Detecting a Tell

[Ace-Ex]

Excuse me for being a newb, but I don't know how to post hand histories or if this is the correct forum for tells, but here goes.

No-Limit freebie tournament at a bar. Usually 5 or 6 pretty good players and a lot of recreational players--70 or so in the tournament, start with $500. I know I played this hand terribly, but I'm mainly interested in the tell I observed.

Hero and Villain each have about $600. Blinds are 50/100. Hero UTG with 9 9 raises to $150. Villain in MP calls and BB calls. Flop comes 8 K 8.

BB checks, then I look at Villain and see he is already grabbing at his chips, so I decide to check to see what he does. He bets $100. I deduced he put out a small bet looking for a call, but his grab at chips indicated he hit something really good on the flop. So I go against my better judgment and call the $100 (BB folds).

So my question is, is this an accurate tell: when somebody grabs at their chips immediately on a flop then gives a small bet does that tend to indicate strength? I've had a problem of getting sucked into pots with small bets on the flop and having to call all-ins by the river. This seems to be a big leak in my tournament game.

Rest of hand below:
<font color="white"> Next card is a K, so I check and Villain bets. I call $100 again. Next card is a blank, so I check and call the all-in bet by Villain for my last $300. Villain has A-8 for the full house. I go home having learned something new at least. I assumed he had a King, so I was even wrong on that count. </font>

Read Caro's Book of Poker Tells.

The answer to your question is 1) does he know you have seen him grab his chip? Was he looking at you while grabbing?

If yes: then this suggests he is weak and wants you to check.
If no, this indicates an intention to bet.

That's why you watch them when the flop comes and not the flop. You can sometimes tell if the flop helps them because they're staring at it, it hits them well, so they immediately grab for chips. If they know you're watching them, then the might do it to keep you from betting. If they act before you and reach for chips then check, they've generally missed the flop and are trying to keep you from betting.

along with the tells provided by russian and warren, another valuable tell is if your opponenet glances at his chips when the flop comes. this means he connected with the flop. However, in order to catch this tell, you need to be looking at your opponenent the whole time - another reason why you should look at your opponenets when the flop comes and not look at the board. This tell happens in half a second so pay attention. Also, like russian said, he may grab his chips to prevent you from betting.

[ QUOTE ]
Hero and Villain each have about $600. Blinds are 50/100. Hero UTG with 9 9 raises to $150.

[/ QUOTE ]

Something's wrong here.

[LondonBroil]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hero and Villain each have about $600. Blinds are 50/100. Hero UTG with 9 9 raises to $150.

[/ QUOTE ]

Something's wrong here.

[/ QUOTE ]

"No-Limit freebie tournament at a bar."

[sweetjazz]

While I think looking for a tell is interesting, you should really study how to play tournament poker. The STT and MTT forums here are one place to go, as well as Harrington on Hold 'Em Volumes I and II. With $600 and blinds at $50/$100, you should have either folded or gone all-in. Raising to $150 is not enough to steal the blinds and is likely to result in a multiway pot. So if you don't hit your set, you put yourself in a tough spot on the flop.

Had the guy with A8 called your all-in and won the hand, then he just would have been lucky. As it is, he made a loose call before the flop but then induced you to make an error on each subsequent street.

Once the flop comes, you have to guess whether he has a K, and 8, or if he is betting an A high or a small PP. If you're lucky you'll spot a tell, but often there won't be a tell or the tell won't be very reliable.

[Ace-Ex]

Good point about going all-in. It was a poorly played hand. I tend to be pretty conservative until I get close to the final table then I'll take more risks. I was UTG, but I couldn't fold a pair of 9s could I? I should have knocked him out with his crap hand by making it an unprofitable call. As it turned out I made the mistake of being passive rather than what I know works--being aggressive!

Yes I'm aware that the bet size was not standard.

The funny thing about tells is it either means one thing the exact opposite or absolutly nothing. This is the mistake you made in my mind, a tell should be used as just a "small bit" of information in the wave of information you have on youre opponent. Combined with his playing style/image, youre playing style/image the flow/nature of the game (friendly gamblers or serious nits?) the betting patterns you have observed earlier in the game/previous encounters... etc. Poker is a game with tons and tons of small tiny little bits of information that each one alone means nothing at all, but grouped together can tell you everything you need to know about youre opponents cards and his intentions. A lone tell isnt enough to make a good decision, and until you agree with that idea, you are going to continue to look for tells (ones that are there and ones that are not) anything to give you a reason to continue in pots in which you have no bussiness in. But to answer youre question, when a player (not a strong player but not a total dork either) grabs at his chips before the action gets to him that is ussally a ploy used to discourage youre bet, meaning if that dude is staring at you, grabbing for his chips Dont be afraid to bet into him. He's trying to discourage youre bet. And thats the Idea of poker right?? To figure out what are opponents want us to do, and disappoint them.