The Top 10 Live Poker Tells
The usefulness of live poker tells can vary a lot and it is
important to 💹 understand that different players have different patterns. Professional
poker players can have patterns that vary greatly when compared to beginner-level
💹 players. Other tells are common but unreliable, while others are infrequent but very
reliable. These are all reasons why it’s 💹 hard to say something like: “Such-and-such is
the most useful poker tell.”
Having said that, recreational poker players often display
the 💹 same live poker tells over and over again. Here we will show you 10 of the most
useful poker tells 💹 to watch out for.
Before we continue, however, remember that these
are not magic bullets and there can be a lot 💹 of variety, especially amongst more
experienced players. Ideally, you should have studied a player beforehand and gained
some indication that 💹 the particular tell holds consistent for them. Avoid making “cold
reads” because it’s hard to know, without prior observation, if 💹 general behavioral
patterns will apply to a specific player.
1. Defensive Chip Handling
This is when a
waiting-to-act player handles their chips 💹 in such a way as to imply that they may be
interested in calling or betting. This will almost always 💹 be done defensively, with a
weak or medium-strength hand, in an effort to discourage an opponent from betting.
An
obvious example 💹 of this is when a waiting-to-act player on the river grabs their chips
and pushes them slightly forward, as if 💹 ready to call a bet. However, defensive chip
handling can be much more subtle. A player might place their hand 💹 on, or near, their
chips to subtly imply some interest in betting or calling.
Players who perform
defensive chip handling (and 💹 other defensive behaviors) are certainly capable of
calling or folding. But the bigger the bet, the more likely the player 💹 will fold. In
fixed limit games, you’ll see a lot of defensive chip handling behavior followed by a
call, because 💹 the bets are less consequential. In no-limit games, however, defensive
chip handling will more often be followed by a fold.
While 💹 an opponent may call or fold
to a bet, the most important point about this behavior is if you’re fairly 💹 sure an
opponent is acting defensively, a raise is unlikely. Ruling out an opponent raising can
enable you to value-bet 💹 some borderline hands that you might have otherwise checked.
2.
Stillness Versus Loose Movement
Some players will have tendencies related to how 💹 loose
or restrained their bodies are after making significant bets. As a general rule,
bluffing players will tend to be 💹 more still than players betting strong hands. This is
related to the primitive physical instinct to “freeze up” and avoid 💹 being noticed when
under threat.
But remember that this is a general tendency for tells in poker and
should only be 💹 acted upon if you have a good sense that it’s correct for a specific
player.
Often, the most valuable way this 💹 pattern shows up is in small, fairly subtle
body movements. For example, let’s say you’ve seen a player making two 💹 big river bets
with strong hands. Each time, you noticed that they had a lot of small, relaxed
movements; they 💹 played with their chips, flexed their neck a bit, their arms moved
around on the rail, their gaze moved to 💹 and from their opponent to the cards and back
again several times, etc.
Later, you study this player when they’re making 💹 a big bluff
and, this time, they stared stoically at the board cards and their body was very still.
It’s 💹 likely this player has this tendency, and you should make a mental note to keep
studying them in these post-bet 💹 situations.
3. Immediate Calls
Of all the bet-timing
tells, immediate calls are probably the most useful, both for online poker and live
💹 games. When a player instantly calls a bet, it means that they have immediately ruled
out a raise. Because players 💹 with strong hands are often focused on maximizing value,
this makes it unlikely that the immediate call is made with 💹 a strong hand.
If a player
with a strong hand does decide to just call, they will usually take a few 💹 seconds to
reach that decision. For these reasons, immediate calls will usually indicate weak or
medium-strength hands.
Immediate calls will be 💹 most useful preflop and on the flop,
because this is usually when bets are small enough for players to be 💹 capable of calling
quickly. For bigger bets, such as those on the turn, players will tend to think longer
about 💹 these bets, no matter what they have.
When it comes to poker tells, immediate
calls can also often rule out strong 💹 draws. For example, in no-limit, a player who
calls a bet immediately on a flop of Jc Ts 5c is 💹 unlikely to have an ace-high flush
draw or even K-Q. Most players with strong draws will at least consider raising 💹 here,
even if they do end up deciding to just call.
If you are bluffing and an opponent
immediately calls you, 💹 this may encourage you to follow up with a bluff on the next
street. If you are betting a strong 💹 hand, an opponent’s immediate call will often mean
they will be folding to another normal-sized bet. In this case, you 💹 may be influenced
to make your next bet smaller, or maybe even to check.
4. Immediate Bets
Immediate bets
are the second 💹 most useful bet-timing behavior when it comes to poker tells, behind
immediate calls. Why? Because most players tend to bet 💹 faster with bluffs than with
strong hands.
This tends to happen for several reasons:
An immediate decent-sized bet
will usually indicate a 💹 polarized range (either strong or weak) . With medium-strength
hands, players are motivated to think about the best possible strategy 💹 (whether to bet
or not, how much to bet, etc.). So immediate large bets will typically be bluffs, or
strong 💹 hands . In most cases, it’s harder to have a strong hand than it is to have a
weak hand, 💹 so there’s a natural bias towards weaker hands.
. With medium-strength
hands, players are motivated to think about the best possible 💹 strategy (whether to bet
or not, how much to bet, etc.). So . In most cases, it’s harder to have 💹 a strong hand
than it is to have a weak hand, so there’s a natural bias towards weaker hands. With
💹 strong hands, players are more likely to be focused on maximizing value and playing the
hand in the best way 💹 possible. This means that there is a natural tendency for players
with strong hands to take some time to think 💹 about bet-sizing and other strategic
considerations.
to think about bet-sizing and other strategic considerations. Bluffers
don’t have as much to think 💹 about as players with strong hands. A bluffer usually just
knows they have to make a decent-sized bet. Often a 💹 bluffer has already decided on the
previous round that they’re going to bluff if they don’t improve; they have a 💹 plan in
place, which makes an immediate bet on the next round more likely. This is especially
true for the 💹 player who’s been the aggressor in the hand.
Bluffers have a motivation to
seem confident, and one way to appear confident 💹 is to bet without too much of a pause.
Conversely, players with strong hands can have the opposite motivation: to 💹 seem
uncertain and contemplative. This is also a factor in making immediate bets more likely
to be weak hands.
Even with 💹 all these factors, you should remember that this is just a
general tendency. We’ve all seen players make immediate bets 💹 with strong hands, and
we’ve all made immediate bets with strong hands. But recognizing that this is a general
pattern 💹 can help you spot players who may have very reliable forms of this
pattern.
Also, being aware of this general pattern 💹 can help you make up your mind in
borderline situations. For example, if your opponent bets on the river, and 💹 you’re
50/50 on whether to call or fold, you might decide to use the immediacy of their bet as
a 💹 tie-breaker.
Poker legend Phil Ivey is known for his intimidating stare. (Image:
Chris Wallace)
A lot of past poker tells wisdom dictates 💹 that players who stare at you
after betting are more likely to be bluffing. The idea is that these players 💹 are trying
to intimidate you not to call. The truth, however, is more complicated. There are
actually two major eye-contact 💹 behavioral patterns to watch out for:
Pattern #1: Making
more eye contact after betting a strong hand (due to being relaxed 💹 and not being afraid
to interact). Making less eye contact after bluffing (due to being anxious and wanting
to avoid 💹 scrutiny).
(due to being relaxed and not being afraid to interact). Making
(due to being anxious and wanting to avoid scrutiny). 💹 Pattern #2: Making less eye
contact after betting a strong hand (due to wanting to appear “weak”). Making more eye
💹 contact after bluffing (in order to appear “strong”).
Notice that these are exactly
opposite patterns.
This demonstrates the complexity possible in this 💹 type of behavior
and poker tells in general. Some players won’t have any noticeable eye contact
patterns. The point is 💹 that some players will have one of these major patterns so it
can be useful to look for them.
The first 💹 pattern is more common amongst recreational
players. This is because these players will tend to interact more with their opponents
💹 after betting strong hands, especially after action-ending bets (e.g. all-in bets or
bets on the river). This interaction can take 💹 the form of increased eye contact. Most
recreational players, when bluffing, will tend to avoid scrutiny and interaction, which
will 💹 lead to less eye contact.
It is worth noting that it is easier to notice eye
contact patterns when you are 💹 seated directly across from an opponent, because this
seat placement leads naturally to players looking at each other more often. 💹 If players
are sitting beside each other, these kinds of behaviors don’t come up as often.
6.
Staring Defensively
Some players, when 💹 holding a vulnerable hand and, waiting for an
opponent to act, will make more eye contact. This is often done 💹 in a defensive way to
discourage a bet, in a similar fashion to defensive chip handling.
Players with strong
hands, who 💹 don’t mind an opponent betting, or may even want them to, will tend to avoid
behaviors like staring that might 💹 discourage action.
As with post-bet eye contact, this
behavior will be more probable when players are sitting directly across from each
💹 other.
The quality of eye contact can also be a clue. For example, some waiting-to-act
players will stare at you in 💹 a very intense manner. The quality of their eye contact
makes it even more likely that they’re in defensive mode. 💹 That same player’s eyes
might, when they hold a strong hand, have a softer, less confrontational quality.
In
general, the more 💹 alert and confrontational the eyes of waiting-to-act players appear,
the weaker their hands will be.
Some fake smiles are easier to 💹 spot than others.
(Image: Chris Wallace)
7. Genuine Smiles
Real smiles are much more meaningful and
useful than fake smiles when it 💹 comes to tells in poker. A person betting a strong hand
is capable of a wide range of behavior, which 💹 may include smiling deeply and sincerely,
smiling insincerely, or not smiling at all. On the other hand, a bluffer will 💹 usually
find it difficult to exhibit a sincere, genuine smile.
Recognizing genuine smiles (and
laughter) from players who’ve made significant bets 💹 will help you gauge their
relaxation and probable strength. On the other hand, noticing a bettor’s smile as
“fake” will 💹 not usually be as useful, because players with strong hands are capable of
having fake smiles.
What are the characteristics of 💹 real smiles?
Real smiles are deeper
than fake smiles, involving more of the mouth.
Real smiles involve the muscles of the
eyes 💹 . They will often crinkle the outer edges of the eyes, making the well-known
“crow’s feet” pattern.
. They will often 💹 crinkle the outer edges of the eyes, making
the well-known “crow’s feet” pattern. Real smiles are more dynamic and more 💹 likely to
have many small facial movements associated with them, whereas fake smiles will often
appear “pasted on” and static.
associated 💹 with them, whereas fake smiles will often
appear “pasted on” and static. Real smiles are more likely to be symmetrical, 💹 usually
involving both sides of the mouth. Fake smiles are often asymmetrical and involve only
one side of the mouth.
Fake 💹 smiles will typically only be useful if you have some
player-specific information to base your decision on. For example, you 💹 might know that
a player often wears a small fake smile when they’re bluffing. This could perhaps be an
unconscious 💹 attempt on their part to communicate confidence. But without prior player
history, a fake smile won’t tell you much.
8. Long 💹 Looks at Hole Cards
Players who
stare at their hole cards for a while when initially looking at them are unlikely 💹 to
have strong hands. The main reason for this is that players who look at strong cards
will often have 💹 an instinct to look away and to not attract attention to their
“treasure.” Players looking at weak cards don’t have 💹 this instinct.
This will mostly
come in handy preflop, by ruling out action behind you. For example, you notice two
players 💹 behind you staring at their hole cards, and an early-position player raises.
You can now feel more comfortable either 3-betting 💹 or calling with a wider range of
hands, knowing that calls or raises from those players behind you have become
💹 unlikely.
Another example. You notice a player in late position staring at their cards
for a few seconds. Then, when the 💹 action comes to them, they raise. If you’ve already
noticed this is a generally valuable tell for this particular player, 💹 you can adjust
your strategy accordingly, either re-raising them light or opting to only call with
your very strong hands.
This 💹 poker tell pattern is most useful preflop but sometimes
will come in handy post-flop. For example, if a player studies 💹 the flop and then holds
their hole cards up to study them for a few seconds, it’s unlikely this player 💹 has
connected strongly with the flop or has much of a hand at all.
9. Staring at Board
Cards
Many players who 💹 connect well with board cards will have a tendency to look away,
at least for a moment. As we’ve said, 💹 people have an instinct to avoid attracting their
competitors’ attention to their “treasure.” So, for many players, when they continue
💹 staring steadily at the board cards, it will mean they probably haven’t connected in a
meaningful way.
The more interested or 💹 quizzical a player seems to be in the board, the
more likely it is that the player hasn’t connected. A 💹 player who connects in a strong
way, even if they continue looking at the flop, is unlikely to draw attention 💹 to
themselves by putting on an interested facial expression.
This behavior can be useful
for deciding when to continuation-bet with a 💹 weak hand on multi-way flops, or deciding
when to follow up a continuation-bet with a turn bluff.
Remember that this is 💹 just a
general tendency that should be correlated first. Many players will consistently stare
at the board cards, no matter 💹 what their hand is. This is especially true for more
experienced players.
10. Verbal Defensiveness
Most talking from waiting-to-act players
will be 💹 defensive in nature. The two main reasons for this pattern are:
Waiting-to-act
players with strong hands don’t like to draw attention 💹 to themselves. People who set
traps don’t usually draw attention to the trap, so players with strong hands yet to 💹 act
will tend to be silent .
. Waiting-to-act players with weak hands often know they’re
folding to another bet. They 💹 have a motivation to say something, no matter what it is,
to discourage a bet. This helps explain the rather 💹 desperate nature of some defensive
statements.
The more a verbal statement can be seen as an obstacle to an opponent’s
action, 💹 the more likely it becomes that the statement is said defensively.
An example
of this: the river board is Ac Kh 💹 Qh 7s Jc. The waiting-to-act player, who called a
turn bet, now checks while saying to the aggressor, “You can 💹 beat ace-queen, huh?”
The
speaker may or may not have AQ, but it’s become very unlikely they have the ten for 💹 the
straight. This type of verbal behavior should usually make us feel confident
eliminating the strongest part of a player’s 💹 range. Eliminating strong hands can help
us decide when to bluff or when to make a thin value bet.
