Poker

In the second part of our poker guide we look at body language.

Physical tells

Some novice poker players expect to be able to pick up on and use things like mannerisms and facial tics during games. However, these are unlikely to give you much information to go on. There is not always a discernable pattern to physical habits and most decent players will, in any case, have them firmly under control.

What can give you some usable information, however, is the way in which your opponent is casting their bets. For example, if a player aggressively throws his chips in when placing a bet, or makes a big gesture of sliding them forward, then chances are he’s trying to intimidate you. The only reason he could benefit from scaring you off a pot is if he thinks you have a better hand than him. So, this can often be a sign that he’s bluffing.

Conversely, if a player timidly slides his chips into the pot or pushes them forward with a slight, modest movement, he can be trying to draw attention away from himself or encourage others to believe that he’s not confident in his hand. Again, this will often mean that he’s got a better hand than he wants to let on.

The sigh

When you see a player sighing when an ace comes out on the flop, then chances are he’s happy and is slipping in a “fake tell”. Some players will struggle to prevent themselves from reacting when something positive happens so they react negatively and hope it’s good enough to mask their actual feelings on what just happened. When you think about it, there are not many reasons that would cause a player to be unhappy to see an Ace come out in a flop.

Using fake tells

If you do spot that a player is attempting to fool the table with fake tells, then start looking out for them. If he looks at the flop and shakes his head in the negative, then he’s probably delighted about it. If he smiles, he’s probably gutted.

The reality

Most top poker players, however, won’t pour too much effort into reading what their opponents are thinking by studying their body language because for the most part, there will be nothing to read. Instead, they focus on the action and examine betting patterns. They examine what other players do during the various rounds of betting, and how they deal with certain hands and situations. Their betting patterns will be both easier to study and will yield more relevant information.