Good poker players, besides playing well, have one essential strength – they have the ability to read their opponents at the table. They are able to do so through human tell tale sighs called ‘poker tells’. A “tell” is any physical reaction, behaviour, or habit that gives (or tells) the other players information about your hand. If you learn the most common tells, you will be able to read your opponent, their body language and thus all their secrets. While doing so, however, you must maintain your body posture so as not to give away any of your secrets. If you can accurately read your opponent’s tells, you’ll make the right decisions against them more often and win more money.
Some Poker Tells cry out to say – ‘I have a good hand’
- Acting uninterested in your hand is usually the most common sign of a strong hand. He may even tend to shrug away his cards saying that they are bad. Although he is pretending he does not care, he is excited about something in his hand
- Shaking Hands – When a player has a fantastic hand, it is often that he will exhibit this through trembling hands unable to contain such excitement.
- Rapid Breathing – Some players are unable to control their heart beating rapidly while seeing pocket aces or hit the flop really hard. If you can see a player’s chest visibly rising and falling, they have an excellent hand
- Glancing at Chips continuously – When a player looks down and sees strong hole or pocket cards, he will keep glancing at his chips to see just how much he can bet.
Some Poker Tells that cry out ‘I Have a Bad Hand’
- Staring down Other Players – If an opponent is staring you down, he’s trying to represent strength which is typical when he has a weak hand.
- Holding Breath – Often, inexperienced players, incapable of lying, will hold their breath if they are bluffing.
Some Poker Tells that cry out ‘I Have a draw’
- Checking Hole Cards after a Flop – If the flop shows the possibility of giving someone a flush or straight draw, players will start re-checking their hole cards to ensure that they are not missing out on some vital card.
- Taking your time to call a Bet – If a player looks into the pot and seems to be doing some calculating in his head, he probably is. He’s most likely figuring out the pot odds to see if it’s worth it to try and catch the cards he needs to complete his drawing hand.