Why Poker Players Do Chip Tricks at the Table

[NIX DUDE]

I would consider chip shuffling a tell.

When he does it... if he does it... how quick he does it... if he is nervous when he does it.

Just like having a box of Oreos in front of you... LOL!

[HEAVYMETLZ]

I don't do it cuz I can't do it. If I could do it I would do it. Since I can't do it...then I would not be giving a tell of the pocket aces I am holding

[dwolfg]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think one reason people do chip tricks to is prevent themselves from over analyzing a hand. A way to make the mind take a step back. Then, to prevent others from picking up tells one would do the tricks all the time.

[bustersgirl1]

I do it just to have something to do when im not in a hand, cause u do get bored when the game gets slow

[wrestler75]

i definately agree with this thread, especially when they do it to distract other players

[DesAllen]

Hmm, I was always so curious about this.
I really always saw it as something that CAME to the poker player, like a nervous or natural tick.
My friend, who does all the crazy flips and fancy-mumbo tricks, told me it came naturally to him, so I saw it as something like that even more.

He said, he has played for so long that while you're sitting there, thinking/concentrating, it just happens.

"You just so happen to master these 'tricks' while you're tinkering with them I guess, I never TRIED to master a damn chip-flip-toss to be cool". He said.

Yeah, I don't know though

[melanie]

I dont play live so i dont handle real chips, unless its with friends. I think its clever and looks great though and i would love to learn a trick or two one day

[DesAllen]

Originally Posted by melanie

I dont play live so i dont handle real chips, unless its with friends. I think its clever and looks great though and i would love to learn a trick or two one day

Funny thing, I tried doing it live once and knocked some chips over...I mean they didn't know I was a rookie at live games... so uh...it was all a distraction cover I did there.

[Amused]

I often do chip tricks because it was the thing to do to look cool while playing poker. I didn't like wearing sunglasses, so that was out. I hate hats, so that was out too. The only thing left was to wear nice shirts and pants, while doing neat tricks a la Esfandiari. I stick to a neat shuffle myself. I know I've done it right when I shuffle two stacks of 8 or 16 multiple times to get them into separate colors once more. Sometimes I like to do the chip twirl (3 chips, slide middle down, rotate, slide it back up), but my fingers can be far too clumsy for that.

[Voodoo]

It used to be hip, cool, whatever but now it annoys the hell out of me. Now its like, wow nice trick but I am still check raising your ass. LOL.