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Honestly I don't put a whole lot of stock into live tells.
I've read both Caro, and Navarro and there's plenty of things that CAN happen but it's not always the case.

I've seen ( and had myself) shaky hands when involved in a big hand. Whenever I'm just starting to play again and I'm involved in a big pot I usually get my hand shaking a bit. I've also seen this in other people sometimes with big pairs (QQ+). I haven't actually seen it all that much, but I have seen it.

Navarro talks a TON about "happy feet" and I've actually looked for this one. I've seen plenty of people get happy feet, and also fold. So I'm not sure it's actually as reliable as he makes it out to be.

I'd say tells are best against regs you play against A LOT. 95% of the people I play against are total unknowns and I only see them once.

Personally I hardly EVER look for tells, and at the lower levels I believe they're 100% not needed. If you can spot one, great. If not, the game is easy enough to crush playing standard.

I have a buddy that's whole game revolves around trying to "read people" and he's a losing player. Rather then work on his game, if he donks off a buy in he chalks it up to "my read was off".

Edit:
The 1 tell I've noticed is reliable 100% of the time is when someone makes a bet out of turn, they're very very strong.

Edit:
The 1 tell I've noticed is reliable 100% of the time is when someone makes a bet out of turn, they're very very strong.

Be careful with this read sometimes dudes will bet out of turn like this to keep you from betting so they can get that free card. Its an old school angle shoot.

Also when their feet/legs get active it can mean they want to gamble/are compelled to gamble, especially if it happens as they are waiting in anticipation for the dealer to throw them cards.

Be careful with this read sometimes dudes will bet out of turn like this to keep you from betting so they can get that free card. Its an old school angle shoot.

Really? I've actually never seen someone do that as an angle.
However I'll say my casino is pretty strict with banning people, and if you do that kinda thing it would probably get you a suspension.

The only angle I really see is that "fake raise" thing. Where someone bets, and then a guy cuts out a bunch of chips behind the line, then pisses around for 5 minutes and just calls.

Really? I've actually never seen someone do that as an angle.
However I'll say my casino is pretty strict with banning people, and if you do that kinda thing it would probably get you a suspension.

That's probably a big part of why, where I used to play was terrible for this sort of stuff probably because they never seemed to ban anyone including known angleshooters and people who were most clearly breaking the rules.

This is an observation of mine, never read Carro/Navarro so I don't know if they talk about this. Seems fairly common though so they probably do.

If you are grabbing/stacking/counting chips to bet, and you see opponent grabbing his chips as if matching them up to yours, this is often a tell that he's going to call. So if you are bluffing, you can check and get away.

Once caveat is that there are some players who will do this to make it look like they are calling because they don't want to face a bet. Watch closely when they are involved in other hands to find out which category they fall into, because it's usually one or the other - rarely does someone mix it up. If they are "the faker" type, then put in a big bet if you are bluffing, and make your value bet a bit smaller if you have a strong hand.

VS. A good reg you turn the nuts and villain bets ask the dealer to spread the pot so you can see all the chips then call. Get ready to face another bet otr when the draw bricks.

Be careful with this read sometimes dudes will bet out of turn like this to keep you from betting so they can get that free card. Its an old school angle shoot.

Really? I've actually never seen someone do that as an angle.
However I'll say my casino is pretty strict with banning people, and if you do that kinda thing it would probably get you a suspension.

The only angle I really see is that "fake raise" thing. Where someone bets, and then a guy cuts out a bunch of chips behind the line, then pisses around for 5 minutes and just calls.

I've seen this a lot more in limit. Some old live players will do this constantly in the low level limit games. IME not so much in NL.

The way players check gives away a lot imo. The "aggressive, auto check" where a player will instantly check and really hit the table hard along with yell, "CHECK!" is almost always a weak made hand. Occasionally a player will do this and c/r. This is always the nuts.

IMO, too much emphasis is getting placed on physical tells. Yes, they can be important on occasion, like the guy pukes when you start to push, but, for people new to live, hand reading and bet reading count a whole lot more. If you are at loe limit tables, most the people you play have no idea what they have or what their EV is, so tells don't really say much. At higher limits, most have their antitell moves down fairly well. If I'm waiting for someone to act, I look like I'm having a spastic attack, moving face muscles, tapping both feet and fingers, jerking eyes around, all in microforms.

Some players will stare at and count the pot when on a draw. Bingo! Range lock!

I'm glad you brought this up...I know I do it so I guess I need to use my photographic memory and not be so obvious.

Thanks

IMO, too much emphasis is getting placed on physical tells.

Alot of people say stuff like this, I totally disagree, although it varies how much it applies. I was at a tournament table where like half the players happened to have the same tell where they would hold their cards ready to pitch them when they were gonna fold, so when I glanced around and saw it I would just raise trash hands and take it down over and over, and really chipped up that way, at some tables tells are less obvious, while at some tables they are broadcasting super important info almost every hand.

"i gotta go __________, I'm all in"= nuts

this is like 85% accurate. Really useful read. There's also variations of this, like, "I'm going home either way, so let's gamble" or "I can't catch a hand all night, this will have to do [feigning frustration]."

When they say "if you call, I'll shoot you in the face" usually means they don't have it.

When they say "if you call, I'll shoot you in the face" usually means they don't have it.

What kind of games are you playing in?

What kind of games are you playing in?

Penny games under the bridge. ha ha

When they say "save your money, I have it," they usually have it.

i always like the "see ya at the river" as they call the flop which usually means "please don't bet the turn"

does anyone have a line on what it usually means when one of the blinds call a raise and then say I check dark? This happens at least once a session.

I've found that one to vary a ton player to player, I'd also be interested.

Something you can do away from the table is to think of situations where checking behind dark is a good play and be able to do that at the table without needing to think about it too long.

I guess one spot would be a slowplay AA in the BB vs. a BTN steal.

does anyone have a line on what it usually means when one of the blinds call a raise and then say I check dark? This happens at least once a session.

In my experience, it is a marginal hand that wants to see if anyone hits or not.

I guess one spot would be a slowplay AA in the BB vs. a BTN steal.

Happens quite a bit in my game too.
It's usually never a slowplayed monster. Seems to be a garbage type BB hand more often then not.
If someone checks dark you can bet basically any 2 and usually take it down.

In my experience, it is a marginal hand that wants to see if anyone hits or not.

+1

A player's focus (in the hand or in a conversation).....especially if the players are chatter boxes or drinking/socializing. Great hand/flop = Immediate hyper-focus on the table/cards.....and it is obvious that they are only politely pretending (i.e. 1/2 smiles/nods) that they are still in their previous conversation.....but trying to focus on the hand/players/flop.
......This tell can easilly get lost/ignored at a full table that is very active with people socializing, drinking, and laughing.


Also, I read another suggestion someplace (don't remember where).....to only try to keep the hyper-focus on one or two players and their reactions/tells. It is still possible to pay attention to all players....but I try to learn at least one or two things about an individual player. Maybe make handwritten notes later (as in HEM). For me, it is really fun people watching. One of the side benefits of playing poker.

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One of the reverse tells that I use with a lot of success (with nuts or close). Some maniac keeps raising me/everyone -- as I am kind of an easy read, because I am normally super tight (unless drinking).
1. check (for me, if I raise, they fold).
2. maniac predictably raises everyone/me.
3. I give an immediate (prepared) but natural body reaction (animated frustration) and say....
"Again???!!!!!! What the Heck! STOP raising me. LET ME PLAY!" A little hollywood pause (thinking)...... and shove like totally frustrated and tired of being bullied.

It surprises me how often they pay me off (if they have some kind of hand). This works even better if I happen to be drinking (and being overly animated that night). They think I have finally decided to play poker and gamble.....and they almost always pay. Amazing.....especially when the word is "Don't pay (sneakers) if he raises". lol but they keep paying me. amazing

You can decide whether you think this borders on angle shooting, but a lot of players, esp. regs, know to look left to see if someone is going to raise (because they are constantly peeling light with crap and it's an obvious tell to pick up on), so I will generally hold my hand as if I am ready to muck, regardless of whether I have air or flopped big.

Also, if you're only going to watch only one or two players, watch the loosest players, because those are the players where tells are most likely to be useful (because they are who you should be trying to play pots with).