PokerTripps

With all the different tells one can observe it can become overwhelming.  One school of thought is to have a handful of tells (top 5 for instance) that you can observe on each player.   One of the biggest questions I get is…..Which tell is the most important.  Well, this is a hard one.  There are a lot of “important” tells.  But I do have a #1.

     My number one poker tell would be to go for the throat.  What I mean by this is, look at the players throat.  If he is bluffing, his heart will be pumping more than it should.  If its a big bluff for a big pot, you should see the increased heart palpitations in his neck.  This is what is known as the “Fight or Flight” response.  It is an unconscious behavior, which we all have.  It is very hard if not impossible to control. 

     So when you want to know if your opponent is making a big bluff……remember…..go for the throat.

              
     In Poker Tells - Part I, we talked about what kind of things to look for when observing other players.  The things we can “read” about others that give an indication of what kind of a hand they are holding.  Now I would like to talk a little about the tells we give off to other players.  Yes, no matter how hard you try, you will be giving off some tells.

     Sometimes a nervous tick such as tapping your cards or how you play with your chips is a give away.  Pay attention to what you are doing when you have a good hand.  Are you looking away from your opponents?  Do you throw the chips into the pot rather than putting them in front of you?  You must be very conscious of your actions, as  good opponents will be trying to pick up a “tell” on you.  Once he/she has, you are doomed.

      Try throwing in some fake tells.  For instance, tap your cards when you have a good hand.  Do it a few times.  Then when you have a lousy hand, tap your cards.  You might see more folds than before.  Mixing up your tells, and using them to your advantage is an advanced concept that most players neglect.  Dont be one of them.  The poker table is your stage, use it to YOUR advantage.

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Poker Tells are observations you make on your opponents that give away information on their hand. For instance, you might notice Joe cough every time he is holding a pocket pair. He is probably doing this out of habit and is not aware of it. Poker tells are one of the main reasons you should always pay attention to whats going on, especially when you are out of a hand. You need to make a mental note of each players “Tells”.

There are many different types of tells. Here are a few :

• A player acting like he has a bad hand - This usually means the opposite.
• How the player throws his chips into the pot
• Hands covering the face or mouth. This is an unconscious behavior that we have learned from childhood.
• Posture - Are they sitting up, leaning forward ?
• Hands or feet tapping ?
• Talking - Are they speaking, if so what are they talking about. What is the pitch/tone of their voice.

Seems like alot of information to collect on every player. But if you get a tell or two on an opponent, its like wearing x-ray glasses, seeing right through their hole cards.