A tell in poker is anything that gives away information about our opponent’s possible
hole cards.
This facet of poker is💸 especially crucial in live games, where many players
give away information through their body language.
In this guide to common poker💸 tells,
we’ll look at 10 specific poker tells that we can use in-game to get extra information
about our opponents.
Interpreting💸 Tells
It’s essential to remember that tells mean
different things for different players. We have created a list of common tells💸 below.
But the actual meaning of a tell could easily end up being the opposite depending on
the opponent in💸 question.
Also, something that might be a tell for one player might be
meaningless for another. So how do we know💸 what tells mean for individual opponents? We
first need to observe each player’s default profile.
What is a Default Profile?
The
term💸 ‘default profile’ describes how our opponent typically acts when not in a
high-pressure situation.
The first step in picking up on💸 tells is to try and get a feel
for each player’s default profile.
What is their mood/posture?
Are they chatty?
Do they
use💸 a card protector or perform chip tricks?
How often do they typically spend looking
at their hole cards?
These changes in the💸 default profile allow us to pick up
information regarding our opponent’s hand strength.
For example, if our opponent is
constantly checking💸 his cards even though he usually doesn’t, this often means
something.
We won’t always know the meaning of a tell straight💸 away. But we will
eventually pick up on the implication as we continue to watch our opponent.
In online
games, the💸 type of opponent we face has a significant impact on the types of hands they
will show. Check out this💸 guide to hand reading for more information.
List of Common
Tells
We’ll focus on 10 specific tells that we might spot in💸 our opponent’s game. The
meaning of each tell is not guaranteed and simply provides one possible explanation for
the listed💸 tell. This list is not exhaustive - there are literally hundreds of
different possible tells. For a broader overview of💸 where to look when searching for
tells check out this writeup on body language in poker.
1. Eyes Glance at Our💸 Stack
Depth = Strong
Poker Tells: Eyes Glance at Our Stack Depth = Strong
Let’s imagine we
are heads up vs one💸 opponent when the turn card is dealt. As soon as the turn card
appears, our opponent immediately glances at our💸 stack.
Why is he doing this?
It often
means that he has connected hard with the turn.
The next obvious question he might💸 ask
himself is how much he needs to bet to win our whole stack by the river. From a less
💸 strategic point of view, he might simply be eyeing our stack to see how much he can
potentially win now💸 that he has turned the nuts.
This tell is especially interesting if
the glance is very brief . It’s almost as💸 if our opponent doesn’t want us to know that
he is counting our chips.
In other situations, players might directly ask💸 us ‘how much
we are playing’ or even ask the dealer for a count. This play is less of an💸 indicator
of strength. It’s almost as if our opponent wants us to know that he is eyeing our
stack in💸 an attempt to convince us he is stronger.
2. Forceful Chip Movements =
Weak
Sometimes our opponents slide their chips gracefully into💸 the pot. Other times
they force their chips forward aggressively.
According to many experts, aggressively
placing chips into the pot is💸 more a sign of weakness than strength. Poker is a game of
deception at its core. So, if a player💸 is attempting to telegraph strength, there is an
above-average chance that they are indeed weak.
Poker Tells: Strong Eye Contact =
💸 Weakness
At an elementary level, prolonged eye contact with someone we don’t know well
can be threatening.
Imagine our opponent has just💸 made a large bet on the river and is
now making strong eye contact while waiting for us to act.
This💸 sign is more likely to
weakness than strength.
A genuinely strong opponent won’t want to make us feel
uncomfortable about making💸 the call. They are far more likely to try and create a
non-threatening environment by looking down or staring off💸 into space.
It’s also simply
harder for a player to take their eyes off the action when everything is on the💸 line
(e.g., in the case of a big bluff). It’s easier to be relaxed about things when we hold
the💸 nuts and know that the outcome of the hand is going to be good either way.
4.
Conversation = Weakness
Players with💸 a super big hand are unlikely to be making small
talk about the weather or some other topic. They are💸 usually focused on playing their
hand in the best possible way and maximizing its value.
Sometimes this can be a big
💸 giveaway if a player is usually quite chatty. Then the conversation abruptly dries up
when a specific card falls. In💸 itself, a player quietly focusing on the action is not a
tell. But if they are typically talkative , it💸 can be quite revealing.
, it can be
quite revealing. Imagine a player who is always chatty when their hand is💸 weak but goes
silent as soon as their hand improves. We might be able to get out of the way💸 very
frequently when we sense they are interested in the pot. On the flip side, if they
continue to chat,💸 we might find opportunities to pick up the pot with a well-timed
bluff. Why not check 888poker’s complete guide to💸 bluffing in poker?
5. Sudden Better
Posture = Interest in Continuing
Poker Tells Sudden Posture Change
Next time we are at
the poker💸 table, we might take a moment to look at how the other players are
sitting:
Relaxed and laid back?
Hunched over and💸 focused?
Do they seem serious, happy,
angry, or neutral?
A sudden change in their demeanour and posture often indicates a
shift in💸 interest levels.
The classic example is a poker player leaning back, relaxed,
seemingly disinterested in the action. Perhaps they are even💸 ordering food or drinks
from the bar.
Then, after being dealt particular hole cards, he suddenly sits up
straight and seems💸 absorbed in the action.
This scenario might also happen postflop
after a specific turn and river cards. It might not always💸 mean that Villain has a
monster holding. But it almost always means that Villain has a hand of some interest,
💸 perhaps a draw, for example. We might assume that it’s unlikely we will fold Villain
off his holding with a💸 small bet in such situations. On the other hand, if he had kept
his relaxed, laid-back demeanour, we might assume💸 that we can pick up the pot cheaply
with a well-timed bluff.
6. Constant Card Rechecks = Likely Draw
Players are free💸 to
recheck their hole cards at any point in the hand. If players were to always check
their hole cards💸 at the same point in a hand, it wouldn’t give away information.
But
many players get into the habit of checking💸 some types of holdings more often than
others.
Imagine we are dealt black Aces preflop. It’s a relatively easy hand to
💸 remember. (No one forgets that they have Aces, right?) The chances of us needing to
recheck our hole-cards postflop are💸 low.
Let’s imagine the flop comes monotone (all
three of the same suit). We might be curious as to whether we💸 have flopped a flush
draw.
But since we know both of our Aces are black, we’d probably remember whether we
have💸 the flush draw.
We wouldn’t need to recheck our hole cards.
Now let’s imagine we
are dealt one red and one black💸 ace. The flop comes down all diamonds.
Do we have the
flush draw?
Well, we know that we have one of the💸 red Aces. But we might need to
double-check our hole cards to see if we hold the A♦ or the💸 A♥.
Say we get into more
complex drawing hands such as the different types of straight draws and combo draws.
Now,💸 it becomes increasingly more likely we’ll need to recheck our hole-cards to
confirm that we have connected with the board.
So,💸 constant card rechecks from an
opponent increases the likelihood that he has connected with the board in a complex way
💸 and is drawing. Note also, in Hold’em, that mid-range holdings (such as 79s and 89o)
often connect with the board💸 in more complex ways than high-card type holdings (such as
AKo).
7. Longer Card Apex = More Complex Holding
Longer Card Apex💸 = More Complex
Holding
To further improve the quality of the previous read, many poker players focus
on something called their💸 opponent’s card apex.
When players check their hole cards,
they usually do so by lifting one edge of their hole cards💸 while the main body of the
cards rests on the poker table. The point at which the edge of the💸 hole cards is raised
to its highest point is known as the card apex.
At this moment, a player is reading💸 the
two hole cards they have been dealt.
It would be hard to pick up any tells if a player
always💸 had a card apex of precisely the same length. But many players have different
card apexes for different types of💸 holding, allowing us to pick up small pieces of
information.
The fastest card apex preflop is presumably with a holding like💸 red or
black aces. It’s easy to remember both preflop and postflop.
card apex preflop is
presumably with a holding like💸 red or black aces. It’s easy to remember both preflop
and postflop. When a player looks down at 68o, they💸 will typically take a bit longer to
try and remember both the ranks and the suits. Similar things occur postflop.💸 Say our
opponent has connected with the board in a complex way (combo-draw, for example). So,
he will likely take💸 a bit longer looking at his hole cards before moving on.
Common
Online Tells
Players often wonder whether tells only apply to💸 live play or whether it’s
possible to spot tells in an online environment. Tells are a much more significant part
💸 of live play. But tells still exist in online poker. Let’s review some online tells to
complete our list.
8. Online:💸 No Auto Rebuy = Weaker Player
Experienced online poker
players generally make use of a feature known as auto-rebuy for cash💸 games.
This
feature automatically tops up a player stack to 100 big blinds if it falls below this
amount.
Weaker players are💸 often hesitant to use this feature or might not realise it
exists. Perhaps the reason that they could easily lose💸 track of how much they were down
with auto-rebuy enabled.
When we sit down at an online table, and a player💸 has less
than 100bb in their stack, we can assume they do not have auto-rebuy enabled. This
useful tell allows💸 us to find online tables that are likely filled with weaker players.
(Even though we may have never played against💸 the players at the table before.)
9.
Online: Unorthodox Sizing = Weaker Player
Online: Unorthodox Sizing = Weaker
Player
There are particular betting💸 patterns that are common to advanced players. When
a player at our table deviates from these betting patterns, it’s usually💸 an indication
that he is not an experienced player.
Let’s take a simple example that anyone can spot
regardless of experience.💸 Generally, advanced Hold’em players don’t generally open-limp
preflop (apart from in the small blind, which is completing).
As soon as we💸 see a
player at our table open-limp , this is a pretty big tell that they are not an
experienced💸 poker player.
The same is true for postflop bet-sizings, although this
takes more experience depending on the scenario. As a quick💸 example, advanced Hold’em
players usually cbet between 25% and 33% pot in 4bet pots.
Say a player at our table is
💸 consistently betting half pot on the flop in 4bet pots. This tell indicates that they
lack experience. Spotting bet sizing💸 tells can take some experience. We first need to
know the standard sizing in a specific situation before recognising that💸 our opponent
is deviating from it.
10. Online: Chatbox = Weaker Player
While table banter might be a
big part of live💸 poker, it often doesn’t feature in many online games. This situation
occurs despite the fact that online poker tables often💸 have chatboxes. These also have
social features such as emojis and throwables .
Average regulars would often prefer to
add an💸 extra table or focus more intently on the action than spend their time
socialising.
As a result, if a player is💸 typing away in the chatbox, it significantly
decreases the likelihood that they are strong winning players. So, chatbox action is
💸 therefore a good thing. It indicates that the opposition is likely soft and that the
players are there to have💸 fun rather than to make money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can
the same tell mean different things? Absolutely. A tell which means one💸 thing for one
player could mean something entirely different for another. So, we must learn to spot
tells and understand💸 what each tell means on an individual level (for each
opponent).
What is a reverse tell in poker?
A reverse tell is💸 where a player tries to
give off a fake tell to mislead their opponents. For this reason, we should not💸 blindly
stick to one interpretation of a particular tell.
is where a player tries to give off a
to mislead their💸 opponents. For this reason, we should not blindly stick to one
interpretation of a particular tell. In some cases, a💸 tell might be legitimate. While
in other cases, the meaning might be the opposite because our opponent is deliberately
trying💸 to mislead us with a reverse tell.
How do I know if I am giving off tells?
It’s
naturally difficult to know💸 whether we are giving off tells. The whole idea behind a
tell is that it is an involuntary action. If💸 we knew about a specific tell, we’d find a
way to conceal it.
action. If we knew about a specific tell,💸 we’d find a way to conceal
it. In other words, no player with a tell generally knows that they have💸 that specific
tell. To avoid giving away tells we need to do one of two things.
Always act
consistently. Don’t act💸 consistently but act randomly. These rules should apply to all
aspects of our actions such as timing, chip shuffling, conversation,💸 card apexes , use
of a card protector and so on.
What if my opponent doesn’t have any tells?
Tells are
not💸 required to play strong winning poker. So, we should avoid relying on them too
heavily. Understanding tells should not be💸 thought of as a substitute for understanding
solid poker theory .
. Even if our opponent does not appear to have💸 any obvious tells,
a strong strategy will likely win in the end.
Are there tells in online poker?
There
are tells in💸 online poker, but they play a smaller role in the game compared to live
poker. Tells in online poker usually💸 revolve around bet-sizing and timing tells . Of
course, it’s difficult to know why an online player is taking a💸 long time to
act.
Perhaps they have a tough decision. Or maybe this player is simply playing a lot
of tables.
and💸 . Of course, it’s difficult to know why an online player is taking a
long time to act. Tells exist💸 in online poker. But the games revolve heavily around
strategy rather than information given away by our opponents.
Tells: The Bottom
💸 Line
Being able to interpret tells and body language is an excellent tool that poker
players have in their arsenal. But💸 it can sometimes be very hard to interpret tells
accurately.
For this reason, tells are generally not the most crucial thing💸 in a given
situation.
Good players often look to make use of tells in situations that are already
close. They’ll use💸 tells as a type of tie-breaker.
Say there's a situation that is
theoretically a clear fold or call.
