My most reliable tell (At least for this session)

papa_georgio · #1 05-12-2005, 12:11 AM

I went to Dallas and stayed with my brother in-law, and he invited me to play in a poker game with his friends. There were seven players and I noticed that four of them had the exact same tell. All four of those guys were using card protectors, or putting their cards under some chips. I noticed that If they were bluffing and were prepared to fold to a large bet or if they were limping and hoping to see a cheap flop they would not protect their cards the way they would if they were confident with their hole cards. They would just leave them exposed and not put their chips on them, as if they were already planning on mucking. Unfortunately for my brother in-law he was one of those guys, so I told him after the game because he really is a good player, and he is my brother in-law so I felt it was the right thing to do. I just hope he didn't let any of his friends in on it so that when I go back I can make some more money off of them. Is this a pretty common tell? And has anybody else discovered something like this tell that my go unnoticed, but when you see it, it jumps out at you?

Chex · #2 05-12-2005, 01:50 AM

I'm a Brick and Mortar player and I fall victim to this at times. It's a nasty habit...

x2ski · #3 05-12-2005, 01:56 AM

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Is this a pretty common tell?

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I don't know if it is common, but it seems like one that, if verified for accuracy, would be quite effective.

Should you play with these guys often and notice the same pattern, I would assume that you could clean up. Start organizing games yourself and inviting them over.

Depending on if the stakes are high enough, pay for their trip/expenses yourself lol.

nh

pzhon · #4 05-12-2005, 03:46 AM

I haven't played in a live game, but a similar tell can be seen preflop from many players in the Live at the Bike webcast.

admiralfluff · #5 05-12-2005, 04:20 AM

I was playing with my unlces and cousins a while ago. None of them were very good. One of my cousins was a complete LAG, but every time he was about to try and bluff, he would conspicuously shrug his shoulders and let out an enormous sigh. No one else noticed but me, and I kept calling his all in bluffs with total trash. He got angrier and angrier every attempt, and it seems like the tell got more and more obvious. I ended up telling him, because half way through the session I couldn't help myself from cracking up at the table.

djack · #6 05-12-2005, 04:28 AM

Your laughter is -EV.

trainslayer · #7 05-12-2005, 05:03 AM

About my second B&M trip I noticed that I was doing this. I don't know if anybody else noticed but now I either don't lay my cards on the table until it's my turn to act or I always put a chip on top regardless of my intentions.

EStreet20 · #8 05-12-2005, 07:54 AM

How useful is this tell if all you know is they are going to fold anyway? I guess if they've already limped in it means you can raise and drive them out but if have no intention of playing the cards it's not too useful. Also, wotch out for players who don't look at their cards until it's their action. You might see unprotected cards to your left and raise, only to have the player then look at his/her cards and reraise/call, leaving you up [censored]'s creek.

Good luck,
Matt

diebitter · #9 05-12-2005, 08:31 AM

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How useful is this tell if all you know is they are going to fold anyway?

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Knowing someone's gonna fold can be pretty useful. For example, if it leaves you and the blinds, you can try stealing them. Or if you've got marginal big cards (eg KJo), you might be more prone to play em knowing there's one less that's gonna be around.

Or if the person is laggy, knowing they won't be in helps your decision to call if that person would often raise but won't be around for this one...

Or maybe if they're fishy, you might not bother playing a drawing hand without them, as your implied odds reduce...

In general, it's effectively moving you round one place later at the table (act as if that person were directly to your right, and has just folded is the way to look at it).

Of course, you'd need to identify which players are doing this, and not just assume it's a common thing for all players.

pzhon · #10 05-12-2005, 08:53 AM

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[ QUOTE ]
How useful is this tell if all you know is they are going to fold anyway?

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Knowing someone's gonna fold can be pretty useful. For example, if it leaves you and the blinds, you can try stealing them. ...
In general, it's effectively moving you round one place later at the table (act as if that person were directly to your right, and has just folded is the way to look at it).

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It is even better than that for the purpose of stealing the blinds. You get to represent more strength for the same price since the others see you raising from an earlier position. They might not realize that you were effectively in later position.

In some rare situations like this, I raise with any two. In slightly less favorable circumstances, I raise with any two suited, or any suited face card. There are no pure bluffs preflop, only semibluffs, and the blinds are always worth stealing. Also, if you want, you can adjust your table image by showing that you sometimes raise with complete garbage. Your opponents won't realize the restricted context in which you deviate from, say, nut-peddling.

It is very useful to see that someone is not planning to fold after you. With many marginal raising hands, you regret raising if you are called by someone who has position on you. You can avoid this by limping or mucking marginal hands when you see someone will play after you.