Lately there has been a fair amount of poker on TV no matter where in the world you live.  And like anything on TV its influence creeps into the school yard.  My son came home not long ago and proudly informed me that he wanted to learn how to play poker, specifically Texas Hold ‘em.  Oh boy.  What’s a Mom to do?  I hate gambling.  I love my boy.  If I don’t teach him someone else probably will without keeping his best interests in mind.

So I did what I could.

I taught him to cheat.

See the thing that most suckers don’t realise is that poker is the easiest game to cheat.  Really.  I taught my son all the ways I could remember:

* First there is local courtesy where seemingly unrelated strangers are actually working as a team bet against the newbie.  Or even someone experienced.  Hard to pick up this one or to prove.  Most likely you won’t even realise it’s happening.  Unless your naturally suspicious.

* Marked cards.  An oldie but a goodie.  Basically you will have to buy a new pack of cards each time you play, the type where there is a seal that is obvious if it is broken (forgot the brand).  Note that cards can also be marked during play.  You can pick this up if you hold the deck together and pull your finger across the top so that you see the backs of the cards flash rapidly like a flip book.  Do this a couple of times and your eyes will spot a glitch.

* Using a hidden camera just behind the player.  Even easier now with spy cameras from the internet.  Some type of signal would indicate information, or  may be used in conjunction with…

* Use of a thumper.  Electrical impulses are sent to the player from another person who is reading the cards.  Could be an earpiece but not as likely.  May be done in conjunction with the dealer.

There will be more that I don’t remember.  And probably some new ones too since people are always looking at ways of controlling the outcome.  The point is if you must play learn the cheats first.

Investing time and money into learning NLP and covert hypnosis techniques is a little like learning poker, Mom style.  You get to peak behind the cards of the mind and see what others are holding.  The payout is without limit.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan

I admit I’ve seen the odd psychic.  Mostly I’ve been unimpressed.  I guess it’s because I’m only interested in information I can actually use and I despise speculation.  But enough about me and my little foibles.

My friend (who shall go unnamed) fell in love a few years ago with someone whom she had met on the internet.  A few months into the relationship (he was in another country) she noticed he spoke to her differently almost like he didn’t care.  When she asked him why he revealed he was dying.  Surprisingly, he didn’t ask for money.

Her reaction to his revelation was startling to watch.  I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to the world of online dating.  Dr Phil might change his mind about it if he had to see the carnage it can do.  Between calling me up and asking my opinion she also consulted telephone psychics.  Because I’m me, I told here he might not even exist.  BIG MISTAKE.

Relentlessly she offered “proof” of his existence and rhetorical questions I had to clamp my lips not to answer anyway.  My statement spoken in logical innocence – romance has no place for that by the way – caused her to doubt herself and the perception of the world.  Because she was on the lookout for proof she called a psychic (a service for the purposes of entertainment only) to reinforce her world view and make things seem OK again.

It got even worse.  Because she wasn’t convinced by the first psychic, she had to ring a second.  And because the second contradicted the first…… anyhoo, just over three thousand NZ Dollars worth of phone bill later (from memory it took place over one month) and some more on her credit cards she should consider herself  *!&%$ entertained.  Next time she has boyfriend trouble I’ll suggest a trip to Vegas, there’s a better chance of a winning result.

Lets take a moment to consider how most consultations play out and the effects on our mind and spirit.

1) The payment.  Lets unpack some presuppositions here.  Paying anyone anything presupposes  the expectation of a service, which would presuppose the expectation of a skill.  It also sets a psychic up as an authority or it reinforces the authority they have conveyed through tv, radio or word of mouth.

2) Value the client places on what is said.  We’ve already pointed out the perceived authority.  So when the information is delivered it really packs a punch.  The client is also on the lookout for certain information.  They are primed.

3) The delivery of  information.  Advice and information is stated as if it were true.

4) Lack of supporting evidence.  Since this is classed as an entertainment service, and since there is often no one around to really question the information provided (yeah I’m not including the client in this) the client is left with the thought….but what if it’s true?….or something similar.  They may attempt to disprove something they heard that they instinctively know is incorrect.

Hopefully awareness is the beginning of a greater wisdom.  Of course, some of my best friends are psychic in some form.  It isn’t always a bad thing to seek guidance.  The trick in business, and in life is knowing who to seek it from.

Blessings,

Keri Eagan