Tells

Heard that mentioned on TV once. Newbies will shake because of Adrenaline if they have a good hand. More experienced players are more relaxed.

Stacking neatly and slowly shows confidence in his hands...Bluffing he just wants everyone to go away quickly.

watching betting patterns is very useful - far more useful than many think. physical tells that are 100% certain are rare. There are many players who always play hands in particular ways. Also i play alot of 10$ and 5$ 2-3 table tourneys - watching the other table after the first 20min or so has passed then when i get to final table i will have reasonable reads on almost everyone i am up against. I have found this gives me a definate edge.


Also as you can take notes on people - if you feel you have a strong read on them - say you know they only play premium hands so outwith blinds they wont have j8 etc etc you can even follow them arround and take advantage of this till they scream and give up poker

As for tells - some players you can tell by their pauses that they are playing two sites at once - you can utilise this in several ways. if you play quick they will have not much thinking time and can be forced (particurly in omaha / stud etc) to make decisions not reasoned enough. They are also good to engineer to get heads up as it is unlikely that they will be able to focus enough to detect subtle ebbs and flows and will probably want a quick result.

Very few players pause to distort what they have so the fact that certain players have thought before they have raised/called etc can help pin down the hands they could have. also players who use quick buttons (immediate rather than quick play) can give a lot away as - you know that their action was decided before all factors were in play. That is harder to use than simple pause etc but can help harrow possible hands.

Much can also be read from which people show hands (either losing or uncalled winners) and when they show them.


Beyond that the main way of getting tells is through the chat option. If you never use it you are missing an oppertunity of tells that can be vital in deciding how people play certain hands. With little goading you will find many players will show their hands when asked or will tell you parts of their playing strategy without you having to give anything away.

Also if you are playing me in a freeroll and i say i am tired or going to work and going all in - if we are a bit away from the "moneY" stage and whatever hand i say I have FOLD because I will have a monster!

Read Caros book on tells. By farthe best book i have read. Just because it was easy 2 read and very informative. Will give you a good foundation on what to watch and easy to absorb info. Read as many poker books as u can and let me know if u find an easier more informative read. Some books r hard to comprehend and it takes long time 2 read em. This is 1 u wont want to put down. Books seeem 2 b cheaper on the internet but if your broke n cheap like me you can sit n a book store n read the whole book its free. I would tell u 2 buy it n return it but thats just wrong. Do what u got 2 do when u make $ buy a hard copy get it signed n add it 2 your library. GL

When I've played some local live tournaments, there is one person that was very easy to read. He likes to shuffle his chips alot. It took about six hands to figure out when he shuffles his chips with his right hand and sits up straight leaning on the rail he has a pretty good hand, but when he uses his left hand he leans back in his chair he's trying to buy the pot.

Twitching and shaking often goes both ways with particular players. You can't really classify twitching as a good hand with all players or as a bad hand. I have some friends who twitch when they have the nuts andsome when they're afraid of a call. You gotta play the player.

I've noticed that players online are only loose with thier chips when they have something, but much can be same for real life. If they have at least top pair after the flop, then they'll definetly bet so you'll know and if there's re-raise to any bet you make, you need to look out. Also, if you made a huge bet and its called, I hope you have the best hand out there because it means they have something as well.

Thats what I do and it works great for me. The higher the stakes, the more tight the players become as well. Thats another thing I've noticed. Once you figure out why kind of player you're up against (tight, loose, conservative) you can bet and play accordingly.