Poker tells are considered to be one of the most important ways of understanding what to do while playing poker. Even though they are deemed to be less important than the maths that is involved, they are important nonetheless. Players looking to win while playing poker must ensure that they observe their opponent’s actions in order to get an idea of the cards that they might be holding and predict their likely actions. Therefore, even when a player is not involved in a round, studying other players can allow the to understand their actions and make use of this knowledge to their advantage. Simply put, poker tells refer to actions, emotions or behavioral aspects – anything that gives your opponents away. Poker pros can determine whether their opponents have good cards in a heartbeat. There are subtle things that make a difference. For example, one player might whistle when he/ she has good cards while the other might appear to be uninterested in the game. Similarly, one player might become too fidgety while another might find it difficult to hide his/ her excitement. Here is a list of the top ten Texas Hold’em Poker Tells.
Texas Hold’em Poker Tell # 1 – Tight play, loose talk
The first thing that each and every poker player must learn about is what starting cards are their opponents likely to play with. The first clue is found in the number of hands that they actually play. Tight players are likely to play about 10% of their hands, whereas a loose player might end up playing as many as 60% of their hands. Moreover, some players love to talk about why they raise, the hands they call in, etc. Don’t be fooled by tight play and loose talk. Simply count the number of hands your opponents are involved in.
Texas Hold’em Poker Tell # 2 – Watch the Eyes
A number of poker pros wear sunglasses while playing poker. Yes, even they’re smart enough to know that sunlight is not likely to affect them while playing poker. These pros wear sunglasses because they understand the fact that eyes don’t lie. For example, players simply cannot help but stare at huge hole cards, only the length of the stare varies on how experienced the player is.
Texas Hold’em Poker Tell # 3 – Button Raises
A number of players are known to button raise if there are no other players in the hand before them or when there hasn’t been a raise. Yes, they might have a decent hand, but make sure that you don’t toss away your blind hand simply because they raised. If you toss away good hands every time they raise, they’re never going to stop.
Texas Hold’em Poker Tell # 4 – Attitude and Body Posture
You might not know this, but your body posture and your attitude play a huge role in betraying the strength of your hand. For example, you might notice a player’s shoulder droop if he/ she has a weak hand. On the other hand, a player with an excellent hand is likely to sit extremely erect and look very attentive. You might also notice that players who tend to bluff a lot automatically lean forward.
Texas Hold’em Poker Tell # 5 – Neatly Stacked Chips
All players have a habit of stacking their chips in certain ways. In most cases, you can expect looser players to have messy looking chips and tight players to have perfectly stacked chips. However, this rule might not apply to all players, particularly as the skill level increases.
Still think poker is just about skill and luck? Wait till you read the 2nd Part of the Top Ten Texas Hold’em Poker Tells.
