Poker – What’s a Tell?

by Bo on September 15th, 2013

Poker is a game of people played using the medium of playing cards. A tell is a pattern that indicates the basic strength of an opposing player’s hand. If you play net poker, general tells include wagering patterns and time to react. Brick and motar poker at the casino provides a greater chance to identify tells. Along with time tells and betting patterns, individuals have body tells. Players often give away the strength of their cards through actions, eye movements, breathing rates, and voices. Poker is a game of emotion and a majority of gamblers cannot control their feelings when money is involved. In order to spot a tell you have to accurately watch your opponents on each and every hand. Look for any form of betting pattern or body tell that relates to the strength of their cards. If a challenger constantly takes deep breaths when he has a huge hand, that is a tell for absolute strength. If a competitor constantly wagers his poor hands with a twitch of his wrist, that is their tell for absolute weakness.

Tells permit you to see further than your own cards and into your competitor’s mind. Concentrate on all the things that your opponent does while she gambles in a hand and attempt to link each action to a relative strength of their cards. With the opportunity to notice tells on your competitor, the cards really don’t matter. If your opponent tells you that they are weak, you are able to raise her with any hand with the knowledge that he will fold. If your opponent shows you that she is strong, you’ll be able to drop out on very strong hands. There is a lot more to poker than just the cards you’re given. Focus on your competitor’s body language and your profits will soar.

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