Guide to Poker Tells - online & Offline

This guide will cover everything you need to know about tells in poker; from types of tells and what they mean, to the things to look for to read an opponent well, to avoiding being read yourself. After reading this you will be better equipped to deal with difficult decisions during a game of poker and build an impressive bank roll.

What are Poker Tells?

Poker tells can be noticed in many different ways; by body language, posture, facial expressions, various types of talk or banter, the list goes on. By reading into these tells you can learn when an opponent may be bluffing or not, which can in turn result in you being on top with the highest chip stack and the biggest win.

Obviously the way you play poker, style you choose to play and risks you choose to take will have an effect on your outcome in a game or tournament however making the most of all the information available to you will no doubt give the edge over others who choose not to.

What to do if you pick up a poker tell

First of all decide on the player’s level; are they a beginner in which case do they really know the strength of their hand. Maybe they are subconsciously telling you their hand is good but it’s better than they think and therefore than you think; this could cost you if you decided to play.

What type of player are they; if they are very loose this will mean they will play most hands in which case it gives you more chance to pick up on tells, however it may be harder to judge the strength of their hand because they will play anything from weak to strongest and may also bluff often. If they are the opposite and a very tight player, it may take longer to read any tells they have however once you know will most likely take away some good wins as they will only really go in on good hands which allows you to make a better judgement on their hand strength.

Is the tell for real or just acting? Sometimes players will make up a facial expression or a gesture to try and confuse opponents. Trying to distinguish natural tells and fabricated ones are important, especially if you feel you have to rely on them. Relying on tells can be dangerous especially if a large pot is at stake.

The development of using Tells

Everybody has involuntary tells, whether that be fidgeting more, messing with chips in a certain way, facial expressions, even a different pitch in the voice. These involuntary tells can be used and faked to keep opponents guessing, they can also be controlled once learned.

When most people start playing poker they will have certain reactions for a strong hand and others for a weak hand, hiding these reactions won’t be thought of at first as thinking about how to play the hand will be priority.

After some experience players will quickly learn to try and hide their reaction when a strong hand is dealt to them to try and keep as many opponents in as possible. Weak hands won’t matter as before although eventually learning how to react to these hands will become important also.

Eventually players will make a decision to act or not; some players will be quite vocal and sigh to let others know how bad their hand is (although it may not be) or may make very strong movements, throwing chips into the pot in a confident matter to come across as though they have the best possible hand available (although again they may not). Other players may try and be blank for every hand dealt so that distinguishing whether a strong or weak hand has been dealt is difficult.

Throughout these stages most players will not be looking at others to try and pick up their tells they will simply be trying to remedy any tells they have themselves. To become a good poker player being able to read others whilst not being read yourself is important; to be able to think as their opponents are and put across a fake tell at the same time are the kinds of things a really great poker player will be able to do whilst at the same time actually play the game.

Faking Tells

Most players who try to fake tells will fake common tells which most players will have before they learn to control them, however some players will try and fake more individuals tells knowing opponents at a higher level will be looking for these specifically as they are more reliable.

Watching for Poker Tells

The following areas are worth observing to try and find a tell:

Eyes – Players will often cover up their eyes with sunglasses or face downward wearing a carp or hat as the eyes can give away various things. If a player looks at the pot or at his/her chips then there is most likely some calculating going on in which case the chances are the player doesn’t have the best hand available; risk is being calculated.

Verbal Tells – Players when starting out might try and disguise the fact they have something by talking more when they have something, this may be to try and stop opponents thinking so hard and just play their hand (which they will then lose). Players will sometimes do the opposite and become more talkative when they are bluffing or have something weak, again this is done to try and make play continue to either get another card or call a bet made. Players may also be very chatty throughout the game as this is their true personality coming out but when they need to concentrate more because they have a strong hand perhaps, they will stop talking.

Chip-Handling – Sometimes players will handle their chips one way if they have something strong, another way when they have something weak and even another way when they are bluffing. Watching hand movements can be just as important as watching for facial expressions in trying to discover a tell.

Guessing Player Types

Many people will think they are a good judge of character however using these instincts at a poker table can be a mistake. First of all many players will play a certain way which may be the total opposite to their stereotype. For example an old lady at the table may play very tight and conservative (which would fit into her stereotype quite well - looking after the pennies) but then as the game progresses changes into a loose and aggressive player. Asian players are often thought to have luck on their side and this is how they might be perceived to play, again not always the case.

Attributes such as age, gender, origin, culture can make you prejudge your opponents therefore it is very important to only make your judgements on game-play alone.

Player Actions

Drinking -
Some players will decide to drink whilst playing; this can usually mean two things. One, that the player is more interested in having a good time or two, that the player enjoys a drink and it helps them to relax a little more. A player who is just drinking and playing for a fun evening will most likely not play all that well, if playing for fun they may not be that interested in calculating odds and reading opponents and trying to spot tells etc. A player who needs a drink to help them relax may initially play quite well; be less nervous and harder to read etc, however after one too many a player may not be able to calculate odds that well and may make more mistakes because of this. They may give away some tells also and be very unaware.

Posture -
Posture can be important; players who lean forward may be quite excited and easier to read, they may also be quite focussed with full attention on the game. Players who lean back may be playing it cool, being relaxed and confident and ready to strike when the cards come in. It is difficult to go on posture alone however throughout a long game posture may be more helpful. Players that are slumped in their chair whom have had some very bad luck or poor play and lost a lot will most likely continue down that road, they will be easy prey for the other players at the table. Players how have also lost a lot but still hold themselves well should be treated with more cautiously.

Talkers -
Players who talk a lot about a good hand they’ve had or a bad beat will often be quite inexperienced players. They won’t be concentrating on the game much and will be after attention through their babbling rather than their game-play. Letting them talk may be worthwhile as you may notice them go quiet once in a while, this could mean they have a strong hand and are finally concentrating on their cards.

Card Showers -
Players will sometimes show one or both of their cards after a bad beat to ‘save face’ and try to assure other that they aren’t bluffing and will continue with this none bluffing game-play. They may also be trying to tell you they are good players and you should watch out. These actions and their reasons may be true however it may also mean they will bluff in future. This type of player is probably quite the optimist at first; thinking their mediocre hand will turn strong after the flop or turn card, which in fact it doesn’t and so therefore they retreat rather to trying to bluff. If this occurrence is frequent then playing strong right to the showdown even with nothing could mean you win and he/she folds.

Generic Tells

Freezing -
Some players as soon as they have something will try and play under the radar; they will freeze, not move much or slowly, not speak, cough, take a sip of a drink, anything that will draw attention to themselves. The reason for this is to go by unnoticed until it is their turn where they can then raise. Therefore folding would be recommended unless you have something strong.

Acting Uninterested -
Similar to ‘freezing’ however this time actively suggesting to other players that he/she has nothing worth going in on and when it is his/her turn will fold. This is not the case and again the player will raise. Players doing this will often look away from the table, or sometimes lean forward with their head on their hands. Again to fold would be recommended unless you have something strong.

Premature Folding -
Similar to the first two; a player adjusts their grip on the cards to throw them away and fold and then moves their attention to a waitress or another table again to give the impression that he/she will fold. When it gets round to him/her a bet or raise is made, the cards aren’t folded and play continues. Here it would be in your interest to fold unless its too late and the player has fooled you, then it will be on the strength of your cards amongst other things to whether you decide to continue play.

Chip Grabbing -
A player will look at their cards and then instantly grab a pile of their chips to bet with or raise, in the excitement of a strong hand he/she has forgotten to play it cool. This time the player most likely has something in which case folding would be recommended. This however can be a bluff and dependant on what the player has done previously amongst other things will help in judging this correctly.

Glancing at Chips -
Similar to above but the player will rather than grab chips, instantly glance at their chips after looking at their cards as they are deciding to bet. Whether they do bet or not the player may have something or be waiting for something. If you are in a late position and players before you glance but do not bet the chances are if you bet they will fold. Be careful though a player may make these moves of glancing and going to grab chips and then not to make you think they don’t have anything very good but in fact they hold the best hand possible.

Quick, Exaggerated Moves -
Some players will make very confident and attention drawing moves to tell you they have something and make you fold. These moves could be fake and the player may have already risked a lot of chips but his/her card hasn’t come in so tries to fold the other players off. Dependant on previous play, amongst other things will tell you whether the moves are fake or not. If the player never makes big movements like sitting up straight, looking opponents in the eye, talking confidently or loudly they may well be bluffing.

Betting Out of Turn -
A player bets when it isn’t their turn then apologises for the mistake. This move will have all the opponents’ attention and tell them the player has some good cards. Again it could be an honest mistake but also a bluff. The player may at first bet big when it isn’t their turn then bet really small when it is. This will be to let opponents think a bluff was going to be tried but then in the end wasn’t because of the mistake. It will let them think the player has nothing but in fact he/she does.

Shaking Hands -
Some players will always have shaking hands whatever they do however not many. If a players hands are shaking as a bet is made for example then the chances are they have something strong. It would be wise in this situation to fold unless you have something quite strong also.

Intuition and Exercises
Intuition can play a big part in a game of poker; sometimes a player may think ‘why is that player folding?’ or ‘why has that player called so quickly?’. If some alarm bells are ringing and making you question something, sometimes ignoring this feeling or intuition may cost you. This is not to say always go or not go with your gut feeling, but first of all question it and justify it.

To help develop your intuitions try blocking out certain senses. Try just listening to what opponents do or try just watching them and listening to calm music instead. As well as blocking out senses try paying attention to certain areas of the table; watch opponents faces rather than their cards, then try watching just their cards and how they handle their chips. By breaking up the game in this way you may pick up a tell easier, as sifting through all the information available to you whilst sitting at the table and trying to play yourself may be very difficult.

Other ‘Leaking’ Tells
All players no matter how good will express some kind of minor tell or micro-expression; these leaking tells, like all other tells, can be used to help understand an opponent better. Here are some main ones:

Slight frown or scrunching of nose -
This will often be expressed as a sign of strength to try and let players know they have something good.

Lowering of the head -
When shame or confusion is felt often people will momentarily relax their neck muscles (similar to a shameful dog). This could be when a player first raises then just checks on the next round.

Smile of embarrassment -
A tiny tweak at the ends of the mouth, a minute smile, will often be expressed when something hasn’t gone how it should have; perhaps a pre-flop bet was made and the flop didn’t deliver.

Pointing the body ever so slightly away or towards an opponent - By turning the body away just slightly can often mean a feeling of fear or uncertainty. Turning the body in towards an opponent can mean more concern of what the opponent might have.

All these movements will be very minor, hardly noticeable. Anything that is bigger which is an exaggeration of the expression is most likely false and acted, so be careful.

Avoiding Tells Yourself

As mentioned some players will act and some will not; this can make it hard to concentrate on important aspects of the game, therefore some players will try and become very robot-like; no major movement and no emotion however this can still leak minor tells but will expend less energy and make concentrating on other aspects of the game easier.

Being aware of oneself and learning what tells are given off is key to trying to suppress them to make you harder to read. By taking time with your play you can think about signs you may be giving off; are you sitting differently, messing more or less with chips, how are you facial expressions changing. Being eager with play will often reveal more tells so this can be minimised by slowing your play down.

As well as you changes physically, be aware of how much or little you talk; do you talk off subject when you have something perhaps.

Sometimes adapting a certain way of saying something or doing something that would not normally be your natural way can help eliminate tells. For example handling your chips; you could always stack them neatly, then only touch then when you want to use them rather then messing with them when deciding something. Another example may be to say what you want to do be it check, call, bet, raise, fold, whilst always looking at the pot and never at an opponent.

By looking at how you play by recording yourself throughout a game may help you see your own tells; even consider asking a none player if they can pick up on anything.