Common Poker Tells
Psycology of Poker Tells
Knowing poker tells is an intricate part of becoming a great poker player. Poker pros have varying styles but they all look for common tells.
A great resource for a free videos on poker tells is Mike Caro’s poker site. Mike Caro is known as the “Mad Genius” of poker and has the #1 selling poker tells books and videos.
Here is a review of the top common poker tells to look for. They will generate and save you lots of money. These tells are shown from most common to least common.
Shrug of the shoulders
Next time your opponent places a big bet ask him if he’s got it. If they respond with a shrug of the shoulders then they have a good hand. If instead they are completely still and don’t move or talk then you would lean on the side of a call. A forced smile when you ask if they’ve got it is also a tell their hand is weak.
A genuine smile means a monster
When a player makes a genuine smile after a bet or a re-raise then they have a strong hand. It is very easy to spot someone who is being fake. Genuine happiness entails a very strong hand. If they respond with a half smile that looks like you just kicked them in the teeth then they are bluffing.
Stop shaking the table
A very strong hand brings a huge rush of adrenaline to a player. A sudden rush of adrenaline will cause a player to shake uncontrollably. If you see a player’s hands shaking so bad they can’t even handle their chips you should throw away your hand if you don’t have a monster. If they look like they’re on crack, muck.
Do you have something in your eye?
You should always be watching your opponents anytime the cards are flopped. When the flop comes out and you see your opponent’s eyes start blinking like crazy then watch out. I don’t know what causes this but many pros use this tell because it is so effective.
Your Chips are still there
O.K. the flop comes and you’re watching your opponent instead of the flop like you should be right? As soon as the flop comes you see your opponent instantly look at their stack of chips and then start looking around the room. FOLD. They just flopped a huge hand.
Looking around the room
This is one of the most common tells. Players who have a big hand like to look around the room pretending like they’re bored and have no “reason” to pay attention to the hand. This is because they don’t want to scare anyone from betting.
On the other hand if you see someone staring you down you can be pretty sure they have a weak hand. They are just trying to intimidate you out of the pot by acting strong.
Shaking their legs
People who tap their feet are great to play against. You want to sit next to these type of players so you can watch their feet when you play. Tapping your feet doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It’s what they do when you grab your chips that is the tell. If they stop tapping their feet then they have a weak hand. If they continue to tap their feet then they have a strong hand.
Blowing smoke, taking a drink, or chewing gum.
Players are confident in their hand if you see them taking a puff of a cigarette and blowing the smoke, taking big gulps of a drink, or chewing gum rapidly. When they are not confident they will hold the smoke, take little sips of water, or stop chewing their gum.
Oh you’re so intimidating
Poker players who act strong generally have weak hands and vice versa. So if they’re staring you down you should expect them to have a weak hand. Acting strong means weak and weak means strong.
Why so sad sucker
If you bet and a player makes that aww sound with their tongue they have a monster. They don’t literally say aww but they make that clicking noise that you do when yore disappointed. When they do this and it is followed by a raise you should know it’s time to fold unless you have a big hand.
Big Mistake
Amateurs make so many mistakes at the table wether its by giving off tells or making betting errors. These tells will make you a ton and watching out for poker mistakes will also keep the game honest.
Conclusion: Use your tells to your advantage.
Now that you know some of the most common poker tells you need to understand that other players will be watching you also. It is actually to your advantage if you think someone is watching your tells because you can reverse them and they wont know what to think.
Nietz. Not satisfizeeed? Read more bluffing poker tells.
