One of the important skills that come in handy when playing poker is psychology – the ability to read the verbal and non-verbal actions that fellow players take during the game. These verbal and non-verbal actions that players do during a gaming session are what is referred to as poker tells. Is there anything else apart from the verbal/non-verbal cues to poker tells, we answer this as we proceed further in this what is a tell in poker guide.
Poker tells are quite critical during a game. This is necessitated by the fact that some players when going through different situations be it having a good and possibly winning hand or having a horrendous hand will expose their happiness and disgust through verbal and non-verbal cues. The ability to read these will thus help the player to come up with the perfect counter-strategy that can turn things in a favourable direction.
It’s important however for poker players not to overvalue the importance of poker tells. This is necessitated by the fact that at times, relying on poker tells may be deceiving. In other instances, some clever poker players may actually employ different poker tells to knowingly deceive competitors. From this, you can also learn to use poker tells to deceive others on the playing table.
The Most Common Poker Tells
- Direct Eye Contact/Shying Away from Direct Eye Contact
Eye contact can say a lot during a game. in general, a player who directly looks you straight in the eye is portraying strength and potentially, informing you of his strong hand (of course, if s/he is not deceiving). As such, you should play your cards with caution in such a situation.
Inversely, a player who shies away from direct eye contact may not be comfortable with his hand and therefore, hoping for a miracle to come from somewhere. Be cautious about those who bluff using this method as they may just be looking to force you into folding while they have a terrible hand.
- Slow/Quick Actions
Every poker player has an average timeframe s/he takes in making a decision. if you have been playing against familiar faces, you will know just how much time they need to take their actions. In some cases, however, things may take a different turn. Instead of taking the average time, one may take longer to reach a decision. when this happens, often, the player has a medium to strong hand hence deciding to bet or check.
On the opposite end, those who are unusually quick in taking their decisions may have a weak hand and hence will take quick actions to fool competitors into thinking that they are raring to go and win the game.
- Hand Work
The way players handle their chips and/or cards says a lot about their hands. Some people may fail to control their emotions when things aren’t going their way such that their hands begin to tremble visually. Note however that some are adept at faking this.