Listed below you will find some common poker tells. Some of these are great poker tells that will help you win at poker on a regular basis. Others are easy poker tells that are mostly common sense. Reading poker tells is a “must do” in the game of poker. It’s 100% necessary when playing live online poker in a real poker room and you’ll be surprised that some online poker tells can even be picked up by the ultra observant poker player. We hope you enjoy’em and are able to put on your best poker face!
Watch other players eyes – This is absolutely the most important poker tell. People’s eyes give them away. You’ll find many astute poker players wearing dark sunglasses to avoid people from reading them.
Facial Expressions – Good hands may create you to look confident and conversely a poor hand may cause you to look stressed or give away the fact that your holding a bad hand. One of the strongest poker tells!
Bold/Assertive/Lack of Interest – All may describe a player putting on an act to display that he has a good or bad hand when he actually has the opposite. This can obviously run confusing but if you see a player acting in this behavior, watch the outcome of his hands while he’s doing this and he may be able to be easily figured out once you’ve done so.
Anxious Behavior – When a player is holding a hand and becomes anxious, changes in the body may happen. These physical changes include flexing of muscles, eye-pupil dilation, a palpitating heart rate, or dry throat. Trembling hands may also be a sign and a bad one. This may denote the player is sitting on a fat hand. (Assuming he’s not all in) On the flip side, an overly anxious player may be bluffing. It’s important to watch the behavior of your fellow players for as long as possible to see what kind of behavior their displaying on a regular basis. Many aren’t sharp enough to flop back and forth. Many are consistent in what they do whether it’s a bluff style player or a strong hand player.
Deliberation – (Pertains more to online poker) A weak player who is thinking generally has a weaker hand and is debating whether to cal or not.
The Player’s Stack of Chips – If you find a player shooting an immediate look at his chips or diving into them for a quick raise after he’s viewed his hand, this player may be planning his raise which may denote the player has a good hand.
Consistency in Betting Behavior – Some players will display the same behavior with checking, calling, raising, in certain situations. Identify his final hand whenever possible to determine his style of play. If you can force him to fold even a few times during the night when he maybe otherwise wouldn’t have, this can equate into $$$.
Body Posture – This is probably the second most important factor when it comes to poker tells. It’s human nature for a person to hang low when playing poorly or having been dealt a bad hand or sitting straight up at attention when he/she has a solid hand. We feel this is easy pickin’s in low dollar poker rooms.
Tossing Chips into the Pot – The player is likely acting assured to mask a weak hand. The player wants his opponents to think that he’s so confident of winning the hand that he’s prepared to call or raise any bet.
Guarding Cards – People protect what they perceive to be valuable right? A player may subconsciously look like he’s guarding his hole cards which could be a bad sign for you unless your holding a strong hand.
The Overly Non-Threatening Look – Many like to avoid eye contact and look non threatening when they have a good hand. A sure poker tell!
