thepokerkid123
Visionary
Silver Level
Kind of throwing this out there without high expectations but all the same, if anyone has any interesting thoughts I'd like to hear them.
tells aren't a highly regarded part of poker, because usually they don't work. I think this has more to do with bad information than anything though.
I don't like most tells. I think there are a few major flaws:
They can be easy to fake
They can be well known
They can be based on bad logic
I don't like common tells. I don't know, maybe some of you guys disagree with me? Feel free to voice disagreement.
Common problem tells:
Shaking hands: Hands shake for an enormous amount of reasons in addition to fear and excitement.
Breathing patterns: Are probably the best known tells and are easy to manipulate.
Verbal lines: like "I'll show if you fold" can be intended to be helpful or manipulative, they require conscious thought to say which is a big problem.
Expressions of fear and aggression: Are often consciously reversed. Figuring out if it's genuine or not is often a guessing game.
Tells that are actually worth paying attention to, imo, either don't come from poker books or are hard to manipulate.
A good example of a well known one is that pupils contract when you see something you don't like and expand when you see something you like. Try and fake it in the mirror. Can't do it? Neither can most of your opponents.
Awesome tell!
How about that people's feet always point to what they want. Keep an eye out for it away from the table and you'll see what I mean.
Easy to fake? Yes. Commonly visible? No, but some guys stand up a lot during big hands, take a look at the way their feet are pointed. If it's towards the pot, be inclined to fold, if it's away, be inclined to call.
Were you aware of it before I explained it? Probably not, the same applies for your opponents.
Smiles are hard to fake and people smile a lot in a poker game.
You use different muscles to smile normally and to fake a smile. Learn to tell the difference. Even knowing how to distinguish between the two it's hard to fake a genuine looking smile, this tell is about as reliable as it gets.
We can go further... but I'm not putting much on paper unless I expect some good conversation in return.
tells aren't a highly regarded part of poker, because usually they don't work. I think this has more to do with bad information than anything though.
I don't like most tells. I think there are a few major flaws:
They can be easy to fake
They can be well known
They can be based on bad logic
I don't like common tells. I don't know, maybe some of you guys disagree with me? Feel free to voice disagreement.
Common problem tells:
Shaking hands: Hands shake for an enormous amount of reasons in addition to fear and excitement.
Breathing patterns: Are probably the best known tells and are easy to manipulate.
Verbal lines: like "I'll show if you fold" can be intended to be helpful or manipulative, they require conscious thought to say which is a big problem.
Expressions of fear and aggression: Are often consciously reversed. Figuring out if it's genuine or not is often a guessing game.
Tells that are actually worth paying attention to, imo, either don't come from poker books or are hard to manipulate.
A good example of a well known one is that pupils contract when you see something you don't like and expand when you see something you like. Try and fake it in the mirror. Can't do it? Neither can most of your opponents.
Awesome tell!
How about that people's feet always point to what they want. Keep an eye out for it away from the table and you'll see what I mean.
Easy to fake? Yes. Commonly visible? No, but some guys stand up a lot during big hands, take a look at the way their feet are pointed. If it's towards the pot, be inclined to fold, if it's away, be inclined to call.
Were you aware of it before I explained it? Probably not, the same applies for your opponents.
Smiles are hard to fake and people smile a lot in a poker game.
You use different muscles to smile normally and to fake a smile. Learn to tell the difference. Even knowing how to distinguish between the two it's hard to fake a genuine looking smile, this tell is about as reliable as it gets.
We can go further... but I'm not putting much on paper unless I expect some good conversation in return.