Poker Tells
 

Poker tells is one subject in which I am trying to improve my game. So I thought I would ask all you winning players out there which tells do you look for the most. I have read Carros book of tells, and its very hard to keep track of them all, so if you can reply with the tells that work best for you, that would be great.

Here are some tells that I look for:
1) The way ppl stack their chips---its amazing how often ppl change the formation of their chips
2) If they are eating or getting a massage (they will play more passive then)
3)How they are sitting (leaned back or crouching forward)
4) The manner in which they bet their chips (this part is hard for me, but I am trying to practice)
5) People who talk while they have a hand. It is different for everyone, but for most ppl I have realized that if they are talking they have a hand and are trying to induce u to call. But its different for everyone!!

I hope that helps, and I cant wait to hear from the responses

Re: Poker Tells
 

Watching your opoonents watch the board, instead of watching the board yourself, is a good one.

/thanks caro

Re: Poker Tells
 

I would like a massage while playing poker...lol. Also, good things I try to notice is what do they do with their cards when they have a hand (i.e: squaring them up, tucking them under their chips, dropping them behind their chips, etc.), their breathing patterns (look at their throat and their chest), and great tells come from smokers and gum chewers. Alot of this comes from watching players on the flop instead of the cards - a great point already stated. Lastly, I sometimes get them gut feelings someone's weak/strong/making a play/slowplaying....and most of the time it's right. Trust your gut when you get them feelings. Granted it's not an absolute...hope this helps a bit.

Re: Poker Tells
 

for each topic you brought up there are many subtle subtopics.

Re: Poker Tells
 

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for each topic you brought up there are many subtle subtopics.

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Yeah, what he said........

So I'll just tell a little story from lastnight (this morning?) Had some at the table chuckling for a few minutes.

I'm on a short cold run of hole cards and look down at K2s on the button. Whole friggin table limped in, so I do, too. I got distracted and didn't really see the flop. Still distracted, I noticed EP bet, a caller in MP, the rest fold, then action to me. I was reaching for my cards while turning back around, fully intending to fold so I could stand up and talk to the guy behind me. The flop was K22.

Not fully turned around yet, my foot caught the leg of the chair and I "jerked" in my chair. At the same time I was reaching for chips, knocked over two stacks, grabbed a pile of them and said, in as calm a voice as I could muster at the moment, "Raise."

The table laughed (most of us are regulars, so it was not embarrassing) and the two guys in the pot folded while laughing saying they can't beat trip deuces. I showed the 2, then the K, and they all erupted in laughter while saying I really need to work on my tells. It was a hoot.

Onaflag..........

Re: Poker Tells
 

After reading SS2 is it just me or does Caro seem a bit weak/tight? (like me lol)

Re: Poker Tells
 

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2) If they are eating or getting a massage (they will play more passive then)

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Depends on what they're eating and what type of massage they're getting. I've found that a meatball sub with jalapenos, combined with a full-release massage by Vegas whore, is the most difficult because it masks the player's reaction to his cards. Contrari-wise, macaroni & cheese and a shoulder rub bores the player to such an extent that he's hungry for any kind of stimulation, such that a bug-eyed sort of ecstasy almost always means AA.

This type of judgment only comes from experience, so don't feel bad if this is difficult for you to follow.

Re: Poker Tells
 

The "Clack" sound that Caro talks about in his books.

Re: Poker Tells
 

of course all these things apply more to weaker players, and every1s different..
one thing i look for is what people do with thier cards. people do different things with monster hands than they do with crap. i know several players who tend to pull thier monster hands closer to them when they first look at them preflop. i will sometimes call them with anying hoping to flop a better hand and take all thier chips. really weak players will often look up and away from the action when they have a monster starting hand.

Re: Poker Tells
 

I like Harrington's advice to watch the hands rather than the face. Facial expressions are extremely complex and can be hard to assess.

Re: Poker Tells
 

the biggest ones that i notice and actually use to my advantage are peoples breathing, how they bet their chips, and where they look when they make or miss a hand.

Re: Poker Tells
 

My favorite tell to look for is the way opponents on my imediate left handle their chips and cards. Some players will show you what they intend to do when the action gets to them.

-If they plan to fold they hold their cards off of the felt, preparing to muck them in turn.

-If they intend to bet, or to call a bet they have the proper amount of chips waiting in hand or stacked in front of them.

-If they're intent is to raise they will have the proper number of chips in hand or in front of their stack to raise.

I've found these to be most reliable when my opponents to my left are elderly, or simply generally unaware of what is going on most of the time.

Re: Poker Tells
 

in many less formal games, people will say different things as they bet. whether they don't talk, only say the amount (do they say 20 or 20 dollars) or do they say raise. this doesn't always work, but its worth noting. Also listen to peoples voices. Its amazing how their voice will change after flopping a monster.

Re: Poker Tells
 

Not to go too off subject, but out of curiosity, what are some of the online tells that you guys have noticed?

Re: Poker Tells
 

online the only thing i really trust is watching peoples betting patterns in certain positions.

Re: Poker Tells
 

I tried to write this 5 different ways. Someone with more experience and better poker lingo might explain it better.

I can only explain it with an example sorry.

9 people at the table. I have been very conservative. Large stack is very aggressive.

4 people fold to me. I have AJs. I limp in with the intent of going all in on the river if only the big stack calls.
3 people fold after me. Large Stack who is BB, stops for about 10 seconds and raises it 10x the BB which is 2/3's his stack.

If I call I only have t2000 left. I think to myself if he had AA, KK, QQ, AK he wouldn't bet this much. This bet is made to drive me out of the pot. At best he has JJ-22, Ax, or just two paints.

I call Flop is A x x. Im first to act. I go all in. He has JJ I win.

Point is when I see people make those kind of bets usually they don't want you to call, but have some kind of hand.

That example sucked sorry.

Re: Poker Tells
 

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Not to go too off subject, but out of curiosity, what are some of the online tells that you guys have noticed?

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One of the most reliable is when the opponent lets their clock run way down and then bets, as if trying to convince you they are unsure of their hand. Usually, this indicates a very good hand.

Conversely, if they let the clock run down and check, they often have a very weak hand and are trying to convince you not to bet. This most often happens after I have been aggressive most of the hand and my opponent has something like bottom pair that he wants to showdown for no cost. This has been a great indicator for me that hands like TP-medium kicker are ok to value bet.

These 2 have been very consistent for me.

Re: Poker Tells
 

[ QUOTE ]
One of the most reliable is when the opponent lets their clock run way down and then bets, as if trying to convince you they are unsure of their hand. Usually, this indicates a very good hand.

Conversely, if they let the clock run down and check, they often have a very weak hand and are trying to convince you not to bet. This most often happens after I have been aggressive most of the hand and my opponent has something like bottom pair that he wants to showdown for no cost. This has been a great indicator for me that hands like TP-medium kicker are ok to value bet.


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I have noticed these two as well. I don't know the limits you play but do you think these hold true for small NL games or even micros?

Also, what is your take on super quick betting/calling or using the buttons at the bottom from other players (ex. Call/Raise Any buttons before action gets to you.)

Re: Poker Tells
 

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combined with a full-release massage by Vegas whore

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I have to ask even though I don't think that I want to know the answer.

Re: Poker Tells
 

My experience is that auto-raises almost always indicate a very strong hand. I don't know why people do it. Can a person be that lazy? Do they not want action with their monsters?

For online NL games, another tell is people who stall post-flop in an unopened pot. It seems that these people almost always have nothing. I guess they are hoping to scare people into thinking they might be setting a trap, but really they're usually hoping for a free turn card.

The auto-raise is a rock-solid tell, though. It's not a bluff.

-w.a.

Re: Poker Tells
 

I only play small stakes with bad players, so this list would not apply to stronger games:

* hands shaking when someone has a monster
* throat clearing while betting indicates strength (usually)
* People to my left preparing to act (hands held and ready to muck, chips in hand ready to bet)
* heavy breathing when someone is excited about their hand
* betting/folding out of turn
* trying to raise when they are first to bet (my all-time favorite tell)

Re: Poker Tells
 

Also an auto check normally means a bet will make them fold! Auto check/fold is used alot when players have nothing.

Don

Re: Poker Tells
 

After a while (probably too long) of trying to figure out pauses and what the action after them meant each time, I've found it to be very reliable to believe any action is indicative of hand strength (maybe 90-95 percent of the time). The pause also tends to be done more by less experienced players. I don't find it that useful a play myself, seems like people largely ignore the pause and just act like they were going to anyway.

Re: Poker Tells
 

When a player immediately checks his hole cards, after the flop, to see if he has a flush draw, I like to hammer bets at him, knowing he will call to draw to his hand (especially if he is a weak player)