tells

[greatwhite]

Can people list all the tells they notice here. Please be serious!Hopefully this will help everyone on 2+2 incorporate what people do in their game.

i know of a player who likes to look at the dealer on the flop if it doesn"t help his hand. oh, i raise!

[DyessMan89]

When someone scratches his buttox exactly 7 times, hes bluffing.

[xniNja]

You know, I think Mike Caro more or less dedicated his life to something like this.

If someone craps his pants, reaches down for a handful, smears it all over his chest and says, "mister, will you help my pony", well, I'm not sure what that means. I've never actually seen that happen. I'm guessing it would mean he's bluffing, but, he could have the nuts.

[runout_mick]

The time this happened to me, it never went to showdown. I had the nuts, and no-one wanted to help my pony...

[mike4bmp]

I listen for low stakes players saying stupid sh-- like: "I'm making a donation to the pot...or One more time."
I find that they are usually drawing...
No brainer I guess...but I'm torn between listening to my MP3 player and listening to everything these yahoos have to say.

If a guy reaches into his pants in the middle of hand, he's probably holding the nuts. Fold your hand and leave the table immediately.

[beekeeper]

These are tells I've observed that indicated the player had a good hand--but they're specific to the player:

(1) player called with one hand and raised with the other whenever she had a strong hand
(2) player repeatedly shuffled one card over the other on the table with his fingertips if he had a pocket pair
(3) player impulsively looked at his chips on the flop before checking if he had a strong draw

Apparently, I'm a heavy breather when I have a strong hand--but don't use that against me. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

One player based tell. This specific player I often play against in live games goes lil red and eyes start blinking very fast after he hits a massive hand, i.e flopping the nut flush...

Dunno if he knows about it.

[blaze666]

haha, you said what everyone was thinking, but it was still as funny as hell!

you made me choke on my pizza i was laughing so hard


POTD!!!!

[blaze666]

of my freind:

he always taps his cards as if to say 'what should i do here, i have a borderline call/fold hand' when he does have a borderline call/fold hand, but this is at a game, where winning isn't very important, so he hasn't got shades and a visor etc.

i think this is for most people, when they have a monster, and want the call, they are very animated. the same freind, who's usually cool as a polar bears nose, was noticed tapping his finger on his arm by me. i notice myself doing this a lot.

[Walter Pullis]

In HOH, he says that the best tell is the way people handle
there chips and their hands. Any comments?

[vexvelour]

[ QUOTE ]
If a guy reaches into his pants in the middle of hand, he's probably holding the nuts. Fold your hand and leave the table immediately.


[/ QUOTE ]

LOL niiiice one.

Does Harrington elaborate on what he means by handling their chips. One of the most important things I've learned from Caro is to watch the players when the flop comes out. You can tell right away if they've hit or not. If they look at their chips right away, you know they've got something they like and you can adjust accordingly. I know that when people grab a stack they're preparing to call a bet, which can mean a draw, you've got to bet really big if you want to get them out to prevent them from outdrawing you. The only real pre-flop tell I've used is when people look at their cards right away and start looking at the people left to act...they're gonna bet. You can also tell, preflop, when someone looks at their hand if they're gonna lay it down. I guess another tell is, sometimes, when you bluff on the turn and the person thinks a long time before calling, don't try to bluff on the river, they'll probably call you. They tend to feel pot-commited and it's hard to bluff them.

[PokerCad]

RE: Mike Caro, Great Poker player, lousy author, only basic stuff in his book, good post Rbear, just about right on

Many of these are mentioned by Caro, but they should be mentioned again to those who haven't heard them.

1) This is more general, but I'll include it anyways: When players say anything, you first should figure out if they are doing strong means weak (and weak means strong), or if they are doing strong means strong (and weak means weak). Once you figure that out, you can likely make an educated decision about how to act. However, if the player is an actor who is aware of the tells they themselves and others give off, you have to step your reasoning up a level in order to figure out what their tell *really* means. If that gets too complicated, you can use game theory to make a decision, or just play good poker and ignore the tell entirely (which is often the best plan).


2) When (usually new) players have shaky hands, it usually means they hit huge. I used to have shaky hands when I got the monsters, but ive become more aware of it and I usually can successfully suppress it. Despite that, if I river the nut full house with straights and flushes on the table, I still get a bit shaky.

But I'll warn you, there is a huge exception for this one. I'll explain it with an example: I just sat down at a local 5-10 full table. Things are going as normal -> a mix of players, but overall fairly loose. There was one guy, who seemed to have gotten the big blind special, and he was fairly shaky about it. I wasn't in the pot, so I just noted it. A few minutes later, he was the preflop raiser and once again, fairly shaky. But soon after, something didnt make sense. He was in the the SB, and became randomly shaky on his way to making a fold. As it turns out, whenever that guy is in a hand, he is shaky. He's either very nervous, or just has a medical condition. Thus, the shakyness is disregarded as a source of good information.

3) When players look around randomly away from the table/action or otherwise try to look disinterested, they generally are trying to encourage callers.

4) When talking to another player, if his speech is easy and free-going he likely has a good hand. If he tries to talk but the talk comes out forced, muddled, or non-sensical, its likely that he is bluffing.

5) As previously mentioned, the player looking at his chips likely just improved. I havent come across this one very often though, but maybe I'm not watching well enough.

6) When a player looks at your chips, he's generally sizing you up for a raise or reraise to see if he can put you all in.

7) Some players are the type to sometimes call, check, or bet blind. The only reason they are doing this is because they are trying to set weak players up for traps (and on the other side of things, trying to get tags to fold to their "obvious" tricks). When players do this, you should immediately consider them an actor, and as a result, don't give too much credit to the tells that they "give" off.
As an example, I know a guy who frequently uses checking blind to induce bluffs, since his character isn't that of an intimidating poker player.

8) Instantaneos bets/raises by players who seem excited usually means huge hands.

9) If a player suddenly gets really involved in the hand, they likely hit something big.

10) Instantaneos checks when checked to in larger multiway pots often means a weak hand. Usually when players slowplay they pause slightly to think about their chances before doing so.

11) When a player reaches or holds enough chips to call a bet (from a person who previously raised or is generally aggro), they usually are actually getting ready to call.

12) As it relates to table image, the person with the neatly stacked chips (especially if all the markings on the side line up, that's huge), is usually fairly tight. Watch them for a few orbits (you can use your stack to count how many hands they limp in or raise with). The neat chip stacking is a fairly good tell.

13) I don't know if these needs to be mentioned, but if a player exhibits signs of being drunk, you can expect their play to be much looser and irrational.

14) If a player is constantly checking his hole cards without any new things coming down, his hand is likely pretty good. "I can't believe my eyes!" etc

[Tailgunner]

[ QUOTE ]
Apparently, I'm a heavy breather when I have a strong hand--but don't use that against me. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm also a heavy breather when I'm holding the nuts, but keep your hand out of the muck if I splash the pot.

As for you point # 5,when I've noticed it, it is usually very quick. Tells aren't the most important thing in poker, because everyone is aware of them. Betting patterns are more important. Many players, for example, will bet smaller when they want action on a hand, say they have aces or kings pre-flop, some will make a minimum raise, while, when they hold a hand that they really don't want action with, like a pair of tens and they're afraid of overcards, they'll make a really large pre-flop raise. Why? They're afraid to play post-flop. They don't know how. However, the best advice I got from Caro is, to watch the players as the flop comes out. Do this before you ever look at the flop. If you see his eyes very quickly look to his stack, then anywhere else, either back to the flop, to other players, whatever, it means he connected. Then, it's back to betting patterns.
Another I've noticed, if you put a guy to a decision and he keeps looking at his cards, it means he's weak and will probably fold. If you're holding a monster unbeatable hand, it can pay-off to sucker him in to calling. Follow Caro on this, make a movement, caugh, do something to make him want to call you.

[Walter Pullis]

Here's something that I have observed. I've never seen it mentioned, I guess because it is not "politically correct"

A person over 60 will rarely check-raise. A check for someone in this age group usually always means a poor hand. I think this is because check-raising wasn't concerned "sporting" or something years ago when they learned how to play.

No I don't ask for a birth certificate and, of course ,a very solid player of any age will check-raise.

[onegymrat]

[ QUOTE ]
Can people list all the tells they notice here. Please be serious!Hopefully this will help everyone on 2+2 incorporate what people do in their game.

[/ QUOTE ]
Just a few observations from live play experience. As mentioned already, it is ALWAYS player dependent, so the first hour of the session is crucial that you pay attention.

1. There's this regular very bad player in my game who is a calling station. I noticed that the longer he takes in calling your bet (any street), the weaker his hand is. He'll do the same on the river with a raise, when it's obvious to me he should have folded.
2. There's a good, tight player I know who protects his cards with a chip pf before it's his action. He's about to raise. I mentioned that to him recently and he's been working on countering that. Even the good players will miss their own tells, including myself.
3. With most average players, if the flop/turn/river hits his hand fairly well and he checks, there's almost always a very slight motion to reach for his chips prior to the check.
4. There is this one player who splashes his call when he's drawing or his hand is weak, but if he bets/calls with a more methodical motion, his hand is strong. Be careful with this one, I mix up my calls on purpose, so be sure how the person plays before judging this tell.
5. A player betting out of turn is usually indicative of a good hand.

[Mr. Curious]

[ QUOTE ]
12) As it relates to table image, the person with the neatly stacked chips (especially if all the markings on the side line up, that's huge), is usually fairly tight. Watch them for a few orbits (you can use your stack to count how many hands they limp in or raise with). The neat chip stacking is a fairly good tell.


[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for posting this. I have started doing this recently and will now stop.

[Mr. Curious]

[ QUOTE ]
If a guy reaches into his pants in the middle of hand, he's probably holding the nuts. Fold your hand and leave the table immediately.

[/ QUOTE ]

nh /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

About the card protector: it doesn't happen often, but if a player uses one AND she is sitting behind you AND she looks at her hand before your action AND does not put her card protector on her cards, then she won't play the hand. The converse is not necessarily true though.

Something you should watch for is the comfort state of your opponents. See how they act when not in a hand. Players who plan on folding usually act in the same way as when they have no cards at all. They have already mentally folded and their head is not in the game.

[ QUOTE ]
Something you should watch for is the comfort state of your opponents. See how they act when not in a hand. Players who plan on folding usually act in the same way as when they have no cards at all. They have already mentally folded and their head is not in the game.

[/ QUOTE ] Good point.

[Cazz]

Thats related to the age/bluff estimator function.

Take 70,
subtract your estimate of the player's age
the result is the percentage of the time they
are bluffing.

I think what you mean to say is, "lots of new, young players think that pokre is a bullshitting bluff fest -> expect those players to bluff more and also to do terrible calls when they think you are bluffing"

[runout_mick]

[ QUOTE ]
12) As it relates to table image, the person with the neatly stacked chips (especially if all the markings on the side line up, that's huge), is usually fairly tight. Watch them for a few orbits (you can use your stack to count how many hands they limp in or raise with). The neat chip stacking is a fairly good tell.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! I'll stop doing this like yesterday, tell is very accurate of my live style...

[winky51]

Here is a real answer. I listed quite a few common ones I found.
http://www.texasholdempoker-stats.com/thp_tells.html

[Walter Pullis]

I'd like to follow up on my previous post where I said that
older players never check-raise, i.e. checking is almost always a sign of weakness in older players. This is "politically incorrect" and you will never see it in any book on tells. Has
anyone else noticed such tells, based on age,gender, physical appearance. etc.

[LuckyStrike]

I'm pretty new to live poker, but the most reliable, universal tell I've picked up is when the flop comes down all the same suit. If a player looks at his cards again, he does not already have the flush and is checking to see if he has a card that matches the suit on the board. For this reason, I always make sure to remember the suits of any offsuit holding I've got so I don't give up this tell myself.

I've found that this is similar with all kinds of draws. If a loose, passive opponent has been calling you down, the river puts three to a straight on the board, and your opponent checks his cards after the river, your top pair is probably still good. Be careful though, as I figure this tell is really only applicable to small stakes games.

[ QUOTE ]
the river puts three to a straight on the board, and your opponent checks his cards after the river, your top pair is probably still good

[/ QUOTE ]

If a weak opponent has made her straight, she will check her cards again to a) make sure she actually has it before betting/raising; or b) take a moment to admire her monster hand, because they just don't come around as often as they used to.

[squallA964]

Most of the tells I've seen live have already been stated, but here's one I've run into recently. I've gone to some places recently where there have been TVs, and especially if you play in a Saturday game now that college football has started up again, people will watch TV directly proportional to the strength of their hand. This has made me so much money the past two weeks on 50/50 calls with hands like JJ and 10-10 with overcards on board.

[vexvelour]

[ QUOTE ]
the river puts three to a straight on the board, and your opponent checks his cards after the river, your top pair is probably still good

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, top pair is still good! Feel free to put all your chips in the pot so I can call you down with my straight!!

God I love when people fall for that.

[LuckyStrike]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
the river puts three to a straight on the board, and your opponent checks his cards after the river, your top pair is probably still good

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, top pair is still good! Feel free to put all your chips in the pot so I can call you down with my straight!!

God I love when people fall for that.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, I'd put all my money in the middle with a marginal hand all because of a tell and I advise you to as well! Wait, I don't remember saying that until this very post.

God, I love it when people put words in my mouth.


The tell has been good in my limited experience, but after two people have called me on it I guess I should reconsider. There were a couple of regulars in my game that this tell was very reliable for, but as with many facets of poker it must depend on who you're playing against.

[vexvelour]

I didn't mean to sound like a dick.

I will, depending on the situation and how volitile the other players are, will check my nuts.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm pretty new to live poker, but the most reliable, universal tell I've picked up is when the flop comes down all the same suit. If a player looks at his cards again, he does not already have the flush and is checking to see if he has a card that matches the suit on the board. For this reason, I always make sure to remember the suits of any offsuit holding I've got so I don't give up this tell myself.

I've found that this is similar with all kinds of draws. If a loose, passive opponent has been calling you down, the river puts three to a straight on the board, and your opponent checks his cards after the river, your top pair is probably still good. Be careful though, as I figure this tell is really only applicable to small stakes games.

[/ QUOTE ]

I do this all the time with a monster - ie if I flop quads, a boat, nut flush - just to through people off. Doesn't matter the stakes. So, again, be careful.

[ QUOTE ]

3. With most average players, if the flop/turn/river hits his hand fairly well and he checks, there's almost always a very slight motion to reach for his chips prior to the check.


[/ QUOTE ]

I find the exact opposite. Players new to live poker will often handle their chips before checking to send the message "I want to bet - no I'm going to trap you" - usually meaning they don't have squat or are on a draw.

[soko]

The most accurate tell i use on my friends with high accuracy is if it's my turn, regardless if I am about to put a bet in or call their bet if I look down at my chips and I toy with them as if I am about to do something like call or bet, then glance up slightly as to not let them know I am trying to read them. If their eyes are locked on to my chips and they have an excited or even interested look on their face it translates in to them thinking that the chips in my hands will soon be theirs, they are rooting for a call or a bet.

Lately I've been noticing a tell (particularly in limit holdem, though it may also work for NL bets that don't contain many chips) where the opponent's arm will come out to bet, and the bet is dropped while her arm is in motion to the table (the bet usually leaves the hand when the arm is close to the table, and the bet is never actually placed perfectly on the table), and her arm falls gently back to the felt, and either remains where it falls, or she drags it slightly back to her stack but it still remains on the felt. This represents strength.

[tek]

[ QUOTE ]
These are tells I've observed that indicated the player had a good hand--but they're specific to the player:

(2) player repeatedly shuffled one card over the other on the table with his fingertips if he had a pocket pair

[/ QUOTE ]

If older guys (late 50's or higher) shuffle their cards like that it means they are getting impatient to fold their lousy hand and get back to bs'ing with some other old guy.

[tek]

I was surprised that the tells in Caro's book and videos are real. For example, "crying calls or bets". I'm constantly amazed when guys groan and put chips out. I have to bite my toungue and not say "oh you made your ____"