How to Spot Poker Tells

The best way on how to spot poker tells is to pay attention to the player. I don't believe in any generic poker tell, for example strong means weak and weak means strong.

Now, that doesn't mean it isn't always true but I tend to get the facts before I start acting on tells like this.

What do I mean by "get the facts?

I mean to see how the player plays, what hands he shows when he does different things. That way you know what he does with different hands and can start building a profile.

Ask yourself:

  • How does he play his strong hands?
  • How does he play his weak hands?
  • How does he play his draws?
  • How does he play his bluffs?
  • How often does he bluff?
  • What does he play in early position?
  • What does he play in late position?

These are just a few questions I came up with on the spot. Your objective is to learn what types of hands he could have when he does something (like raise on the flop, call on the flop, reraise pre-flop etc...)

Learning how to spot poker tells is to simply pay attention and learn your opponents characteristics.

How to Read Poker Players

Now how do you read poker players? When you've spotted your tells, what do you do with them?

This is where learning basic texas hold'em fundamentals comes in. It enables you to know what to do when someone does X.

For example, lets say you're playing in a low-stakes online no-limit texas hold'em game, and you've been paying attention. One of your opponents is raising a lot of hands but giving up on the flop if he doesn't hit, he also bets big when he has a big hand and only 1/2 pot when he has a weak top pair or worse.

He raises pre-flop, you call with Ace Jack in the big blind.

Flop comes down A 4 9 rainbow.

You check and he bets 1/2 pot, you call knowing you are very likely to have the best hand.

Turn comes a harmless 4

You check and he bets 1/2 pot again, you call again.

River comes a 5

You bet 1/2 pot now to get value out of a worse pair. Sure enough he calls with Ace 7 and you take the pot down.

This is a classic example of knowing your player and I hope you learn how to read poker players and learning how to spot poker tells because it will improve your win rate by leaps and bounds.

Just pay attention to what they are doing and with what cards they are doing it with and take notes.

How to Play Basic Poker

So do you have to start making any extraordinary moves just because you know how a player plays most of the time? Or if you've learned how to spot poker tells?

I would say, don't try to push people around or outplay them. Play your cards and play them well. Having tells or reads on texas hold'em poker players will enable you to play your cards better.

For simplicity lets say you have top pair with a medium kicker and someone has just bet into you on the flop and you called. On the turn he bets 3/4ths of the pot which is a substantial bet and one that will commit you to the pot if you call it.

Now, you know how this player plays because you have spotted his tells and have reads on him. You know he would not do this with a worse hand enough for you to call. So you just muck your hand and save money.

Most players would not let it go because they are not paying attention. They have no reads and absolutely no tells on other players.

How to Win More Poker Cash

Texas hold'em is about adjusting to other players. It is about knowing what they do and knowing what you should do to counteract what they do.

This is what poker is about, a wonderful landscape of strategic war. Two minds meet to try and outwit each other. And texas hold'em is a long-run game, that means that you won't necessarily see the true results after one session. You might not even see the true results after one month.

But the one that knows what he is doing (how to spot poker tells, how to read players and how to play basic poker) and knows how to apply this knowledge to win will be the one that wins in the end :)

Summary

  • Pay attention to other players and learn how to spot poker tells
  • Learn how to counteract what they are doing
  • Play solid basic poker (don't try to outplay people)
  • Adjust
  • Have fun!

Done?


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