Poker Tells

[bluechip270]

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

[Quicksilvre]

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

/thanks caro

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.

[Mikey]

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

[Onaflag]

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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..........

[Eder]

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

[ellipse_87]

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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.

[big show]

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

[hexag1]

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.

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