Tells
I’m always acting. I can’t stop acting.
What’s in it for you to act?
I don’t want anyone to know me.
Ah, I see, that’s the problem
What is?
Many years ago I played poker with a man who had a tell. Do you know what a tell is?
No
A tell is any gesture, mannerism, noticeable physiologic response that gives one away. There was a player called Fat Bill who had a tell. His tell was that if he had a winning hand he would act. He would be focused on the content of his act. No matter what act he put on, people threw their hands away. He complained bitterly that he couldn’t make any money on a good hand. If he acted weak, they threw their hands away. If he acted strong, they threw their hands away. Of course, what he was unaware of was that he was a bad actor. Everyone knew that he was acting. They weren’t deceived by what the act was, they only had to know that he was acting. He was the one who was deceived!