Hundreds of articles and numerous books have been written on the art of detecting poker tells and using them to your advantage. While it is good to have so much information available, for new players this can be something difficult to manage. So at first it’s easy to feel like you don’t know where to start. In this article we try to present some of the more common poker tells that you should be aware of when playing live poker.
Correlation with the player
When looking for qiu qiu poker tells you usually study your opponent’s body language. It is important to remember that each player will have a personal body language which will then lead to their own particular poker tells. There is, however, some poker tells which are quite common. They are the so-called basic tells and the guidelines that will be provided in this article will allow us to collect the information that each player lets out.
As an introduction to the following list, basic tells are much more common and stereotyped than advanced tells. These tells are genuine, easier to recognize and are highly likely associated with specific information.
Arrangement of the Chip Stack
- Chip neat stack and cured = conservative player, closed
- chip stack untidy = flashy player, loose
Attitude at the table
- Lean back carelessly after receiving hole cards = little interest, weak hand, waiting to fold
- Sit straight or lean forward after receiving hole cards = lots of interest, strong hand Show
- Calm = instinctive attitude when bluffing for fear of being caught, weak hand that looks strong
- Lively during the hand = fearless, strong hand, no worries
- Frozen during the hand = trying not to give any clues that could trigger a call, usually in bluff or weak hand
Conversation at the table
- Conversing during the hand = relaxed and confident, strong hand
- Being silent and rigid during the hand = you don’t want to draw attention to yourself and cause a call, weak hand
If a player asks for clarification before making a strong bet, asking for information such as “How much should I put in?” or “Is it my turn?” he usually has a good hand. He shows aloof as if the hand wasn’t very interesting to him.
Movements
- Hands shaking when betting = adrenaline, strong hand
- Holding your breath = waiting for danger to pass, weak hand
- Heavy breathing = player is under stress
- Shuffling cards = usually indicates that the player needs to improve their hand or is trying to close a
- Draw Finger drum = usually means the player has a good hand and is waiting for a call
If a player bets and then puts his hand to his mouth, he is probably bluffing. In fact, we tend to bring our hands close to our mouths when we are trying to deceive someone.
Eyes
- Staring at opponent = trying to intimidate him to fold, weak hand
- Looking elsewhere = not trying to intimidate him to fold, strong hand
Other useful tips
If a player looks at their cards and then their chips, they probably have a good hand and naturally look at their chips because they are about to bet. If a player re-checks after seeing the flop or the next streets, it usually means they are trying to close a draw. If a player looks at their cards and then covers them, they probably have a good hand and are protecting it. It may also happen that your arm and elbow are placed sideways to create a protective barrier to prevent cards from being mucked by the dealer or some other kind of inconvenience from happening.
