You're a Bunch of Factors

Now, we haven't had much of a discussion about this on this forum (at least for a while), but it might be good to get some ideas from people about physical tells in poker.

What do you look at/for when you are playing poker, in a physical sense? So much of our hand discussion is based on assigning ranges based on betting patterns (which is obviously good), but occasionally our decision may be completely changed or at least altered based on some physical information that we recieve.

So what im looking for is:
- what can/do you notice from opponents?
- what does it mean? (weak/strong etc)
- how reliable do you think it is?

Lots of the information in this thread will be useful even for 888pl pub tournaments.

If you have read Caro of anything by Joe Navarro then hold off before commenting too much, but i think it will be an interesting discussion anyway.


Discuss. I will post my own thoughts a bit later (at work now), but lets see how we go.

I tend to focus on 2 things ...1st the eyes where they are looking ... a quick glance at the chips, sign of strength wants to bet.
2nd hands do they continue to do the same thing in every hand, or is there a pattern.

This is the strength of my game and I will add to this later.

I think one of the better tells is breathing.

If a player seems to be holding their breath - it's often a bluff.
If they are breathing heavy they are excited and have a hand more often then not.

Ok here is a few of my favourite that I find useful at a live game. Feel free to add any others that work for you.

You can tell lots of information about a player before they even play a hand. This seems strange but players who dress neat and tidy, tend to play 'neat and tidy'. Players who like order, structure and care how other people perceive them in terms of their appearance, usually play like this also. (I am talking beginners here). Most often, LAG/maniac players are the opposite. Reliability: pretty good

In a similar vein, how people stack their chips can give you information. The player who aligns each colour neatly, in sensible stacks, possibly in a pattern always value their chips highly. These players likely know how much in their stack at any one time, and probably everyone else's too. Conversely, you will see players with their chips in disordered stacks/piles, spread out over large distances etc. These players are almost certainly thinking about the game on a pretty simple level. Reliability: high

People's posture at the table should also be noted. Much information can be gained when a player differs from their 'baseline' behaviour. Do players lean forward or backward when they aren’t in a hand (patient/tight players often lean backwards, content to wait for the next hand, while loose players will often lean forward on the table, waiting for the next opportunity to commit some chips). Reliability: ok

Leg/foot tapping is another huge source of information. This can be hard to notice, but you can often see if somebody shirt or shoulder is moving, meaning their foot is tapping. It’s not important whether somebody is a foot tapper or a non foot tapper, but it is important to notice when this behaviour changes. If a foot tapper suddenly goes perfectly still, or if a still player suddenly starts tapping their foot (people will usually be completely unaware that they have made this change) then it usually means they are uncomfortable. Reliability: v good

Glancing at the flop and then at their chips is probably the best tell to use at a beginner level. The best piece of advice I could give a poker player is to watch other players when you are dealt your cards, or when the flop/turn/river are dealt. After all, they will always be there to look at, at a later time. So much information can be missed at these times because most people have their heads down and looking at their cards/board. This is so helpful when holding a marginal hand like ATs from mid position. If you have no idea who is acting behind you it’s risky to play such a hand, but if from a simple tell you can fairly surely eliminate one or two players who look disinterested, then the value of our hand becomes stronger. Its almost like earning yourself another button. Similarly this can be used to see whether people have connected with a board, in order to more safely decide times when to c-bet or when a check/raise might be possible if we ourselves have flopped the world. Reliability: seriously, it works like every time.
Probably the most general of all rules regarding physical tells is” Strong is Weak and Weak is Strong. Meaning players trying to get called (they have a strong hand) will act weak, and players who are weak (wanting a fold, have a weak hand) will act strong. This is less reliable with absolute beginners, as many are simply not good enough to try and hide the fact that they have flopped their house, and it’s also less reliably with more advanced players, as most advanced players know this general rule already, and it’s pretty easy to give out reverse tells yourself.

Lastly before I ramble too much.
Some general rules about bluffers:
Bluffers will often sit perfectly still, trying to make everything seem ordered and natural. People more confident with their hand will often lean backwards, sip a drink or others signs to suggest they aren’t worried.
Voice tells: bluffers are more like to pronounce bets more articulately than people more confident with their hand. Instead of saying “three kay” when they throw their chips in, they might say “I raise to three thousand”. I have found this one to be pretty reliable too, although as I said with complete beginners, it’s sometimes hard to know if they are acting strong (meaning weakness) or if they just aren’t good enough to hide strength.

The number one thing to remember: PAY ATTENTION, EVEN IF YOU ARENT IN A HAND!

Cheers for reading. I know it’s not in heaps of detail (two many things to think about can make things confusing) but the above is things that I regularly practise and have found to help a lot in my love game (especially when playing against drunk players, the above things are almost guaranteed to make you money)

some pretty good tips there. ill have a think about some that i have picked up before i add it here

maccatak11 wrote:the above is things that I regularly practise and have found to help a lot in my love game (especially when playing against drunk players, the above things are almost guaranteed to make you money)

Is this thread about tells or your pick up skills ?

But seriously, good post agree on alot of it.

gmatical wrote:

maccatak11 wrote:the above is things that I regularly practise and have found to help a lot in my love game (especially when playing against drunk players, the above things are almost guaranteed to make you money)

Is this thread about tells or your pick up skills ?

But seriously, good post agree on alot of it.

HAHA didnt even realised i posted that. Supposed to be live obv. Was rushing to get out the door for my regular tuesday night venue game

In my general life I can pick up tells pretty easy and it has helped me a lot when dealing with management and my family and sifting through what is really going on but at the poker table not so well. There is a reason for this and please promise not to laugh. I get extremely nervous at the table and worry constantly that I am very easy to read. That results in me becoming so self conscious that I usually don't see what is happening around me. If I am in venue or a cash game I am better but not much. Working on the phones constantly I can usually pick up tells if the person is talking but other than that not much at all.
Having said that online I pick up tells quite easily and it is usually just trusting my instincts. Probably because I play so much my instincts are picking up on the timing of the player which can be a big tell but my instincts can really let me down if I am tired or not well.