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[QUOTE="OzExorcist, post: 935276, member: 23910"]
I've got a few more thoughts on Phil Laak:
 
First, is our face the only source of tells?  Zach's alluded to this in his response, and the answer is no.  In fact the likes of Joe Navarro suggest the face is actually the least honest part of the body.
 
Second, does Phil Laak actually [I]have[/I] any significant facial tells anyway?  I haven't spent hours and hours looking for them, but again, I feel the answer is no.
 
Look at this week's episodes of the WSOP, for example.  Laak plays the whole time without wearing his hoodie, let alone doing the hiding inside it routine.  All the way through Season 2 of HSP, in which he was a big winner, the most he did was put the unzipped hood over his head - you could still see his face, and he didn't do the hiding routine.
 
Personally, I think he does it for two reasons.  The first is that he just seems to like having a laugh at the table (and playing up for the cameras, when they're there).  The second, though, is image management I think.
 
The hoodie shennanigans, among other things, have done a lot to build the image of "Phil Laak - wild and crazy guy".  Thing is, he doesn't really play wild and crazy poker (at least, he doesn't seem to on TV) and he's a [B]very[/B] smart guy.  Referring back to the examples above, this week's WSOP episodes were full of him making tight laydowns and the in the HSP games where he won big he was one of the tightest players at the table.
 
I think as much as anything it's a ploy to make him seem a bit crazy and get him more action on his good hands - something which he might not get if he were just an everyday boring TAG.
 
Just a theory, but thoughts?
[/QUOTE]

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