading. It may have sounded negative but it really helped me gather my thoughts. I am not usually this much of an open book. Please use whatever method works best for you: prayer (even if laodicean), thoughts, reverse psychology, positive thinking, meditation, sacrifice a lamb (okay don't do that, a little outdated)...we will take it all!

Brandon

** All words in italics and bold is poker terminology.