Psychological Games and Gaming
Power Poker Psychology
by James A. McKenna, Ph.D

The whole gaming industry is ripe with psychological games between the casinos, the commissions, and the public. Besides psychological games between players, there are:

1. Games played between players and dealers,
2. Games that occur between players and the gaming industry, and
3. Games that result between the gaming industry and the regulators (Gaming Commissions).

Psychological games between players are more prevalent in casino games such as poker. However, players will compete and match their wits in Blackjack, Craps, and just about any other place where people gather. This sets the stage for psychological games where the payoff is someone ends up feeling righteous and someone feels victimized. Since there is so much to cover, this will be part one of the three articles on psychological games.

I have devised this game formula to apply to games within the gaming industry.

B + P = D -> F -> Payoff
Bluff (a Con) + Pigeon = Drop (that leads to) The Fold (Switch) that results in a Payoff (the feeling at the end of the game.)

In other words, it takes a Bluff (or a Con) plus a Pigeon (or someone with a handle to get hooked into the game) to have a Drop. Who’s the Con and who’s the Pigeon will change to produce the desired Drop. A drop is the desired response and anytime after that the Fold and Payoff can occur. The Fold refers to the psychological switch that results when the bluff is revealed. Here are some examples of how Drops occur in the gaming industry.

Games Between Players and Dealers. A lot of players use casino situations to blame the dealers for their own failings. Games and Pastimes like “Ain’t it awful” and “If it weren’t for you… dealing me lousy cards,” abound. However, it takes two to dance these games and dealers have their favorite games with players. Probably the most frequent is the game of Corner where the dealer becomes the table-parent and catches players being bad. Eric Berne, MD called this game of corner a game of NIGYSOB, an acronym for “Now I’ve got You, You Son of a Bitch.” The Bluff is an efficient dealer just doing a job when a player who’s the Pigeon has the tendency to perhaps be impulsive and make mistakes. Anytime after that the dealer can catch the player (the Fold) and collect a righteous payoff. The player usually gets hurt or mad and the beat goes on. Here’s a more specific example. Dealers have some latitude in how strictly to apply certain rules. With players that they like they may be a little more liberal than with players that they don’t enjoy. When a player turns a hand face down, technically (s)he has folded. If the dealer touches the cards and “mucks” them, the hand is dead and even if it was the winner, it can’t be played. I’ve seen some dealers allow a player to change their mind and not touch the cards too quickly, so the player might say, “Oh, let me look again, I might have had a flush.” However, a dealer who’s playing NIGYSOB with players might with the speed of a bullet grab the cards and say, “Sorry Sir! Your hand is dead!” You know it’s a game when the player gets mad and the dealer gloats (The Payoffs). You are doubly sure it was a psychological game when the same thing happens later and the same dealer is slow to touch the cards. Players also “NIGYSOB” dealers and become the table-parent waiting for some dealers to make a mistake that they can point out.

In subsequent articles, we will look at how the game formula applies to games that occur between players and the gaming industry, and games that result between the gaming industry and the regulators (Gaming Commissions).

James A. McKenna, PhD., has been a practicing individual and group therapist for over thirty-five years. His knowledge of human behavior combined with over thirty years of gaming experience gives him a unique perspective on the psychology of the gamer. His book, “Beyond Tells-Power Poker Psychology,” will be published soon by Gambling Times. He can be contacted at: jim@JimMckenna-phd.com.

This story is published in the July 28th 2003 edition of Poker Player.

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