Body Language At The Poker Table

A very general rule to follow is this: strong body language means the player has a weak hand, and weak or disinterested body language means the player has a strong hand. Body language is the type of thing that you’ll get infinitely better at reading as time goes on. This could be said about most any skill in poker, but picking up on tells is truly something that requires actual game play experience to learn and improve upon. Body language comes, to me, in two different varieties.

It is amazing how much information can be gained at the poker table without a word ever being uttered. It sometimes seems to me that because we are tuned into subtle body language signals anything obvious hits us like a ton of bricks! You must make a conscious effort to be consistent, regardless of whether your hand is weak or strong. Studying poker tells is effectively studying body language. One of the key principles of studying body language is you have to establish a baseline. For example, if you were part of the FBI interrogating a murder suspect you wouldn’t assume the suspect committed the crime because he is nervous: of course he is nervous, he is suspected of.

To become a pro poker player, you need to master your body language, identify common poker player traits, and learn how to spot tells. Poker tells are common, irrespective of whether you play at a tournament or cash game table.

The professionals know how to hide tells, the amateurs fall into the trap. You may be extremely skilled at the game but if you are using the wrong body language or are not being able to spot tells, you are losing out on a lot of profit.

Remember – Body language is essential for poker players!

Yes, nonverbal science has a role to play in poker. It adds a whole new dimension.

Tells are generally very subtle, yet once you master them, you will be able to pick up cues to judge poker player traits and the opponent’s game. Remember the general rule – in poker, weaknesses mean strength, strengths mean weaknesses. Poker is a sport of deception and players will try to fake a tell. Just keep a constant eye on the player’s moves but make sure they don’t get to know that they are under your observation.

Many popular poker players around the globe have shared tips and guidelines for reading tells. We’ve collected the various inputs and put them together to help you decode the common traits of players and improve your profits in the game.

The glance at the chips – Now, this is something most players do unconsciously. As soon as the cards are dealt, if a player takes a quick look at the chips and then looks away, it means that he/she probably wants to bet. The next unconscious tell is to look at the opponent’s chips.
The glance at the cards – This is one of the common poker player traits of beginners where the player takes a brief look at the cards in hand. For instance, if the flop has 3 cards of clubs and the player takes a glance at the cards, chances that he/she has a flush are low. This is because the suit is usually not noticed in an off-suit hand. If there is a suited hand, they will remember the suit of their cards. Therefore, it is safe to guess that they have at most one card of clubs.
The breathing pattern: How a player breathes is very important. And this is not an intentional tell. If you are close to the player, you will be able to easily monitor the breathing. Shallow breathing or restricted breathing to avoid breathing loudly means that the player has a weak hand.
The truth about nervousness: Nervousness is often decoded as the sign of a weak hand. But a lot of times, nervousness is just an act or imitation. You will see that there is a bit of an exaggeration because, in reality, the player is holding strong cards.
The fake reluctance: If a player is uncertain about the bet or shows reluctance, the player has a strong hand. If they had a weak hand, they would do everything possible to hide this. On signs of such a poker tell, you must fold unless you hold a very strong hand.
The lean back:Most professional players know that they are being watched and so, they sometimes try to fake their actions. One of the classic tells is – the lean-back. When a player has a strong hand, they lean back from the table and sit with their arms crossed. They are trying to hint that they don’t have much interest and are non-threatening but the truth is that they probably have the best cards.
The size of the eyes: This one is a general human tendency. As soon as you see good cards, your eyes get bigger. You must watch the opponents’ eyes to notice who likes what they just saw. The eye muscles unintentionally retract the eyelids and there’s a dilation in the pupils. If that’s what you notice, know that he/she has a good hand.
The repeat: Apart from nonverbal tells, there are also some verbal poker player traits that you can focus on. These are also equally valuable. For example, if you ask your opponent, “Did you just get a flush?” and their response is, “You think I just hit a flush?”, he/she most probably did get one. If you use verbal tells in the right manner, you can fish for useful information. The action of repeating your question as a response to you is a sign that they don’t wish to lie and they are sitting on a strong hand.
The easy smile: Another very interesting tactic used on the poker table is a stare-down. If it is just you and another player and you are trying to judge what that player has, try to give a stare. If his/her response to your eye-contact is a slight smile, you can guess that they have a good hand. But be wise. There is a lot of difference between a genuine smile and a fake smile. A genuine smile will bring back the corners of the mouth along with the corners of the eyes. A fake smile will reflect weakness with only the mouth smiling.
The dejected sigh: This one is extremely common. You would have seen it many times by now. Some players immediately show frustration or say ‘Dammit’ after seeing their cards. They are just trying to tell you that they have pathetic cards and are weak. However, you must go back to the general rule – weaknesses mean strength and when someone is attempting to blatantly show weakness, it means he/she is strong.

Spotting a tell is not easy, especially for new players. It takes time to master the act and you need to go slow. Every player is different and so are their actions. Player A might genuinely give reactions while Player B might be a master at hiding weaknesses. Go slow to get into the habit of understanding tells.

Notice one person at a time and develop your analysis on their actions – how they bluff, how they act when playing on a good hand, their body language when they fold, the meaning of high bets, etc. When you have a hang of understanding the tells of this one player, move on to the next one and over time, you will be able to notice the common tells on your table.

Check out: Poker Superstitions Popular on the Poker Table

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Online Poker

Of course, body language is completely out of the equation during online poker. If you play primarily on a computer, you can probably skip this story — it won’t really matter in your results. If you do intend to play live poker, though, being well-versed in body language will get you tremendous results.

Reading People

Size your competition. When you first sit down (before cards are dealt), look at your competitors and get a quick read, making note of who looks aggressive, who looks passive and which ones don’t seem to care what’s going on. These are first impressions and could change during the course of the game, but they’re good for establishing a baseline with each player. Aggressive players tend to act loud and boisterous naturally. Passive ones are more laid back and relaxed. Those who seem to be in a drinking and partying mode are the ones just throwing money away.
Fake disinterest. Less experienced players will fake disinterest or disappointment when dealt a good hand. Any time this happens, their lying body language is almost always too obvious to mask. If you know you’re going up against an inexperienced opponent, this is the likely quickest tell to grasp. Aggressive but inexperienced players will likely be cursing loudly and overacting, too, so be aware of that. If you’re going up against season pros, though, they’re usually very disinterested during starts of games, so give it no meaning.
Too aggressive. When players get too aggressive in their body language, it’s always good to bet that they’re bluffing. While it’s not 100% guaranteed, extra-aggressive stances, like staring down other players, slamming cards or throwing chips, are a dead giveaway that they’re trying to cover up a bad hand.
Check breathing. Rapid breathing means a player is excited, which usually equates to having a good hand. This is especially true when you notice their breathing change suddenly after they check their cards.
Check speech. Did someone just start a conversation totally unrelated to the game at hand? While we usually equate that with disinterest, it’s misplaced: he or she sat down at a poker game, so we all know where the interest lies. Chances are, they have a strong hand and are trying to distract from it.
Eyes on the chips. When a player looks at their cards then glances involuntarily at the chips, that usually denotes a good hand. Subconsciously, they peeked at the chips so they can get an idea of how much they will win, which only happens when they get good card combinations.
Talks to themselves. Some players do talk to themselves. If someone who doesn’t suddenly mutters something during a flop, that usually indicates they got a strong hand from the dealt cards.
Repeatedly peeking at cards. When a player repeatedly checks his cards after new cards are dealt on the board, they’re likely making sure they have strong drawn hands. You can sometimes deduct what kind of hand they have from this, so be very alert during these times, as you’ll need to make calculations on your feet (or on your ass, most likely).
Sitting upright. When a player changes posture to sit upright, it’s usually a big tell that they’ve got a good hand and are ready to play. Doing this allows them to get a clearer view of the table and the other competitors. If you don’t have a good hand, you may want to pass as soon as you recognize this.
Talks to you too much. Players who talk to you too much are trying to mine you for tells — it’s that simple. Hopefully, you have developed a strategy for deadpanning them or you’re screwed. Alternatively, you can also have a premade aggressive spiel to just insult people needlessly — that usually works well for these types.
Calling or betting too quick. This usually means a player has a good drawn hand, as opposed to a good dealt hand. You can make a decision from here based on how strong your cards are.
Calling or betting too long. When a player is sure they have you beat via a very strong hand, they will almost always bleed the process of betting, wasting time to better draw you in. If your hand isn’t too sweet, you might want to pass on this.

Controlling Your Tells

Reading Body Language At The Poker Table

You can read other players all you want, but if you don’t control your own body language, there’s a good chance the other players will just read you like a newspaper. So, how exactly do you cover up your own tells?