Poker Post

I want to post this on my tech blog but it doesn't really belong.

Here's a fascinating tip from poker (Texas Hold Em):

Person A has less chips than Person B, and decides to go "all in" and bet all of his/her chips. This is win or lose bundled into one hand.

Person B asks Person A "how much do you have?". Ostensibly, this is to determine the match of the bet. But note that because Person B has more chips, s/he can actually afford to lose the bet and still continue the game.

So the question is: why would Person B ask about the amount of the bet?

Here's the delicious answer:

Person B asks because s/he wants to hear the voice inflection of Person A in his/her answer. The voice might tip off if it is a real threat or a big bluff.

Awesome.