He stares down at the table, his head tilted at a 45-degree angle.  He pulls his ballcap down on his head, and puts on his sunglasses so that his opponent cannot look into his eyes.  Some players take it further than that.  Poker pro Phil Laak takes it much further.  He always wears a hooded sweatshirt to the table, and when he finds himself in a tight situation, he pulls that hood around his face so tightly that you can’t really see any of his features at all.  He’s not called the “Unabomber” for nothing.

Laak is so charismatic that he has attracted a legion of wannabees who wear hoodies just so they can mimic his antics when they are facing a tough decision.

But you don’t have to go to the extreme of Phil Laak -- and since you’re not playing on TV and getting the face time that comes with it, there’s really no need to go that far to prevent your opponents from deciphering your hand by reading tells from your face.

There are really two equally valid ways to prevent giving out information about your hand at the poker table, and disappearing into a cave (of clothes)is only one of them.

The first, and by far the most common, is to give out no information at all, just like Phil Laak.  If you act late in the betting order, you shouldn’t even look at your hole cards until it is your turn to act.  After all, if you don’t know the cards you’re holding, your opponents won’t be able to get a read on your hand regardless of how diligent and skilled they are at deciphering tells and reading body language.

Once you look at your cards, put them down on the table. Place a chip or card protector on top of your cards and leave them there.  There’s no need to go back to your hand again; it’s too big a tell.  You’ll remember that you’re holding two clubs when another club falls on the Turn or the River and gives you a flush; it’s usually harder trying to remember whether a certain card completes your straight.  Players tend to look back at their hand to see if they’ve made a straight.  They generally don’t have to do that with a flush.f

I’m not a big fan of sunglasses at the poker table. I’ve never yet been able figure out my opponent’s hand from the look in his eyes.  But I do look at a player’s neck and his hands -- a trembling hand is usually an involuntary sign of a big hand -- along with the general energy level of his bearing and countenance, to get a read on what he might have.

One way to guard against giving your hand away is to withdraw inwardly as though you’re a turtle going into his shell, like Phil Laak vanishing inside his hoodie, every time you make a big bet and are waiting for your opponent to decide what to do.

Another way to disguise yourself at the table is to broadcast too much information.  This is exactly the

DONT BE THE FISH. PLAY AT POKERROOM

It’s like a baseball manager flashing signs to the batter and runner.  For each signal that means something, he’ll flash a litany of signs and hand gestures that convey no meaning at all; they’re only there to provide information overload to the opposition.