1. Play the players more than you play the cards.
2. Choose the right opponents. If you don’t see a sucker at the table, you’re it.
3. Never play with money you can’t afford to lose.
4. Be tight and aggressive; don’t play many hands, but when you do, be prepared to move in.
5. Always be observing at a poker game. The minute you’re there, you’re working.
6. Watch the other players for “tells” before you look at your own cards.
7. Diversify your play so other players can’t pick up tells on you.
8. Choose your speed based on the direction of the game. Play slow in a fast game and fast in a slow game.
9. Be able to quit a loser, and for goodness’ sake, keep playing when you’re winning.
10. Conduct yourself honorably, so you’re always invited back.
The foregoing is excerpted from Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People by Amarillo Slim Preston and Greg Dinkin. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission from HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022.
