The thing about poker tells is that there isn’t a method to it. There are several common ones, such as “making eye contact signifies having a strong hand” or that “calling bets quickly indicate relative weakness.” Usually, players are so focused on deciphering an opponent’s tells they are oblivious to their own.
Every poker player is subject to having poker tells unless they’ve been able to learn how to keep them under wraps effectively.
You can try software-based versions on platforms like Poker Compare, where you won’t have to worry about monitoring changes in players’ behaviours. However, it’s advisable to worry less about reading other players when playing in a physical setting, especially for beginners. Instead, try to minimise your own tells as much as possible. Here are a few pro tips on how to be unreadable:
Try to maintain consistent eye movements
As hinted earlier, eye contact or the lack thereof is a major giveaway for the quality of your hand. This is especially true when you reflexively look in a certain direction after betting a strong or a weak hand. Remember that other players are also observing you, so someone could pick up on this. A good tip would be to focus on keeping your eyes on the table right after you make a big bet.
Beware of timing poker tells
Having a strong hand will usually prompt players to take a longer time to think about their bet, whereas players would be more eager to act with a weak hand. This, like other tells, is subjective as some players may bet quickly to try and intimidate their opponents with a bluff. The smart tip here is to take neither too little nor too much time. Build the habit of waiting a few seconds before you make any move.
Keep a composed behaviour
It’s common for players to put on tricky behaviour at the poker table. For instance, trying to deceive others into believing the opposite of your current hand. In all fairness, some expert players act and give off confusing behaviour during a hand, but they’ve got the experience not to give themselves away.Beginners, however, are safer maintainingtheir composure.
An extension of this tip is to limit the table talk. Being chatty is usually a verbal tell of a strong hand.At the same time, when used as a false tell to give off the impression of confidence, you need to be very skilled at the art of deception to fool the more experienced opponents.
Conclusion
Understanding the physical and verbal behaviour of your opponent can give you an edge. However, the best tip in poker is to hone your gameplay skills and strategies. You should study your opponent’s strategies and pinpoint their weaknesses to take advantage of them.
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