How do you figure out the hand of your opponent? Look closely and you will notice twitches that reveal the strength of his hand. These twitches are called poker tells. And players are having a field day talking about poker tells in their blogs.
Poker tells exist both in the live games and in the online games. If you want to beef up your poker strategy, you will surely be interested in learning the common poker tells.
In a physical card room or in a casino, you will notice a poor player putting a hand over his mouth. Why? Because he is trying to conceal a smile (not a yawn). You can be sure that just as the sun rises in east, he is holding a strong hand. Another physical twitch is when the player reaches for a drink: his mouth is dry because he is nervous. A nervous player is relatively easy to lead.
If an opponent is trying to stare you down, he is trying to intimidate you. What is the reason behind this? Most likely, he is bluffing. If you have a strong hand, call. If you have a great hand and want more action, raise.
Observe the eyes of your opponent when the flop comes. If he takes a quick look at his chips, he probably has a strong hand. He is thinking of how much he will bet and win.
When you play online, will knowing poker tells be useful? Of course. Poker tells will differ slightly from player to player, but your online opponents are still humans. What you need to observe closely is the time or duration that an opponent spends during his turn or chance to bet.
In a limit game, when two flush or straight cards are out, and one of the players makes a quick call, this usually means a draw. On the flop, however, when one player makes an instantaneous raise, you can assume that he has a top pair.
When one of your opponents that you consider a poor player is taking time to think, he is actually debating whether to call or fold. This means that his hand is weak. Now if he took time (but not too long) to think and then raise, you can be sure that he is not bluffing. Poor players generally don’t bluff. He was just both nervous and excited and needs to calm himself enough to use the mouse.
If one of your online opponents raises frequently at the pre-flop and then folds at the flop when another player bets at him, this particular opponent is a tilting player. Tilting players are also relatively easy to read.
Win big with your newfound knowledge.
