A Quick Rundown of Poker Tells

Poker is an interesting game. A lot of people like to fixate on the cards and winning through the numbers, just playing their hand and going from there. But those people are missing out on the most important part of the game – the psychology! Eyeing up your fellow players, trying to get into their heads and knowing just how to bluff them. I mean… yeah, maybe check your hand too, that’s kind of an important element of this. But it’s also really important that you can recognise your opponent’s tells so we’ve given you a few options to think about when next you’re playing.

Eye Contact

This one’s almost a no-brainer, you can always expect honesty from someone who can make and

maintain eye contact. It’s a common technique when it comes to telling if someone is lying, someone with a strong hand will often make eye contact as they feel confident while someone with a weak one will avoid it and keep their head down. Of course, this kinda of falls down when the people you’re playing with are online or insist on wearing sunglasses so you can’t tell what they’re doing. That and some people will just constantly make eye contact or never make it exactly so this method of telling what they’re doing doesn’t work. Hmmm. Might be best to move onto the next one.

Fiddling with Chips/Cards

Ahhh, a sure sign of nervousness! A tendency to fidget and inability to sit still is a sure sign that someone isn’t that confident in their hand. If you catch someone playing with a casino chip then it could well be a sign that they’re nervous. Oh, unless it’s because they have a strong hand and they’re keen to grab their chips and toss them in the middle. But then, they might also be doing that just to throw you off balance and it’s an advanced bluff. Guess this’ll really depend on the person. OK, Second thoughts, maybe you shouldn’t use this one as gospel, what’s next?

Trash Talk

Riiiight, here we go! This one’s solid. So, talking at the table is a regular thing; this much is a given.

But what your opponents say can be very instructive. In fact, what they opt to say can be pretty important if you’re paying attention and can decipher it. If someone’s trying to rattle you by saying how good their hand is well… OK, this one also depends on who the player is. It’s kind of hard to make general rules for this, we’ll give it one more try.

Taking Time

OK, so, if the player takes a long time to make a decision in a game it means… it means…

Alright, fine, this really isn’t an easy thing to explain in a quick article. The best tip we can give you is to watch your fellow players and get a feel for how they roll. Everyone’s tell is a little different so you’re going to have to keep an eye on them and work out which of these apply best to the people you’re playing with. If Poker’s not something your into, live roulette is a pretty fun game to play that doesn’t require a degree in psychology.

You can check my game guide for roulette here to familiar yourself with the rules and intricacies if you are new to it, also my guide to tournament poker