Poker – What is a Tell?
Poker is a game of individuals participated using the medium of cards. A tell is a behaviour that shows the relative strength of an opponent’s hand. If you compete in web poker, common tells are comprised of gambling patterns and time to act. Physical poker at the brick and mortar betting house offers a better chance to identify tells. Along with time tells and betting patterns, players have physical tells. Individuals commonly telegraph the strength of their cards through actions, eye movements, breathing rates, and the tennor of their voice. Poker is a sport of feelings and a majority of individuals cannot control their feelings when money is involved. In order to identify a tell you need to closely watch your competitors on every single hand. Look for any sort of wagering pattern or body tell that correlates with the strength of their cards. If an opposing player constantly breaths deeply when she has a strong hand, that’s a tell for absolute strength. If a challenger constantly stakes his weak hands with a twitch of his wrist, that is a tell for extreme weakness.
Tells allow you to see beyond your own hand and into your opponent’s brain. Focus on everything that your competitor does while she bets in a pot and try to link each action to a given strength of their cards. With the opportunity to notice tells on your opponent, the cards really don’t matter. If your opponent shows you that they are weak, you will be able to raise them with any hand with the knowledge that he will fold. If your opponent shows you that they are strong, you’ll be able to fold very strong hands. There is a lot more to poker than just the hand you are dealt. Focus on your competitor’s mannerisms and your winnings will skyrocket.