Common Poker Tells - How to Read People in Poker
October 30, 2024 Giovanni Angioni
Contributor Calum Grant Editor & Live 3️⃣ Reporter
Understanding poker tells is crucial in
Texas Hold'em but is often overlooked by new players, who could benefit from poker
3️⃣ coaching.
These tells or subtle cues, whether deliberate or unconscious, offer valuable
insights into an opponent's hand. Self-awareness is key before 3️⃣ decoding others, as
recognizing personal tells prepares players to interpret and use others' cues
effectively.
What is a Tell in Poker?
A 3️⃣ poker tell refers to any physical, verbal, or
behavioral cue exhibited by a player during a game, inadvertently revealing information
3️⃣ about the strength of their hand. These cues can be conscious or unconscious gestures,
such as changes in posture, speech 3️⃣ patterns, eye movements, or betting behaviors.
Tells
may provide opponents with hints about a player's confidence in and the quality of
3️⃣ their hand. Some tells can give you information on whether an opponent is bluffing or
whether they have a really 3️⃣ strong poker hand.
Mastering the interpretation of these
subtle signals allows astute players to gain insights into their opponents' likely
actions, 3️⃣ enhancing decision-making and strategic advantage in the dynamic game of
poker.
Top 5 Most Common Poker Tells
Poker tells come in all 3️⃣ sorts of shapes and (bet)
sizes, and below are some examples of the most common tells in poker. Make sure 3️⃣ to read
the explanations provided to get a better understanding of how they work.
Eye
Contact
Time to Act
Handling of Chips/Cards
Attentiveness
Table Talk
In 3️⃣ poker, eye
contact can display a player's confidence or discomfort. Avoiding eye contact might
signal weakness or nervousness, while prolonged 3️⃣ stares might be an attempt to
intimidate or mislead opponents.
Poker pro Daniel Negreanu is also a big proponent of
eye 3️⃣ contact being a useful tell. If a player likes a flop, for example, their eyes will
quickly glance down at 3️⃣ their chips, which is an indicator that they like their hand and
want to build up the pot.
Time to Act
The 3️⃣ time a player takes to act reflects
decision-making. Quick decisions might signal a strong hand or eagerness to bet,
whereas 3️⃣ prolonged delays could suggest uncertainty or strategic planning for a
bluff.
Handling of Chips/Cards
Subtle actions, like nervous chip shuffling or
hesitation 3️⃣ when handling cards, can indicate insecurity or a lack of confidence.
Conversely, swift and controlled movements often accompany a strong
3️⃣ hand.
Attentiveness
Players' attention towards the game speaks volumes. Lack of focus
or distractibility might reveal disinterest, potentially signalling a weaker hand.
3️⃣ Conversely, intense focus can indicate a strong hand or a player plotting their next
move.
Table Talk
Verbal clues in poker conversations 3️⃣ provide valuable insights.
Offering excessive information might signal nervousness or an attempt to mislead
opponents. Silence, or specific topics, may 3️⃣ imply a player's confidence or discomfort
with their hand. Identifying and decoding these verbal cues adds depth to understanding
opponents' 3️⃣ strategies and hands.
How to Hide/Avoid Giving off Your Tells
In poker, it's
super important to keep a straight face and not 3️⃣ give away any hints about your cards.
But it's just as key to watch others closely to figure out what 3️⃣ they might have. Hiding
your own clues and catching theirs gives you a big edge in the game. It's like 3️⃣ a secret
weapon for winning at poker.
Be Aware of How You Act When Betting
It's crucial to pay
attention to your 3️⃣ betting actions in poker because they might give away the strength of
your hand. Staying consistent in your moves helps 3️⃣ keep your strategy under wraps. Being
mindful of your betting style prevents opponents from getting hints and helps you stay
3️⃣ ahead in the game.
Bad players may put chips into the pot in a certain way when they
have a strong 3️⃣ hand and then do it differently when they're bluffing.
Be Aware of Timing
Tells
Knowing about timing tells in poker matters a 3️⃣ lot because how fast or slow
someone makes their moves gives hints about their cards. Quick actions might show
they're 3️⃣ confident, while waiting could mean they're unsure.
If you find that you're
acting faster when you're strong, you should just wait 3️⃣ a few more moments before making
your action.
Avoid ‘Acting’ in a Hand
It's best not to overdo actions when playing
poker 3️⃣ because pretending too much might show others what you're up to. If you act too
much, it can make things 3️⃣ obvious and let opponents figure out information about your
cards or plans, making it harder to win.
A famous example is 3️⃣ Hollywood Star Matt Damon
at the World Series of Poker. The acting skills on display are more like what you'd 3️⃣ see
at a local theatre rather than from someone with multiple Academy Awards.
Try to be
Stoic
Remaining stoic in poker is 3️⃣ crucial as it prevents revealing emotions that could
give opponents insights into your hand or strategy. A calm, composed demeanour 3️⃣ conceals
intentions, making it harder for others to predict your moves, maintaining a strategic
advantage and control over the game.
Final 3️⃣ Thoughts
These five types of tells all come
from live poker, although you should know that tells can sometimes be worth 3️⃣ seeking out
when playing real money online poker, too. For some examples, see Nathan Williams'
article titled "7 Ways to 3️⃣ Get Better Reads When Playing Online Poker."
Some players
give off tells unwittingly, but there are also players who will deliberately 3️⃣ "act" at
the table in an effort to deceive opponents with "false tells." That means with all of
the tells 3️⃣ discussed above, you might encounter players exhibiting the tell in an effort
to indicate the opposite of what it normally 3️⃣ might signify.
For instance, a player
might hold his cards in a way that makes it look like he's about to 3️⃣ fold, encouraging
you to bet, but then stay in the hand and put in a raise. Also, take heed of 3️⃣ that point
about looking for patterns first before jumping to conclusions about an apparent
tell.
Have you seen the player making 3️⃣ eye contact on multiple occasions, then showing
strong hands each time? That might make the eye contact tell more reliable 3️⃣ the next
time you see it. But if there's no pattern against which to compare the action, be
careful not 3️⃣ to overvalue the tell.
Finally, especially for new players, it's probably
much better to pay attention to betting patterns than behavioral 3️⃣ ones — those tend to
be much more dependable indicators of players' relative hand strength.
Poker Tells
FAQs
What are tells in 3️⃣ poker? Poker tells are changes in a player's behaviour that can
give information about the player's hand strength. How can 3️⃣ you tell a poker tell? Some
common poker tales, like the ones described extensively on this page, are easy to
3️⃣ identify. Just follow the instructions in the article to learn how. Others might be
more subtle. That's why you will 3️⃣ need to observe your opponents over a long period of
time and understand what their usual reactions to poker hands 3️⃣ are and what can be
identified as a poker tell. How can you tell if someone is bluffing in poker? 3️⃣ Eye
contact, trembling hands, chip glances, phone glances, and table talk are only a few of
the most common poker 3️⃣ tells in poker. Knowing how to read poker players and spot any of
these poker tells will help you understand 3️⃣ if someone is bluffing (i.e. misrepresenting
the hand) or not. Are there online poker tells? Yes, although online poker tells 3️⃣ are
different from live poker ones. Online poker tells revolves around factors like bet
sizing, the time spent sizing a 3️⃣ bet, the behaviour at the table, and more. Read this
handy collection of online poker tips for more detailed information 3️⃣ on how to become a
better online poker player What's the best book to learn more about poker tells? You
3️⃣ can learn more about poker tells and how to read poker players with the Caro's Book of
Poker Tells by 3️⃣ Mike Caro, Exploiting Poker Tells by Zachary Elwood, and Verbal Poker
Tells again by Zachary Elwood.
Sharelines A discussion of five 3️⃣ common "tells" -- both
physical and verbal -- that turn up at the poker tables.
Making eye contact, acting
quickly, trembling 3️⃣ hands, table talk -- what do these poker "tells" mean?
