The Most Common Poker Tells
One of the things that will truly help you boost your game is to watch for some tells. If you examine your opponent closely and analyze the way he acts, then you might be able to deduce some important information that will help you make decisions in the game. Here is a list of the most common ‘tells’ that you have to watch out for if you’re going to play poker.
The Eyes
The eyes, they say, are the window to the soul. This is, in most cases, true. And in poker, this fact is exploited to the fullest. The pupils dilate when you’re happy, which would probably occur when you get a winning hand. Of course, few can look that closely. But even so, it isn’t that hard to read someone through his eyes. When one is bluffing or being dishonest, they can hardly look anyone in the eyes. And those who are really good at reading people can simply stare at them unabashedly in an attempt to gather information. This intense scrutiny is called a ‘stare down’. It’s a very famous move, especially among pros. Another thing that the eyes can show is how one is planning something. For example, if the flop is revealed, and the player stares for a long time at their cards and stares at their chip stack, then they are probably plotting their strategy and most likely have a hand. This is most common when the player may have a flush draw and is checking the suit of their cards. Another tell is when the player in the last position wants to steal the pot. Usually, his eyes would roam around the table and look at all of the players and try to remember what moves they made. There are several ways that the eyes can serve as tells, but you can only discover them as you play.
Really, the eyes are the best indicators of a player’s possible hand. If you can learn to watch a person’s eyes, you might just be able to boost your game. The problem with this is that when a person’s eyes are too telling, then he can simply remedy the situation by wearing glasses.
The Expression
A person’s expression is also an important tell. Not many people have developed a poker face, and you can usually tell when they’re happy and have a good hand or when they’re annoyed and have a poor hand. This is also the reason why many players wear visors to a game.
The Hands
Often, a by-product of anxiety is trembling hands. If a person’s hand is trying to lie low to lure more players in, watch his hands and see if they’re shaking. This usually means that he has a big hand and is waiting to pounce.
The Voice
A person’s voice quality is an important tell. If his voice gets louder when he makes a raise, he may be bluffing. He’s usually making sure that people will hear his bluff and get intimidated. However, if a person is trying his best to be inconspicuous, he may have a big hand and is just waiting for a good time to lay the pressure on his opponents.
The Posture
A person slumps when he is not confident. Thus, when a person has a poor hand, he will usually slump and pay less attention. However, when he has a big chance of winning, he will usually be more attentive and will usually straighten up more.
