Poker Tells...

We always hear players talking about 'Tells' - those little idiosyncrasies that give you away at the table without you even knowing it. So what exactly are they? In a world where online poker is played far more than real table poker tells are not as obvious and so impact the game a lot less but if you ever make it big you will need to hold your own at a table and if you can spot these tells then you're half way to winning!

When a player decides to bluff they know they're playing with a weaker hand. They therefore act strong in a bid to combat this and will undoubtedly tense up. This often results in the player staring or sitting in a very upright body posture. But the hardest thing for a bluffer to hid is a tense mouth. Most are unaware that they are doing it so watch out for it and use it to your advantage when you see it happening.

Most people would associate a shaking hand with nervousness but they would be wrong. Shaking hands are a result of an adrenaline rush which is a product of having a strong hand. Just be sure that the person isn't genuinely nervous, maybe playing live for the first time.

Ever noticed they way children immediately put their hands to their mouths when they've said something wrong? Well, this is the theory behind poker players doing the same thing. Also watch for people who touch their nose. Lying causes increased blood flow especially to the capillaries of which there are many in the nose cause it to itch so if one of the players at your table is itching their nose maybe they're telling a few porkies!

During a real table game watch how the players react to the flop. Those who look away quickly are confident and will look away to show weakness. Those who stare at the flop generally dont have a good hand and are looking hoping the cards will change in their favour – which of course they wont.

Generally guys around a poker table dont make over the top sad sounds but look out for the occasional sigh or drop in voice level as this indicates that they are purposely trying to appear weak when in fact they could have a very strong hand.

We can control a lot of our bodies including our facial expressions. However, we cant control our pulse and the neck is a dead giveaway for this. If the blood is pumping and a player is becoming increasingly nervous the pulse will be going nuts and this will be very obvious on the neck indicating that the player is not as confident as they would like us to believe.

Of course you can also use the tells to your advantage. If you want to appear weak then act out some of the tells, maybe a tight mouth or a stare at the flop will give your competitors the wrong impression and you may just be able to get an edge over them.