It’s two podcasts in two days at the Center for Gaming Research–when it rains it pours, in a good way. Today, I posted the Gaming Research Colloquium talk given this afternoon by Darryl A. Smith:
Darryl A. Smith, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Pomona College
“’Dark with Excessive Bright’”: Gambling Tells and the Naming Taboo”
Within sacred language the belief has existed that the personal name is an intrinsic part of oneself. As such, its revelation threatens exposure to powers that might undo its bearer. Smith considers the relation between the detection of tells in gambling and that of so-called true names. Strategies of concealment and detection that are basic to both tell-reading and true-naming are explored in relation to post-colonial theory’s insights into using light in order to hide things.Listen to the audio file (mp3)
View flyer (pdf)
It’s a great academic exploration that ties to together literature, poker, and the Westside of Las Vegas, and one of the most enjoyable talks I’ve heard in a while.