How To Read A Poker Player Like A Book
Beyond calculating odds, counting outs, or tackling the monumental task of tallying first hand probability is the ability to read your opponent. This is perhaps the single-most important skill a player can have. The ability to read a player also will allow you to adjust your own behavior so that your body language gives away nothing of what you have in your hand or what you are hoping to get from the draw or flop. This behavior or body language is frequently referred to as a ‘tell.’ The tell is any reaction or behavior that gives the other players information about your hand. Reading your opponents tells accurately will help you make better decisions at the table, which will lead to more chips in your stack.
Every player has their own set of tells, and it can be rewarding to learn their specific tells at the table. However, there are also tells that are fairly common, and you can watch for these every time you sit down at a table. The general rule of thumb to remember is that when a player is acting weak they are usually sitting on a strong hand, and when they are acting strong they are usually bluffing.
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The following tells are common to players with good hands:
Shaky hands: If you notice that a players hands shake as they place their bet, they probably have a really good hand, maybe even the best.
Rapid breathing: Some players can control shakes, but it is altogether more difficult to control the heart racing that comes when you see Ace-King or pocket aces, or the flop hits for your straight draw.
Aloof, uninterested play: If a player seems to not care what he has in the hole, he probably has a monster hand.
Sad or Gloomy acting: If a player seems almost sad to be in the hand, or starts to act like “I don’t know why I am playing this hand,” or “I guess I’ll call” he probably has a lot more than he wants you to think.
Chip calculating: After looking at the dealt cards, if the player takes a look at the chip stack to see how much they can throw in, you can count on that hand being a good one.
These tells are more common with weaker hands:
Staring players down: The player who puts the scowl on and is trying to intimidate the table is trying to show that he is strong, when in fact, his hand is beatable.
Holding breath: Watch for the player that is holding his breath as he tries to bluff. This is a sign of inexperience.
Finally, these tells are common if the player has a hand that can be a good drawing hand:
Checking and re-checking the cards: After the flop watch to see people checking and re-checking their hole cards. They are looking to be sure what suit they have, and if they have a possibility of getting a piece of the straight or flush. They don’t have it yet, because if they did, they would not need to check their cards, they are just looking to see if the possibility is there.
Taking a long time before calling the bet: If the player seems to be calculating the pot in his head, he most likely is trying to figure out if the pot is worth chasing his draw.
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One last thing to remember, is that the more experienced players out there will show you false tells to throw you off. You need to know if the players at your table are rookies or professionals. This will help you gauge whether or not that deep sigh was real, or whether or not that stare down really means he has pocket Aces, and if they really have a good hand or not. Experience is the best teacher at reading tells, so get out there and play, keep the basics in mind, and remember never ever show more than you tell.
