ShareAt a poker table, different players will display different “tells” (or hide them if they’re an expert player and have identified their own tells), the habits and behaviors of poker players that will give an insight into the cards they could be holding during a game. Learning to spot these tells is a fundamental part of playing poker. If you do, you may be able to adjust your strategy or style of play to turn the game to your advantage.
But what are these signs? And how can spotting them help you? Below is a look at different tells in poker and what they mean.
Eye contact
In poker, you can observe eye contact to detect whether a player is confident or uncomfortable. If a player is nervous or weak, they’ll try to avoid eye contact with you. A strong player, on the other hand, may try to intimidate you with a prolonged stare. The stare might also be an attempt to mislead you that their hand is stronger than it really is. If a player seems confident, you may choose to play more cautiously, whereas if a player seems nervous you may decide to play more aggressively.
Hesitations and pauses
If a player is taking their time to bet, the chances are they’ve got a strong hand. It may be in their interest to convey uncertainty and take their time.
Players betting on weak hands often do so in a straightforward manner. Decisive betting shows confidence. The longer a player takes to bet, the more time they give others to study them, which, if they have a weak hand, they won’t want. Again, if you suspect a play has a weak hand, you may play more aggressively.
Bet sizing
How are they betting? Small on weak hands and big on strong ones? Or the other way round? Some players will try to bet small with a bluff to minimize risk on weak hands, whereas others will try get the maximum value from the hand and bet big even on a small hand.
Some will try to get others to fold with a large bet when they’re bluffing and trigger a call on small bets. If you’re observant, you can analyze their strategy for bet sizes and use the knowledge to your advantage. You might even raise if they make a large bet.
Self-soothing gestures
Players who are feeling uncomfortable may try to soothe themselves with gestures such as rubbing their nose, hair, neck, arms, legs or arms, or by playing with jewelry. This body language is excellent information because you can play aggressively and ramp up their discomfort even more.
Goading
Statements such as “I dare you to call” are uttered to pressure other players into taking some form of action. If you’re at a table and someone uses statements like these to influence you, assume they have a strong hand. They won’t want to look stupid, which they would if they were bluffing and you called it.
Response times
If you’re playing online at a casino like Golden Nugget Online Casino and a player takes a long time to respond to another player’s move, it’s a sign they’re inexperienced, so take advantage. More seasoned players will be more decisive.
Chattiness
Are they making conversation with you? This is likely a sign of weakness. If a player has a strong hand, they’ll want to maximize the value from it and focus on the game. They’re unlikely to start chatting about the weather or other banal topics.
Chat levels can be a big giveaway, especially if a player is normally chatty but suddenly goes silent when a certain card falls, this shows they’re interested in the pot or it could be a bluff. Do what you can to stay out the way of a loss (or turn the bluff to your advantage).
Glancing at your stack of chips
If a player is glancing at your stack of chips as soon as the turn card is dealt in Texas Hold’em, there’s a good chance they’re weighing up how much of your stack they can win… how much they need to bet to win the lot. It’s a sign they’re strong, especially if the glance is fleeting, as if they don’t want you to see them eyeing up your chips.
If they ask directly about your stack… how much you’re playing, or even ask the dealer, the chances are they’re not as strong. In fact, it’s as if they want you to know they’re eyeing it up so that they can convince you that they’re stronger.
A lot of money can be bet at poker, putting pressure on players and causing them to exhibit certain tells. If you can spot these tells, you can take advantage of them and maybe help yourself to more of the pot. Other tells to watch out for include forced movements with the chips, which indicate weakness, and sudden posture changes, which suggest a change in their interest levels in the game.
