I have some input.
I play a lot of live poker. I am not the best obviously, but I think there is a lot of inaccurate info in this thread.
For example:
Someone mentioned Mike Caro's take on
tells, specifically the tell where people glance at their chips when they are going to bet.
Others have also mentioned other tells to look for.
And then a couple people mentioned giving false tells deliberately.
I think many of you have tells wrong. You have to realize, tells are often player specific. Just because Mike Caro makes a book or video about common tells does not mean every time you see one of them, it will be accurate. You should be looking at players to determine what their tells are.
I have seen people glance at their chips just the way Caro describes, and fold to a small bet. Perhaps they were thinking something else, like they had a gutter ball and wanted to see if they could afford to chase it.
And furthermore, tells are few and far between. It is pretty rare to even spot them.
And someone else said when people stare at the pot or cards they are weak.
I do this every time I bet, and someone is trying to get a read. I stare blankly at the same spot on the table every time. So for someone to just say that every time someone looks like this, they are weak, is incredibly inaccurate.
Different players are going to have different tells, and they are pretty difficult to spot.
However, if you want to hide tells, I have some input on this.
Every time you act, do things the same. Whether you have the nuts, or nothing. Establish a routine at the table, and stick to it.
Don't answer people when they talk to you. Pick a spot on the table, and just stare at it, every time. Never deviate or change your behavior. I do this, and I know I am very tough to read.
If you want to spot tells on others:
You have to first observe your opponents and establish a baseline, their normal posture/body language/ demeanor.
Now, as the session progresses, observe them when they are strong, weak, etc. This is tough though because many times you won't see their cards. It takes some time to figure people out.
And furthermore, tells are really over-rated anyways. Betting patterns, lines, and simple observation of villains habits will tell you much more.
And as for faking tells and/or hiding them:
Most live players are not advanced enough to pick up on any of this crap anyways. It is a waste of effort. You should be trying to get reads on your opponents with the smorgasboard of other information being projected at the table.
Tells are not as generalized as people tend to think. Many times, tells are unique to the player.
That is my input. It is based from my experience playing live.
P.s. Mike Caro's tells are mostly BS in my humble opinion. I have studied tells and body language extensively. Joe Navarro has much better info on the subject.