Poker is a sport of individuals played through the medium of cards. A tell is a pattern that indicates the relative strength of an opposing player’s hand. If you compete in web poker, familiar tells are comprised of betting sequences and the amount of time to react. Physical poker at the brick and mortar casino provides a better chance to spot tells. In addition to time tells and betting patterns, players have body tells. Individuals frequently announce the strength of their hand through actions, eye movements, heart rates, and voices. Poker is a game of emotion and most folks cannot constrain their emotions when money is involved. In order to spot a tell you have to accurately pay attention to your opponents on each and every hand. Watch for any sort of betting sequence or physical tell that correlates with the strength of their hand. If a competitor constantly takes deep breaths when she has a big hand, that is a tell for extreme strength. If an opponent consistently wagers his poor hands with a twitch of his wrist, that’s their tell for absolute weakness.
Tells allow you to see beyond your own hand and into your opponent’s brain. Focus on all the things that your opponent does while he places wagers on a hand and try to link every play to a given strength of their cards. With the opportunity to obtain tells on your opponent, the playing cards really don’t matter. If your competitor shows you that he is weak, you are able to raise her with any hand with the knowledge that he will drop out. If your competitor shows you that she is strong, you’ll be able to drop out on very strong hands. There is a lot more to poker than just the hand you’re dealt. Focus on your opponent’s body language and your winnings will skyrocket.