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Poker Tells and Body Language

There are many differences between expert poker players and their less skilled counterparts.  One such area  is the ability to decipher subtle clues as to what their opponents most likely holdings are.  Many of these subtle clues fall under the category of “tells”.  A tell is essentially anything that gives away the strength of an opponents hand.  They often involve the timing or manner in which a player bets, or something that they may say during a hand.  In the movies it is more often a specific mannerism, like the eating of an Oreo cookie when a player has a very strong hand.  In real life tells are rarely so exact.

Tells are one part of a puzzle that when put together with other parts, tell the story that is a poker hand.  Rarely is a tell strong enough to be trusted completely.  You generally will need corroborating evidence before taking action.  No tell is true 100% of the time.  Not only do some players naturally act differently but sophisticated opponents will occasionally send off “reverse tells”, intended to deceive you. 

Many players object to online poker because they do not think there are any tells.  This is not entirely true.  Astute online players will pick up on many things that will help them to read their opponents hands.  These will be covered in detail later.

Although the individual tells that are covered in this article should prove valuable, the underlying principles are worth much more.  If you understand why a player exhibits one tell or another, then you will be able to pinpoint other tells that occur for the same reasons.  This is when you will start to get many subtle clues to the strength of your opponents hand.

No discussion on tells would be complete without mentioning Mike Caro.  His book, and later video, The Body Language of Poker is the most complete treatment ever given to the subject.  Both the book and video have hundreds of photos that illustrate different tells.  The book has however been widely read by expert poker players so you must use caution against sophisticated opponents.  That said, Caro covers the basics and teaches the principles that still hold true.

There is no magic trick that will ensure large wins at the poker table.  There are a million small tricks and the more of them you master the better your results will be.  Identifying tells is one of these tricks that good players rely on to narrow down their opponents holding.

Brick and Mortar Tells

Strong Means Weak and Weak Means Strong

This is one of Caro’s major themes, and it is an important concept to understand.  Players often do not even consciously understand that they are acting in this fashion.  On a subconscious level they want to disguise their holding and if they know it is weak they are likely to act strong (or vice versa) in an attempt to fool you.  Bluffing players will often bet with excessive force or slam their chips onto the table.  A player with a monster hand will often bet very passively, as if he does not want to arouse excess suspicion.

There are countless variations on this one principle and it is always valuable to be alert for it.  For instance, a player who stares directly at you is less likely to hold a monster than someone who is attempting to feign disinterest. 

Although this is one of the most important characteristic of tells there is one caveat to them.  They are among the easiest types of tells to fake and sophisticated opponents will try to trick you by exhibiting reverse tells. 

Although this is one of the easiest and most common type tells to spot it is also one of the most valuable.  Understanding this concept will allow you to pick up many subtle clues that will add to your bottom line.  Although many individual tells will be discussed you will find that a great many of them fall under this category.

Players Who are Eating or Reading

Players who are eating, reading, or otherwise engaged are much less likely to bluff than they normally would be.  Be cautious of a player who sits up from his meal to make a big raise.  You generally need a very strong hand to continue in this spot.  If a player is engrossed in a sports game on television, that you know he has a big bet riding on, be very careful if they suddenly make a big bet or raise.  Anytime a players attention is focused on something other than the poker game they are less likely to bluff than they usually are.  It does not mean that they are incapable of bluffing, but it does make them significantly less likely.

Players Who Shake Their Heads or Roll Their Eyes

This is another example of weak means strong.  When a player sees the flop and then shakes their head or rolls their eyes they generally have made a good hand.  Proceed with caution in these scenarios.

There are a million variations on this type of tell.  Any sad action or face is more likely to be great strength than weakness. 

Players Who Glance Quickly at Their Chips After Looking at the Flop

Unlike most of the other tells covered, this tell is not an act.  It is a subconscious reaction to seeing what they think is a profitable situation.  This is different than a long lingering glance at their chips.  It is an almost imperceptible glance, and they will then quickly look away from their chips.  This usually means that they have made a very strong hand.

Players who Talk

Often times you will find yourself up against an opponent who likes to, or is at least willing to, engage in conversation during the play of a hand.  Often times valuable information will be passed on.  Players who are gregarious and talkative during a hand are more likely to have a strong hand.  They are mentally relaxed enough to converse freely.  If a normally talkative player is silent then they are more likely to be bluffing.  They do not want to do anything to arouse suspicion in their opponents.  If in response to a question a player spouts near gibberish, then if it is not an act, he is more likely to be bluffing than normal.

One interesting tell I have noticed about players who talk during a hand is that they tell the truth more often than not about what they hold.  This can be just as confusing, if you do not know this tell, but if you find someone who routinely tells the truth it can be valuable information.  It has been my experience that when a player says “I promise” that he rarely is lying.  For instance a player may say “I promise I don’t have the Ace of Spades” after making a big bet on the river if there are 4 spades on the board, as well as a pair.  This player almost certainly does not have the Ace of Spades and is in fact much more likely to have  a full house in this instance.  Do not assume this player is weak, in fact, he is much more likely to be very, very strong.  If you happen to have the Ace of Spades though, be careful, as he is also almost certainly not bluffing.

You will encounter some players who are so good at randomizing what they say that you will not be able to get any valuable information from them.  More often, however, players will betray their holdings by what they say and you should pay attention, and ask questions when necessary.

Poker Tells and Body Language - part II