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PokeRhythmsTM is the art of applying biorhythms to poker. After years of research; several million live and simulated poker hands played in all kinds of situations, in all kinds of games, by players with every birth date of the year; and biorhythm interpretations from a host of different professionals representing several fields - a singular thread has emerged: PokeRhythmsTM can be the successful player's secret weapon. Using PokeRhythmsTM to analyze, anticipate and potentially change the way you play poker can have a profound impact on your game.Before you uncover your "ace in the hole," however, it's important to understand the science of PokeRhythmsTM. Why? PokeRhythmsTM is the final "tool" you need for your game. PokeRhythmsTM teaches you how to take advantage of the situations you find yourself in each day. Just as importantly, PokeRhythmsTM can help keep you out of trouble, no matter what the deck deals you. While purposeful actions can't be helped (you can't step in front of a train and expect to stay safe), PokeRhythmsTM can help protect you from vulnerable positions that could harm you - especially when you're making decisions about what game to play and during a hand. We like to say this about PokeRhythmsTM: "They can't fix 'stupid'... but they can fix about everything else!" Still not sure what we mean? Then let's talk about biorhythms. Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up feeling a bit down and have no energy? Or times when you seem to catch every cold going around? Maybe for you (aren't you lucky?), it's the opposite: You're full of energy and can play your favorite sport for what seems like ages. Eighteen-holes aren't nearly enough and even a two-hour workout doesn't really leave you winded. Or, perhaps this week you can finish the newspaper crossword puzzle in less than two minutes, whereas last week it was more like two hours. If these ups and downs happen to you, you're not alone. Research shows the performances of professional athletes are affected by biorhythms, as are other living things, such as racehorses. Still, understanding these biological rhythms is more complex than simply keeping track of the days of the week. Interested? Read on. Why Biorhythms Occur Throughout the ages, humans have been intrigued by the impact of the sun, moon and stars on their daily lives. The day-night cycle, accompanied by seasonal changes, has been a wellspring of religious and scientific inquiry as long as humans have walked the earth. Only recently, however, have we uncovered a deeper understanding of the biorhythms that regulate human life. Make no mistake...biorhythms are not gathered from an Ouija board or a fortune teller. They're as real as your body temperature. Let’s start at the top: The human brain’s pineal gland helps provide an innate sense of time. And, because it is a photosensitive organ, the pineal gland interprets sensory messages from the retina. It tracks the light-dark cycle of day and night, as well as seasonal changes, and translates these messages into hormonal changes sent throughout the body. For example, sleep-inducing melatonin released by the pineal reaches a peak during the night. These internal, daily biorhythms — known as circadian rhythms — act as the body’s timekeeper. One circadian rhythm equals one day In addition to this circadian rhythm, there are other physical, emotional and intellectual changes regulated by rhythms. In fact, 3,000 years ago, the scientists of ancient Greece recorded a few body function rhythms such as respiration, kidney activities, pulse rate and the female menstrual cycle. It was then that Hippocrates, the celebrated Greek physician, noticed people — whether they were well or sick — fluctuated between good and bad days. More recently, however, it was discovered that the physical, emotional and intellectual behavior patterns that cause “good” and “bad” days are regulated in much the same way as the body’s respiration or sleep: through consistent and measurable rhythms. Understanding these biological rhythms can have practical uses in every day life, and applying the science of biorhythms to poker can have a profound effect on the way you play the game. Biorhythms Theory Biorhythm theory was first posited by Wilhem Fliess, a German physician, and further developed by Hermanna Swoboda, an Austrian professor. Dr. Fliess and Swoboda identified the physiological and emotional cycles. Later, an Austrian teacher, Alfred Teltscher, identified a third component: the intellectual cycle. Fliess and Swoboda were researching biorhythms independently of each other, but came to virtually identical conclusions. Swoboda, published his findings at the Universal of Vienna in 1900. He wrote, “Life is subject to consistent changes. This understanding does not refer to changes in our destiny or to changes that take place in the course of life. Even if someone lived a life entirely free of outside forces, of anything that could alter his mental and physical state, still his life would not be identical from day to day. The best of physical health does not prevent us from feeling ill sometimes, or less happy then usual.” As he analyzed the dreams, ideas and creative impulses of his patients, Swoboda noticed very regular rhythms. He observed the “dry spells” and “creative frenzies” experienced by artists. He also noticed that new mothers showed anxiety about their infants whenever a critical day occurred or was about to occur. Swoboda’s discovery of these two basic biorhythms — emotional and physical — led him to write a series of popular books explaining human cycles. The first book, “The Periods of Human Life,” was published in 1904, and was followed by another book, “Studies on the Basis of Psychology,” which elaborated his work on creativity and dream recurrence. In 1909, he published an instruction booklet called, “The Critical Days of Man,” which included a slide rule to calculate critical days. One of Swoboda’s greatest books was also one of his last. This volume, which spanned nearly 600 pages, was called “The Year of Seven.” It included a mathematical analysis of biorhythm theory and showed how the onset of childbirth tended to be rhythmic and predictable from generation to generation within the same family. Fliess on the other hand, did not get nearly as much publicity or popular satisfaction from his discoveries. He did, however, introduce his good friend, Sigmund Freud, to biorhythms. Freud, known as the father of modern psychology, was intrigued by Fliess’s work, and the two men wrote more than 100 letters to each other in which they shared ideas and research. Both Fliess and Freud were interested in forwarding the theory that both men and women had identical emotional cycles. Fliess noticed many of his patients were depressed one week and upbeat the next, and that some patients seemed impervious to illness while others caught every passing bug. The information he gathered led him to discover certain cycles (rhythms). He theorized that everyone has internal clocks, which start at birth and continue until death. He proposed two internal clocks. One clock covered a 23-day cycle and regulated physical conditions. The second clock spanned a 28-day cycle and influenced emotions. While Fliess stated that women are more influenced by the emotional cycle and men are more affected by the physical cycle, he concluded that both men and women have both rhythms. This “pseudo menstrual cycle” experienced by men was included in his book, “The Course of Life.” The book, published in 1909, prompted another physician, Hans Schlieper, to write his own book on biorhythms, “The Year in Space.” In the 1920s, Alfred Teltscher, an Austrian engineering teacher, added the 33-day intellectual cycle, after observing that his students’ work followed a 33-day pattern. Biorhythm Cycles Now that you understand how the theory of biorhythms was discovered, it’s time to see how biorhythms affect you every day. Each biorhythm, whether physical, emotional or intellectual, completes one full cycle during a specific number of days. Each cycle has a mid-line; each day during the cycle that falls below that line is a negative stage and each day that occurs above that line is a positive stage. For example, high emotional level tends to mean that a person is more emotionally stable and is better able to make relationship decisions. This does not mean that when the cycle is negative that you will not do well, it means that it is more difficult to do well. Critical days occur when the cycle is crossing the midline from positive to negative or from negative to positive. These critical days tend to be where unexpected events happen, such as accidents. The Physical Cycle: The physical cycle is 23 days long. Watch out for accidents on critical days (also known as the Negative Physical Stage) and be careful when using potentially dangerous equipment. If you are on a physical low, you’ll tire easily and it will take extra effort to get going. If you are wading through a physical low period, it’s probably not the best time to enter a two-day poker tournament. Highly trained athletes tend to achieve their best scores or records during the high phase (or Positive Physical Stage) of their physical cycle. Likewise, they tend to experience a slump when it’s low. The Emotional Cycle: The emotional (or sensitivity) cycle is 28 days long. When your emotional cycle is high, you will have plenty of positive emotional energy. During an emotionally low day, you’ll find that your feelings, although negative, will soon change. Many musicians, artists and writers report being especially effected by the emotional cycle. It’s important to steer away from making critical decisions on emotionally critical days (both positive or negative), because these decisions are often wrong. The Intellectual Cycle: The Intellectual cycle is 33 days long. When your intellectual cycle is high you will have plenty of positive intellectual energy. It’s a good time to tackle tasks that require problem solving, concentration or mental ability. On intellectually critical days (Negative or Positive Intellectual Stages), your mental performance could be extraordinary, or way below par. At any rate, if your intellectual cycle is below the mid-line, stick to routine work. Why biorhythms matter: Still, biorhythms are not an exact science, and it seems that for every conclusive research study, there’s a negative attempt to disprove the theory. You, however, can find out for yourself. A simple way to chart your biorhythm and test the theory at the same time is to begin marking on a calendar how you feel mentally, physically and emotionally each day. Throughout a period of time you should begin to see cycles, or patterns, taking shape. Be careful of a “self-fulfilling” prophecy: once you believe you should feel down in the dumps, you probably will.
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