The 6 Biggest Tells in Poker You Need to Know!
Poker is one of the most popular casino games, and due to this you have a good chance of coming up against a player that’s much better than you. So, to help you get the upper hand and boost your chances of winning the game you’re going to need all the help you can get.
Whether you’re a pro that’s played in major tournaments or a rookie just starting out at your first home game, it never hurts to know more tells. These are the 6 biggest tells in poker that you should know before you enter a game. Simply knowing these will boost your chances of winning significantly!
Keep an Eye on Preflop Body Language
Great news, this is one of the biggest tells in poker and it can save you from bleeding chips. First up, you can gauge how experienced someone is by how they stack their chips, how they look at cards and even how they handle the cards. Now, most players will have a quick glance at their cards as soon as they get them, even when the action is at the other end of the table. The tell you’re looking for here is the body language. If a player peeks at their cards then sits back, looking uninterested at what’s going on, you know they’re going to fold. On the other hand, if they suddenly become very interested in the action, lean forwards and start touching their chips, you can be certain that they’re going to make a bet.
Knowing if the players around you are going to fold or not gives you a good indication as to whether you should progress or fold your hand. If the player behind you is interested and looking to raise when you have slightly weaker cards, you might want to use this tell to fold and save yourself some chips. A good way to avoid creating this tell is to not look at your cards until it’s your turn to bet.
The Long Flop Stare
One of the biggest tells on the flop is how players look at the cards on the table. Let’s start by looking at when a player has a weaker hand. These players will typically stare at the cards trying to work out whether their cards could be good, is there any hope and even wishing that certain cards were different. So, if you see a player staring at the cards on the flop, you know they probably don’t have anything going on and will likely fold.
The Flop Glance and Look Away
On the other hand, we’ve got the quick glance at the flop cards and then looking elsewhere. Usually this is accompanied by edginess and an eagerness to place their bet. These players will likely have hit something on the flop, meaning if you’ve got rubbish, you might want to consider folding. The reasoning behind this is that everyone in poker is acting. Players will glance quickly then look away, hoping to make you think they’re upset and have rubbish cards, but in fact it makes the fact that they’ve got good cards more obvious.
Threatening Chip Play
A lot of players that don’t really have much or are trying to get a free card will often play with their chips, making it look like they’re about to make a bet. They will often stack their chips into three or four piles, adding more levels as they go along. The aim behind this is to make other players at the table think they’ve got a great hand so other players call or fold, hoping that the action gets back to them and doesn’t cost them anything or is very cheap. If the action is checked to them, it’s very rare that these players will make a big raise. More often than not, these players don’t have much, so feel free to raise and watch them fold.
The Short Pause Versus the Long Pause
When people lie, they take a very short and quick natural pause. You can quickly identify this when players are placing a bet or replying to questions. If you want to try and get a read from someone, ask them if they’ve got kings or aces. If they have a short pause before replying, there is a good chance they’re bluffing.
On the other hand, the long drawn out pause is often an indication of truthfulness. If there is a long pause when a player responds to a question or a player deliberates over their bet for quite some time, they’re carefully thinking about their hand. Players won’t waste this time if they’re bluffing and will get straight to the action. So, if there is a long pause, you might want to tread carefully.
Quick Calls Are Often Drawing Hands
Finally, we have quick calls. Especially later in the round, if someone calls very quickly then there is a good chance they’re drawing. If they had a hand worth thinking about, they would take their time and often have a rather long pause. If this happens on the river and then again on the turn, it’s almost guaranteed that they have a draw hand and are bluffing. This is very useful if you have a top pair and your opponent calls you again or even raises you after a check. You’ve already got the tell in the bag, meaning you can call with some level of confidence in your hand.
These poker tips will help you up your poker game and start winning more hands. But do be warned, these tips won’t often work on brand-new players to the game as they simply don’t know how to play. On the other hand, a more experienced player might know these tells and will do the opposite to throw you. So, use these tell tips with a pinch of salt and consider using these tips to throw people off your own hand by doing the opposite!