Most of your profit will come from reading players who are trying to deceive you. Usually they will act exactly opposite of the true strength of their cards. If their hands are hideous, they will try to make you think that they hold something fearsome. If their hands are powerful, they will try to convince you that they hold weak hands. These people show Tells From Actors, and they are another class of tells.
The players in the Tells From Those Who Are Unaware video clips will give you valuable information, even though they won't be trying to fool you. Although these tells are not from actors, these same people probably will be actors at other times. It's just that in these cases, the players are unconsciously displaying these tells. Some of these tells may be the most important and most valuable you can learn, so let's see what they have to tell us...
Noncombat Tells
While the majority of tells occur during the competition for a poker pot, there is some valuable information that can be learned about our opponents when they're not involved in a poker hand. Poker war is bigger than just hand-to-hand combat, because there are important things happening between hands ΓÇö things you should be observing. Besides the noncombat tells illustrated in this section, you should notice things about each player's appearance that might provide clues to future poker behavior.
Specifically, well-dressed people tend to play conservatively. However, a man wearing a rumpled business suit with a loosened tie is probably in a gambling mood and will play looser than he would if that same suit were recently donned and his tie were in perfect position.
Poker authority John Fox claims that people wearing religious amulets are luck conscious, hard to bluff and play too many pots. Obviously the Reverend Fox means no disrespect with that theory, and there is probably truth in it. Certainly, players displaying good-luck charms or showing superstitious behavior tend to be more liberal with their poker dollars than average players.
Sharing a Hand
Once in a while a player will show his hand to someone who isn't involved in the pot. The kibitzer can be a fellow player who has already thrown away his hand. Maybe it's a friend or relative who's just approached the table. Sometimes friends sit nearby to watch their favorite poker hero compete.
You'll find fantastic clues to the strength of an opponent's hand when two players are sharing it. Often, the kibitzer will use subtle kindergarten psychology in an attempt to help the poker playing friend along. For instance, if the kibitzer has arrived in the middle of the hand, he may sigh sadly if what he sees is very strong. If the hand is weak, he may just keep staring at it admiringly. In this sense, the kibitzer will usually act in a manner opposite the strength of the hand he's viewing. Acting strong when weak or weak when strong contributes to many of the tells you'll see in Tells From Actors.
If you can't get any of these signs from a kibitzer, don't worry. Most players share a common motivation for wanting to share a hand in the first place. See the "Let's Win This One Together!" tell for a detailed look at sharing a hand.
Shuffling a Hand
There are many ways players show their impatience or their anxiety. Many nervous habits can be detected, and rarely is your opponent aware that he's exhibiting these mannerisms. Be aware that ΓÇö particularly in draw poker and seven stud-players will often shuffle their cards before looking at them.
Nervousness
Genuine nervousness is hard to fake, and misinterpreting nervousness can be an extremely expensive poker mistake. Most players have the tendency to appear calm when they are bluffing, but have a hard time disguising nervousness when they have a strong hand.
When a player makes a very big hand, he may begin to shake noticeably. In general, this is a release of tension and should not be interpreted as concern over his fate.
If a player has bet and his knee is jittering beneath the table, then it is extremely unlikely that he's bluffing. If he normally jerks his knee up and down between and during hands, expect him to stop if ever he bluffs. This is a very important tell. Its Value Per Hour is much greater than most unaware tells, more than $3 in a typical $10 limit game.
One nervous clue to bluffing is very shallow breathing or even the holding of breath. If you're bound to interpret eye contact, the most common sign that an opponent is bluffing is if he'll look at you very briefly, offer a semi-smile and then glance away quickly. That's an attempt to look you in the eye and act unafraid. But the action is cut short because the player can't maintain the act under great pressure. In that case, call.
Double Checking
Players double check their hands for various reasons. If they've already bet and, under the threat of a call, they look back and continue to stare at the hand, there's a very high probability that they are weak or bluffing. This is an act designed to make you think they're studying a powerful hand. This reason is discussed more in the category of Gaining Information under General Tells.
You can distinguish genuine instinctive double-checking from the acted double check because in the genuine kind the player will look only long enough to determine whatever he must. If it's seven stud through fifth street and all three exposed cards are suited, then a quick glance to his hole cards probably means the player is checking to see if he has one more card of that suit. You know that he's still short of a flush because he wouldn't need to double check his cards if on fifth street he got the card he wanted and completed the flush. If this happens, you can confidently bet hands you would otherwise have checked. Remember, players double check for a reason. It's your job to figure out what that reason is.
Fearlessness
Players who hold cinch winners are unafraid. Everyone probably knows that, but what are the signs of fearlessness? For one thing, players who are fearless are more apt to engage in natural conversation. Don't believe it? Try asking players questions after they've bet into big pots. The ones with the dynamite hands will talk freely; the ones with the vulnerable hands will either remain silent, force their speech or talk gibberish.
Players who are bluffing are also generally afraid to engage in hostilities. They don't want to make you call out of anger. If you ask a bluffer if he's bluffing, he's more likely to chirp something like "Let me check and see," rather than gruffly replying "Just play the game."
If you see a very animated player who has bet, you should figure he has a good hand. There is an exception: some players will use motions and comments specifically designed to make you throw your hand away. When players act like they hold big hands, they deserve your call because they're usually weak. But when they're just being themselves, making movements and not trying to restrain themselves, it's unlikely that they're bluffing or even worried.
Consider Caro's Laws #6 and #7. When you see a genuine smile, figure the player is happy about his hand and is feeling fearless. When you see a player force a smile after betting, there's a good chance he's bluffing. Similarly, any player who giggles is likely not bluffing. Genuine giggles are hard to fake, plus, strangely enough, giggles bring attention and make opponents suspicious.
Glancing at Chips
This is the most valuable clue you're likely to uncover among those who are unaware of their behavior. Everyone, from novice to world champion, exhibits this tell at one time or another and it almost always means the same thing: a player glances secretly at his chips only when he's considering a bet ΓÇö and almost always because he's helped his hand (See Caro's Law of Tells # 8).
If players stare for a long time at their chips while they think you're watching, it's probably an act ΓÇö but you won't see it happen often. Usually, they'll look at their hand, then immediately to their chips for a moment, then away. That's practically never an act because they don't figure you're watching them at that moment. Also, players may look at your chips when they intend to bet. This is much less common than glancing at their own chips, but often it means the same thing. Be warned, however, that if your opponent looks at your chips long after he realizes what his cards are, he might be measuring whether he can get away with a bluff. He needs to know what your stack looks like before assessing his bluffing possibilities. In order for the glance at your chips to be read as an intent to bet on a strong hand, the glance must be brief and the player must be unaware that you're watching.
If you want to use this tell, you must follow this advice:
(1) When the cards are dealt, don't look at them; watch your
opponent!
(2) When the flop lands in hold 'em, don't look at it; watch your
opponent!
(3) When the next card arrives in stud, don't look at it; watch your
opponent!
Sudden Interest
Always be alert for a player who suddenly perks up and plays a pot. Usually it takes a genuine hand to rouse a player from a lethargic condition and get him interested in gambling. Often a player will be daydreaming or leaning back, content to wait for the good hands (usually because he's winning). Suddenly, he'll lean forward and adjust his posture. Or he may merely squirm in his chair until he's sitting slightly straighter. These kinds of mannerisms mean the player has a decent hand and is preparing to play.
Also, if he's humming or whistling and then mysteriously stops, it's very likely he holds a hand that pleases him. Normally players who are involved in conversation and then fall silent or lose their ability to form meaningful sentences are about to play a hand.
Tough Decisions
One strange thing about limit poker players ΓÇö beginners and great ones, too ΓÇö is that they don't mind letting you know when they have a tough decision. Limit players may grumble, discuss the hand aloud, or even sigh and say something like, "Oh golly, I wish you wouldn't have bet. Now what should I do?"
If you have the best hand, you should provide your opponent with excuses for making losing calls. Shuffle your cards, talk gibberish, smile insanely, tap the table. All these things bring attention to yourself, make your opponent suspicious, and give him an excuse to call. If you're bluffing, remain calm to discourage a call. Remember, it's very unlikely that your opponents are alert enough to read you correctly, so there's more profit to be won by using blatant manipulation than by wearing a poker face.
Conversely, in no-limit poker every decision may be accompanied by hesitation. Why? Because the size of a bet relative to the size of the pot may be very overwhelming. If the pot is $500, a player may add another $500 or even $5,000 to it. After this bet, an opponent may hesitate, consider folding and then raise. Not only is hesitation reasonable in no-limit games, it's an expected part of the betting process and an integral part of no-limit poker strategy.
Instant Reaction
Before calling a bluff, most players will take time to consider. In limit games, the delay may be only a few seconds, but there is a delay. A player needs time to calculate his chances and bolster his courage before bluffing. Additionally, bluffers are afraid to do anything unusual which might encourage your call. Experience has taught most players that an instantaneous bet looks suspicious and is not likely to succeed as a bluff.
For this reason, when a player draws three cards, looks at them, then glances instantly at his chips and begins to bet without hesitation, you can be pretty sure he has made a hand so obviously strong that it doesn't require consideration. Conversely, if he checks instantly you can be sure that it didn't help. Improvement, when followed by a check, requires evaluation ΓÇö and evaluation takes time.
Instant reaction is the basis for Laws #9 and #10.
Protecting a Hand
Most players unconsciously guard good cards more carefully than bad cards. While this is more common among weak players, the trait is found at all levels of play and in all forms of poker. Make an ambiguous gesture that your opponent might misinterpret as an invasion of his space, and in response, an opponent holding a strong hand will usually jerk unconsciously and assume a more rigid position. He may even fend you off with a stiff arm used as a barrier. Players with weak hands are more lax. They wouldn't care if you reached all the way over and exposed the hole card. Then they could argue that they were entitled to a portion of the pot. However, you don't need to make threatening gestures toward an opponent's cards to utilize this tell. Most opponents will give you clues without any provocation.
