Poker Tells

What is a poker tell?

Poker tells are a mythical phenomenon boasting many different forms and shapes. In fact, there is no limit to the list of existing poker tells. Before providing our readers with such a list, we would like to offer the poker beginners among our readers a detailed explanation on what poker tells are. A reputable and reliable online poker glossary delivers the following definition of a 'poker tell': A hint that a player gives unwillingly regarding the strength of his hand or his next move. Sounds easy, right? Unfortunately, reading such tells is not as easy as it sounds. It takes dedicated poker players years to master the skill of reading tells. This is mainly because the more skilled you become in poker the more skilled other poker pros become in maintaining a poker face.

As you've probably already figured out poker tells are all about body language. It is either a certain physical reaction or a habit that give other players some sort of a clue regarding your hand. The tells are, of course, non verbal and they can be used by your opponents to determine the relative strength of your cards. When playing face to face with other people, poker tells are a great tool in the hands of a savvy poker player. All you need to do is monitor an opponent's facial expressions and hand movements, and keep track of his hands at the showdown. If your opponent is relatively new to the game, chances are that you will be able to read him pretty easily. More advanced players, however, usually tend to invest extra effort to conceal their hands and even switch up their giveaways completely to mislead others.

Eyes and face

Concentrate on your opponents eyes. Some consider the eyes a reflection of one's sole. Therefore, they rarely lie. Some players can't divert their eyes from a monster hand so they tend to stare at it for a longer period of time. Another eye-related tactic some players use on their search for tells is asking their opponents direct questions about their hands knowing that people can rarely look you in the eyes when they are lying. Experienced poker pros typically keep their emotions to themselves, unless they intentionally seek to convey a certain message to their opponents. Therefore, beware of tells that are too obvious!

Interest and behavior

Many players toy with the idea of being actors. When having a particularly strong hand they tend to conceal their interest in the game in an attempt to confuse their opponents. Another widely used tell goes as follows: a player who looks highly intimidating and projecting power, is very likely bluffing his way to victory. Also, a player with slump shoulders probably holds poor hand.

Shaking hands and anxiety

People who anticipate being confronted typically get anxious. The most common physical manifestations of anxiety are: dry throat, blood pressure changes, abnormal chest expansion and shaking hands. In poker, when a player holds a big hand, he is typically getting ready for confrontation and is likely to exhibit at least some of these characteristics. Remember, nervousness usually reflects a big hand.

Chip stacking

A player's style of play, whether passive or aggressive, is a tell by its own merit. When you start playing at a table, analyze the way your opponents stack their chips. While loose aggressive players tend to maintain unorganized chip stacks, tight conservative players keep very organized stacks. Additionally, watch how other people play with their chips. If they acted nervously, observe what kind of hand they had at showdown time.

How to become unreadable

The most obvious and simple way to prevent others from reading your tells is to be unpredictable. Never make exactly the same move twice. Many solid poker sharks use this tactic to misguide opponents. Frequently changing your playing strategy and your attitude is the perfect method to make you unreadable and invincible.