Is it possible that poker is, to some extent, a game played with psychic abilities? Many players wouldn't even consider the idea. They think in terms of science and numbers, and so the things which aren't commonly discussed in science are also off-limits for them. Of course, it's rare that you can expose truth by ignoring something. In my experience, using psychic abilities is something that occurs in card games, even something that occurs often.

If it happened, it'd be on the TV!

There's a classic comic from XKCD in which the author makes the case that it's very unlikely that psychic abilities exist, because if they did, they would be used in all sorts of industries:

Likewise, if psychic abilities did exist, it would be likely that cardplayers would use them, just as companies would for oil prospecting - and presumably, we would know about it.

The counterargument is twofold:

1. Cardplayers and oil companies do not gain by admitting something which would make them appear nutty to their investors or backers; and
2. Cardplayers and oil companies do not gain by telling people about something which gives them a hidden advantage.

It's in the interest of cardplayers to do whatever is in their power to improve their game - however, most professional cardplayers won't even admit that they read books about poker. They don't want potential competition to know the fastest path to improving their game. Would it be such a surprise if cardplayers conceal something so important? After all, they're in the business of deception.

Texas Dolly weighs in

The man whom many know as the greatest player in the history of poker, Doyle Brunson, had these words to share in the original version of his famous book Super/System:

I believe some good poker players actually employ a degree of extrasensory perception (ESP). While I've never studied the subject in depth, it seems to me there's too much evidence to ignore that ESP exists or that most people have it to some degree. Everybody has had the experience of riding with someone else in an automobile and thinking of a song, then being surprised to hear his companion start singing that very song.

You can't imagine how often I've called a player's exact hand to myself and been proven right. There's even a plausible, though completely unproven, explanation how a person could know what cards another player is holding. The brain's functions involve electrical impulses. In this electronic age we're becoming more familiar every day with appliances which broadcast, purely as an unintentional by-product, energy impulses which are picked up on dissimilar appliances at considerable distances.

Is it really too unreasonable to suspect that such a highly sophisticated electrical device as the human brain, during the intensity of concentration in a big pot, could broadcast a simple message like "a pair of jacks" a mere eight feet?

To be continued...

If Doyle Brunson is thinks that there is evidence for psychic abilities, and we know that players in general have some reasons to hide them, then it is reasonable to ask the question.

In my next posts, I'll talk about some case studies from hands I've played, and types of psychic abilities which might be useful. I invite you to share unusual stories from your own time at the card table. Please press follow to join me on more adventures!

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About me

My name is Kurt Robinson. I grew up in Australia, but now I live in Guadalajara, Jalisco. I write interesting things about voluntaryism, futurism, science fiction, travelling Latin America, and psychedelics. Remember to press follow so you can stay up to date with all the cool shit I post, and follow our podcast where we talk about crazy ideas for open-minded people, here: @paradise-paradox, and like us on Facebook here - The Paradise Paradox

Some other cool posts

Here are some other posts of mine to check out:

Freedom is scary: One method of spreading liberty

Crypto-Rich! The crazy crypto economy of the future

Ideas are the currency of gods