Poker Tells

Live poker tournaments and cash tables can be extremely intimidating, especially when it seems other players have a keen, almost psychic, insight to your hand at every turn. All professional poker players are not equipped with ESP, I assure you. It is simply a matter of being able to read “common poker tells”.

Poker Tells are subtle signs that can elude to the strength or weakness of a poker players holdings. Most poker players don't even realize they are exuding these readily observed poker tells. By learning all of the common poker tells, a player can not only decrease his chances of being read, but develop the ability to read other players at the same time.

Mike Caro wrote an in-depth documentation on the subject in his publication, 'Book of Poker Tells'. Caro's philosophy on poker tells relates that, “Once you've mastered the basic elements of a winning poker formula, psychology becomes the key ingredient in separating break-even players from players who win consistently.”

Poker tells have absolutely nothing to do with the poker game itself, and everything to do with psychology, as Caro stated in the previous excerpt from his poker book. However, don't assume that this means you'll need a degree in psychology. A keen knack for observance will do, and even that can be developed over time with a little practice and patience.

Poker tells can be anything from a nervous behavior to the way in which a player looks at their hole cards. One of the most common poker tells is generalized as 'hands to the face'. A player may scratch his chin, adjust his glasses, brush his hair back – pretty much anything that involves touching above the neck. This common poker tell can elude to a player having a very strong poker hand, or a very weak one, depending on how they play it. Most often, it means they are projecting a lie. If they are playing strong, they are holding weak. Slow playing probably means they have a monster hand.

Players may also take a second, or even third look at their hole cards. This either means they are looking at a Straight or Flush Draw and want to ensure they read the cards correctly, or they are trying to appear weak by outwardly second-guessing themselves before making a move.

Something as subtle as eye movements can also be a strong poker tell. For instance, when a player is momentarily glancing at their opponent's chip stack, they are usually calculating how much they can wager to get the call, and avoid the fold. Again, this eludes to a strong hand. When a player first views their hole cards, it can be difficult to restrain immediate reactions, such as a flutter of blinks at a bad hand, or the lightning-fast, wide-eyed look of pleasure, or raising of the eyebrows, at something like pocket Aces. As fast as these often uncontrollable reactions may be, they are highly readable to experienced poker players looking for poker tells.

If you've watched poker players in live events, such as the World Series of Poker or high-stakes cash games, you've probably noticed a fair amount of them wearing hooded clothing and sun glasses. They do this in an effort to avoid revealing poker tells, such as the facial responses noted above.

To learn to read these coomon poker tells, you must first become intently observant enough to recognize them. Next, if you're unsure what such a poker tell means from a specific player, pay close attention to his ensuing actions. Find out if he had a monster or junk hand. Did he end up folding or going on to the Showdown. Associate poker tells with their exhibitors and you'll be able to predict their holdings just as well as the pros do.

Of course, this knowledge of poker tells isn't just for reading other players, but for avoiding being read yourself. You must assume players are trying to read you at all times. Avoid nervous reactions like hands to the face, or suddenly becoming chatty at the table in certain situations. Never let your mood or emotional appearance change at the table, unless it's intentionally applied at random moments. For instance, scratch your chin with a bad hand, then do it again with a good hand.

Either show no poker tells at all, or mix them up so purposefully that your opponents are kept guessing time and again. The hardest poker player to beat is the one that cannot be read through situational betting habits and poker tells.