Ax was a decent poker player, but he couldn’t find a way to beat Kochen. Growing more infuriated with each loss, Ax became convinced Kochen was gaining a crucial advantage by reading his facial expressions. Ax had to hide his tell. One summer evening, as the poker players sat down to play in a brutal heat wave, Ax showed up wearing a heavy, woolen ski mask to conceal his face. Sweating profusely and barely able to see through the mask’s narrow openings, Ax somehow lost to Kochen again. Ax stalked away from the game, fuming, never to uncover Kochen’s secret. “It wasn’t his face,” Kochen says.
...more
