Poker is one of the most popular casino games in the world and is played by billions of people every day. From the game played centuries ago, to today’s modern games that can be played online and incorporate all kinds of impressive technologies, the core of poker is still loyal to the game’s integrity. That being said, poker has never been an easy game to play, in which some online editions are even said to make the game more challenging as the game unfolds at a quicker pace. Whether you’re a poker-playing professional or just like to play for fun, having a strategy and knowing the rules of the game is essential if you want to succeed.
In order to do this, you also need to know all aspects of poker gaming and be aware of tells. Poker tells are aspects of the game that give away information to other players on what hands you have, in which being able to recognize poker tells is a great and envied skill to have.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the most classic poker tells you can train yourself to recognize.
What is a poker tell exactly?
Poker tells can come in two forms, in which it is essential to be able to recognize them. These include betting patterns and physical tells too. Let’s take a closer look at these below.
Physical tells
On the other hand, physical poker tells a different kettle of fish entirely. Physical tells can be hard to pick up on, in which Hollywood has been misleading with this as physical poker tells have often been dramatized in television and movies.
Learning and analyzing someone’s physical poker tells is not something you can simply learn to do immediately and will take considerable time and practice. However, once you have mastered this then the poker world is your oyster. Obviously, this only applies to live games too.
What poker tells us is not
Poker tells are not a uniform thing that can be recognised in each and every player as every player is unique and while some tell might be strong to see in one player, they may be weak in another and could be completely misleading.
Defensive movements
The best way to recognise a defensive movement is to watch for opponents who go to move their chips as soon as you make a move. This most likely means that they have a weak hand.
Winning behaviours
Nervous behaviour is thought of as being easy to spot as the person may fidget and act awkwardly. However, many trainer poker professionals know how to act cool under pressure. Nevertheless, there are just some signs that the human body cannot control.
Look out for fluid speech, full relaxed lips, and a full ear-to-ear relaxed smile as an indicator that a player is doing well. However, look out for indicators of blood pressure being up such as a pulse in the neck and being red and flushed as indicating a strong hand.
Flamboyant behaviour
If a player buys their chips in a loud and flamboyant way, they will usually act that way for the rest of the game. Often, players who are struggling in the game will act flamboyant as a way of covering up their downfalls. However, flamboyant could also be a sign that a player is doing well so be sure to do a double-take before putting all your chips in one basket.
Subtle hand movements
Small movements toward a player’s chips can be a sign of defensiveness or nervousness. Be sure to watch other players’ hands closely and see if they seem twitchy or too quick to make a move.
Overall, poker tells are not something you can master overnight but are a skill that takes time to build and improve on. In the online world, recognising poker tells can be even harder as you cannot always see the other players and therefore may have to take note of other factors that give information away.
Remember that building this skill isn’t easy but with patience and practice, the poker world is your oyster.
