I’m assuming everyone’s heard of the old adage, ‘Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.’ If you haven’t it’s a quote attributed to Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu who put it in his book The Art of War during the 6th century BC. Let’s face it, he sounds like a man who knew a thing or two about conflict and diplomacy.

Basically what he means is that if you alienate your enemies not only do you miss out on a lot of information about what they’re doing but you’re putting yourself first in their line of aggression, and at the poker table this can lead to a sudden knockout.