I have read a few books, watched people play etc.. i can spot tells fairly easily when i am looking for the certain type... but everyone plays differently and everyone has their own tells... so my question is.. what do people think are the most common tells? obviously the weak means strong and vice versa are very common... i love just staring at my players and finding out information as the look back into my eyes trying think that they have something.... lol.... makes me feel like i am better than them all.. which in most cases.. i find myself a better than average poker player... so what do other's think? what type of tells to people tend to find at the poker table? and what ones do you find most newcomer's doing?

Some that i notice that are almost always correct are...

1. Watch the person when the flop comes down, not the cards (its HARD to do)... if that person immediatly looks down at their chips they LOVED the flop. Especially if they are first to act, they will look down and then back up and act as if they are thinking.

2. If a person is 3rd to act (could be any postion but 1st) and the two players in front of him are taking 'too long' to play and they look very eager or impatient they usually are strong and can't wait to bet, or see what others are going to do. Or they are very weak and can't wait to fold and get on to the next hand. In which case it won't matter because they will be out of the hand already (if they are in front of you).

Originally Posted by Btownjay

Some that i notice that are almost always correct are...

1. Watch the person when the flop comes down, not the cards (its HARD to do)... if that person immediatly looks down at their chips they LOVED the flop. Especially if they are first to act, they will look down and then back up and act as if they are thinking.

Soo true...

But the key is "then back up"...
If they look at their chips for a longer moment, they are probably counting the, and they planed to take a shot at the pot bluffing...

Also, this not mean they have a monster, just that they planed to put some more chips in the pot for any reasons. May be a good time to check raise or slow playing.

I know it's not exactly how Caro takes it but it's definately how I can interpret it with great succesat my local poker room.

KJ

KJ

3 Other good ones...

1-Someone who makes a big bet and look away from the action or stay really quiet normaly wants a call... almost always true...
if he looks at you when you evaluate the situation, he is more likely to be bluffing. not always...

2-The hand in front of the mouth usualy means a bluff. pretty good, but beware, could be acting. I act it against experiment players who dont know me. : ) Works only one time, but it pays out big.

3-Someones who's does something else than play poker, (talk about yesterday's game, stack his chips after a big pot won, eat, etc.) and stop to play a hand. Beware... he really have something big, even for a pretty loose player.
normaly poeple will continue to play and do the other things at the same time for a medium strengh hand.
If you notice he have problems to follow the conversaion he previously had... it's a monster too.
Dosent mean they cant have a monster if they continue what they where doing...

Of course an other one here that works only with weak players. trembling bet, nervousness, etc. dosent mean bluff, it means monster.

KJ

Originally Posted by Steve-O

that trembling hand thing is my favorite tell, but for a very odd reason.

I have a trembling left hand all the time (genetic thing, my mother and great grandmother both had it as well). I can control it pretty well but i know if i extend my elbow away from my body my hand shakes

probably the best reverse tell in the world since it is completely legit. Against decent players I just extend my arm slightly more than usual and BINGO, tremors! Of course I use it when I have a big hand too so it looks really legit.

there is a particlar person at the woods who will fold anytime i shake and even once said to a new player when i did it, "he's shaking again" thank god because I only had an underpair

LOL.. pretty good...

I sometime look back at my cards when I hit the flush. So my oponent thinks I'm on the draw and try to cut my odds... Then Boom!!!

Then, an hours later, I look back at my cards against the same player when a 3rd suited card hit the board, and I try to steal the pot nomather what I have in the hole. Shhhhhhh....

Can only works a few times, but its really funny.

KJ

Originally Posted by Steve-O

anytime 3 suited cards flop I ALWAYS LOOK BACK, no matter what I have, nut flush a pair of 2s whatever.

Yeah... was doing it to avoid giving tells but I worked on my hole cards memory and I try to dont do it now.

However in high limit games or tough tournaments where nervousnes is still a factor for me considering i'm a very solid online player but only a pretty good live player, I still look back on any 3rd suited card on the board.

If you ask the question why I changed my habbits I will honestly answer: I fucking dont know!!!!

KJ

How long he takes to put his chips in (push them in without counting vs slowly counting them out)

Varies for what type of person does what but my experience has been most just push their chips in when they have shit.

Originally Posted by NoManner

How long he takes to put his chips in (push them in without counting vs slowly counting them out)

Varies for what type of person does what but my experience has been most just push their chips in when they have shit.

Well... I think Caro talk about it in his book, but, personaly, I dont use it as a powerfull tell by it's own. However, combined with another good tell it could be pretty accurate IMO.

KJ