A key to winning at live poker in the long term is observation. It is very important to watch your opponents at the poker table and react accordingly. Do they have noticeable betting patterns? Are they chasing losses or on tilt?
If you watch your fellow poker players, you will learn and you may even spot a “tell”. A tell is an indication of the type of hand your opponent is holding, through how they are acting. There are two types of tell; voluntary and involuntary.
Sometimes, a player will say something or intentionally change their posture – this type of tell is voluntary and usually appears in the form of a player trying to act strong when they are weak, or the reverse. Involuntary tells are more subtle, unconscious reactions, like shaking hands or looking at chips.
Here are some basic tells to look out for at the poker table:
Bet Speed – It is a fairly reliable tell that a player betting slower than usual indicates strength. It is an act, to imply indecision. The opposite is also true – a player throwing chips around quicker than usual is trying to indicate strength.
Speech – When a chatterbox shuts up, this is a clear indication that they want to play the hand, so they are likely to be holding something good. If a player’s cell phone is ringing and they aren’t moving to answer it, this is a similar situation.
Body – If a player who usually slouches sits up straight after checking their cards, this is a similar tell to that of a loud poker player quietening down. There are countless similar situations to watch for, like a player putting down their snack or book, or sitting down after a period of standing.
Chips – Tidily stacked chips with all the patterns lined up neatly usually indicate a tight player, or at least one who is currently in the mood for tightening up. The opposite is true, with haphazardly piled chips indicating a less disciplined poker strategy.
Sometimes a player will bet with lots of smaller denomination chips, in order to make the bet look more intimidating, which is a voluntary tell. You may also observe a player stacking their original buy-in separately from their profit in that particular poker session, indicating they may not want to lose their buy-in. Bets of slightly more than their profit pile might well earn you a pot when they have a tough call.
Looking – A player staring at a flop intently has generally missed, while a player immediately glancing away is trying to look uninterested, when they are strong. A poker player looking at their chips immediately after a card is dealt, has generally improved their hand and is thinking of betting. This isn’t to be confused with immediately reaching for chips, which is usually a fake show of strength to deter someone else from betting.
Good luck at the poker tables!
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