Originally Posted by
gsoltso
I never even hinted at BDO training, although the program is pretty good stuff. I know much more about behavior and the way we exhibit signs of stress than the average person. This does not make me a human lie detector, nor someone that will always recognize when something is wrong, but it does greatly increase my chances of noticing something that others (without that same training) would not.
BDO training is not "good stuff" - it's a garbage 'science' boondoggle. BDOs are more likely to identify someone that is a threat to aviation security by wearing a blindfold and guessing - something that has been demonstrated by evaluation of the program by GAO. In fact, BDOs have primarily "detected" crimes that are in no way related to aviation security (smuggling, human trafficking) when they manage to guess correctly. Honestly, defending that program simply proves that you drink the TSA Kool-Aid willingly.
I play poker and a part of the game is behavior detection ("tells") vs. opponents that are actively trying to deceive. Any player worth their salt knows that tells are used ONLY when a very close decision has to be made, as they are well-known to be very unreliable as a primary indicator. Anyone that has read Caro's "Book of Poker Tells" knows more about human behavior and how we exhibit signs of stress than the average person. I can loan you a copy if you want to round out your BDO training.
For example: My adrenaline amps up when I'm bluffing. My adrenaline amps up when I have a big hand and have a good chance of winning a pot. The bigger the pot or bluff, the larger the reaction.
The physical indications are exactly the same in both cases (dilated pupils, throbbing carotid in my neck, slight shaking of hands, stiffness of movement, among others). So when I use my hand to cover my neck and tilt my head down to hide my eyes behind the brim of my baseball cap and am very careful with how I place my bet in front of me - am I bluffing or do I have that flush? At that point, my opponent is only guessing if they rely solely on my body language.