Poker Tells: II "More Bluffing Tells"

Betting While Chips Un-stacked

If one of your opponents just won a big pot and still has chips unstacked in front of them pay attention to this.  If the next hand they don’t fix their chips they have a good hand.  Most of the time players will always stack their chips even if they have a marginal hand.  If they stop this means they are concentrating on their hand and can’t stack their chips at the same time.  If they had a marginal hand they would continue stacking their chips like normal.

Letting Bystanders See the Hand

Any time a player who is in the pot and has been betting shows a bystander their hand then they have a strong hand.  If you are debating a call and you see your opponent show their wife or friend standing next to them what they have then you know they have a good hand and are confident.  The reasoning behind this is players are embarrassed when they bluff.  They don’t want to look like a fool or give anything away by showing someone next to them.  So they don’t show when they are bluffing and they show their friend when they have a good hand.  If they get away with the bluff they will be proud and THEN show the bystander.

Need a Prozac?  Why so Nervous?

If you’re not familiar with this tell you would probably think the opposite if you’re not an experienced or high stakes poker room player.  Anytime a player looks really nervous then they got something very good.  It might seem that a nervous player would be nervous because they are bluffing.  In fact it’s the complete opposite.  Nervousness indeed means they have a strong hand.  Why?  Well, adrenaline comes with a strong hand.  When players get a sudden rush of adrenaline they do really strange things which resemble nervousness.  When you’re getting garbage hands and you attempt a bluff there is no adrenaline you simply stiffen up and that’s about it.  It’s like trying to sit still when you just found out you won the lottery.

Do I Have Bad Breath?

Watch your opponent when he bets.  If he puts his hand over his mouth as he shoves his chips into the middle of the pot he’s bluffing.  You’ll notice it because it looks like he’s checking his breath to see if it stinks right as he sticks his chips in.  This tell is not always the case but for the most part when someone does this you can be sure they are bluffing.

All the Same Suit, Double Check

This tell occurs quite often when three of the same suits are on the board.  A player wants to see if they hold a high card of that suit.  Generally players remember their hands if they are suited and won’t look back to see the suits.  More advanced players will use this tell to their advantage and look back to pretend like they are looking at their suits so be careful.

Intimidating With Chips 

It’s always good to watch your opponent when you are getting ready to bet as well.  If you notice a player grabbing his chips when you are about to bet generally you are safe to bet.  What he is trying to do is act strong and intimidate you from betting.  Usually your opponent doesn’t want you to bet and if you end of checking so will he.  Your best strategy is to go ahead and bet a little more than you normally would.  This will get him to fold.