016: Data Driven Coaching and The Edge of Human Behavior with Blake Eastman

Every poker player knows that understanding your opponents tells by reading their nonverbal cues is a huge advantage. But how do you know if your reads are right? This is Blake Eastman’s passion and focus. He led the largest behavioral study ever on poker players and has built his business by giving others one of the biggest edges available at the poker table. Blake doesn’t play in as many tournaments as he used to, but still has an impressive $200k in career cashes with a 4th place finish in the 5K 6-Max and a very deep run in the 2016 WSOP Main Event. He has been coaching poker players for over a decade and is the Founder of the School of Cards. He’s also the Founder of the behavioral research company The Nonverbal Group, and was an Adjunct Psychology Professor at the City University of New York. In this episode, Blake joins the podcast to share what he’s learned about nonverbal behaviors, how poker players at all levels — including high stakes players — can improve their reads, and how to tell the difference between what an opponent is telling you and what they are trying to conceal from you with their emotions and physical behaviors. Key Takeaways Understanding cognitive empathy and the actual reason why someone is experiencing an emotion. Why poker players use concealment strategies to gain an advantage and when you should pay attention to those behaviors - and when you shouldn’t. How variations in an opponent’s voice aren’t always the tells that you should be looking for at the poker table. Why it’s important to have a systematic process for determining what information is helpful and the information that isn’t useful. Get Access to the Show Notes To get access to the full show notes, including all the resources mentioned during the interview, visit BeyondPoker.com/16 Check Us Out On:  BeyondPoker.com Wayne Yap on Instagram Nick Howard on Instagram Nick Howard on Twitter PokerDetox.com