Poker Tells

When it comes to poker tells they are much too important to ignore. To be reasonably successful at poker, one needs to master the skill of identifying other players tells. To start with, when you are first sitting down at a table try to gather as much information about your opponents as you can. Here is a short list of some tells to look for: (1) Watch for players who are loose, tight, aggressive, weak, weak-tight, calls often, prone to bluff or likes to check-raise. (2) Continue to observe throughout the game, looking for reactions when up-cards are laid out or at Texas Hold’em, when the flop, turn and river show up. (3) Observe your opponents chips size. Some players will become very tight, as their stack gets low. Others will go the opposite way and become very loose. (4) Watch their attitude; do they appear confident, alert, and anxious to play hands, or do they appear unsure, tired, stressed, or inattentive. (5) Are they quick to call, which might indicate a strong hand; slow calling might be a sign of a weak hand. (6) Look for patterns, when a player changes their normal pattern, look out for the bluff. (7) Even when you are not actively in a hand, you should be very observant of the players in the round. The more you play, the more you will see. There are a few books out there that are written about tells, get yourself a copy and see if you can really get proficient about poker tells.