Poker Face

I have one of those faces people read very easily, sometimes far too easily. This would obviously be a problem when playing poker but it has its advantages and disadvantages at other times too.

If I am excited about something you can read it on my face, in my body language, even in my voice. Sometimes, this level of passion can overwhelm who I'm talking to, especially if they are an senior executive, who like for their worlds to be calm, even keeled and factual. That was a lesson early on.

Because I'm such an open book, everyone I interact with knows what I like and what I don't like. Sometimes that's okay, sometimes a little more mystery would be better.

On the other hand if I am reserved, and that passion doesn't shine through, people assume I'm ill or don't care about the subject at hand.

I know that at my age the chances of me learning to approach things differently are slim at best. So, regardless of how I feel or what is going on with me, I have learned to represent issues or requests consistently, inserting passion if necessary to "sell" the concept.

And yes, I'm lousy at poker for those exact same reasons. If I'm sitting on a full house, I'm sure the entire table knows before my turn ever happens. I guess that's why I prefer the slots where facial expressions are immaterial. But no, I still rarely win.