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Speaking of things you can only do once, this one is really good and will work if you are ready for it - its for playing live cash NL...sometime you will make a big river bet and a "live pro" type guy is going to expose his hand to you before he decides what to do. If you are ready for this possibility you can immediately react to get what you want, what you have to do is if you are bluffing exclaim "dealer that's a call right?" and if you have it say "dealer that hand is dead". The trick is you have to do it in tempo so it doesn't look like you are capable of leveling him, more like its just an honest reaction to the shock of seeing his cards.

Damn. Will be using this, thanks.

Might sound ridiculous and I have no way of proving it, but when you are bluffing, put your money in as one big stack, and when you are value betting put it in split up - either as two stacks or two stacks underneath a third stack, or three stacks, w/e.

It's not a huge deal - it's not like it's a game-changer or anything like that. But from my own experience, bets just "feel" a bit larger and more threatening when they enter the pot as one big stack as opposed to broken up. The visual is just more powerful as one stack. Obviously this is totally irrational, but we are all irrational by our very nature. Our subconscious makes quick, intuitive judgements, and these unconscious processes have a much larger effect on our and others' behavior than we are aware of.

It's something small, but small differences accumulated over large samples results in more money.

This happened to me last night, not sure if this has happened to any of you guys.
While shuffling chips (while involved in a hand) the dealer mistook it as a check, whereas actually I was trying to figure out how much was in the pot, and size my bet.

Granted I just said to her " I didn't check" and she apologized and put the action on me.

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, I see people doing this with trashy 'pray I flop huge' type hands. Suited kings, tiny pocket pairs, etc. The kind of hand that they either miss and dump, or plan to check/raise anyway.

My experience is that they do it just for the hell of it with whatever they called with.

Might sound ridiculous and I have no way of proving it, but when you are bluffing, put your money in as one big stack, and when you are value betting put it in split up - either as two stacks or two stacks underneath a third stack, or three stacks, w/e.

It's not a huge deal - it's not like it's a game-changer or anything like that. But from my own experience, bets just "feel" a bit larger and more threatening when they enter the pot as one big stack as opposed to broken up. The visual is just more powerful as one stack. Obviously this is totally irrational, but we are all irrational by our very nature. Our subconscious makes quick, intuitive judgements, and these unconscious processes have a much larger effect on our and others' behavior than we are aware of.

It's something small, but small differences accumulated over large samples results in more money.

phallic symbol?

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.

Very interesting, you wouldn't need to bother with a card protector that way either. Is there any draw backs to this? I swear I've giving away tons of tells from my hands.

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.

This works very well if you manage to somehow tilt the whole table. As Mike Caro said, people give off more reliable and frequent tells when they're tilted.

How about the newbies who when in the blinds automatically look at their cards before the action is on them? These folks are giving away all kinds of information about their hand. When they are weak sometimes they wont put a chip on the cards because they are going to just muck them to a raise anyway. Sometimes they will hold their cards in a pre folding motion too. When they are strong they will study and focus on the action on each player. Keep their hand protected and be waiting like a kid who has to wait his turn to get his ice cream cone. So don't look at your cards until it is your turn because some players are watching you.

You don't look at your cards, and still have enough time to figure out what to do when the action is on you? I suppose if you thought about what you'd do with every hand before the action gets to you, it might help.

Might sound ridiculous and I have no way of proving it, but when you are bluffing, put your money in as one big stack, and when you are value betting put it in split up - either as two stacks or two stacks underneath a third stack, or three stacks, w/e.

Interesting; for many, the visual represetation is more important than the actual amount of chips their, since it's their first impression. I've noticed that 40 $5 look a lot stronger than 2 $100; it may be wise to try and collect smaller and bigger chips, to use whenever one wants to get the other to call or fold.

Yes. Watch a WSOP final table on ESPN. They almost never look at their hole cards until the action is on them. They are too busy studying their opponents.

Very interesting, you wouldn't need to bother with a card protector that way either. Is there any draw backs to this? I swear I've giving away tons of tells from my hands.

I think you should still be protecting your cards regardless. I hold my hands on my cards until the action is on me, but I still put a chip on them if I decide to play my hand.
It doesn't happen a ton, but people do still manage to accidently table a card (or both) while making bets etc.

Overprotecting your hand is one of those tells I've found to be somewhat common.
There was a girl at my table a few weeks ago that had put a half a stack of chips on her cards. She definitely played that hand like she had a big hand. In subsequent hands she only used 1 chip on her cards.

Yes. Watch a WSOP final table on ESPN. They almost never look at their hole cards until the action is on them. They are too busy studying their opponents.

The first time I played live I thought this was the way to do it as well and I wouldn't look at my cards preflop until the action was on me, I was so afraid of giving away tells (rightly so, I was a massive tell box). Then I realized that by doing that, the entire table was watching me look at my cards (and my reaction to them) at the same time--and I was holding up the game. VERY counterproductive, IMO.

I know they do (did) this on High Stakes poker and other TV poker shows, but I consider it silly and annoying to the other players at the $1/$2 game at Harrah's. If everyone did this you'd only get like 20 hands an hour. Just look when everyone else looks, when the dealer finishes dealing.

The first time I played live I thought this was the way to do it as well and I wouldn't look at my cards preflop until the action was on me, I was so afraid of giving away tells (rightly so, I was a massive tell box). Then I realized that by doing that, the entire table was watching me look at my cards (and my reaction to them) at the same time--and I was holding up the game. VERY counterproductive, IMO.

I know they do (did) this on High Stakes poker and other TV poker shows, but I consider it silly and annoying to the other players at the $1/$2 game at Harrah's. If everyone did this you'd only get like 20 hands an hour. Just look when everyone else looks, when the dealer finishes dealing.

Yeah, I came to this same conclusion.

Well while playing in early position I will look right away because the action is going to be on me very soon anyways and normally I am going to be playing a tighter range so my decision is going to be easier. When in late position C/0, BTN, BLINDS I will wait and study the players and look for anything I can find. Especially when in the blinds I wait. Example.. I am not going to try and isolate the UTG limper from the BTN with a weaker range if I notice one of the blinds has looked at their cards already and the table seems to be slightly elevated and teeter totting where he is sitting. But I guess this is how I have learned to play. I feel I am getting the most info, and giving away the least amount of info pre vs. the non thinking players. Plus I am not making it obvious that I am doing it this way as I will act fairly quickly when the action is on me. But whatever you are comfortable with doing is cool too.

hmmrmm, my live composure is defintely horrible.

So what, place my hands over my cards when they're dealt in a position where it's easy to look at them at the apprioate time, the apprioate time being none that slows the table down, but looks at everyone else observing their hand, try to think of which hands I'm gonna play and how in this period.

What should I do with my hands after this stage but?

You don't look at your cards, and still have enough time to figure out what to do when the action is on you? I suppose if you thought about what you'd do with every hand before the action gets to you, it might help.

I think the idea is you watch the action as it moves to you, deciding what type hand you need to call or raise with, and then know what to do when you see your cards very quickly. Stops you from giving away your habd early, or giving a time based read to you opponents. I've had better results since I started doing this.

I think the idea is you watch the action as it moves to you, deciding what type hand you need to call or raise with, and then know what to do when you see your cards very quickly. Stops you from giving away your habd early, or giving a time based read to you opponents. I've had better results since I started doing this.

Waiting helps me to play better as well. I like having it in my head what types of hands I should be playing in the given situation. When I would look at my cards before the action was on me, I would sometimes get married to a hand early and play the hand in situations where I should fold.

A question for u guys: what's ur opinion about people that talk while involved in a hand? I usually find it means strengh, but guess it depends on context.


Here's an example: I iso limpers with, say, AQo, and SB 3b me. He's a reg of the casino, and I'm not, although we've played a bit together. He's rather tightish / solid, not too much out of line ; he certainly sees me as a solid but aggro, internet kind of player.
The guy on my right is a friend of his, he's also a regular. A couple of months before (basically last time I played with those guys), the guy on my right had made a crazy bluff in a 4b pot against me (he 3b my EP raise w. 73o / call my 4b and get me to fold postflop my A4s unimproved).

So while I hesitate to call the 3b of the reg (we're deep), he says 'Hey u remember this hand u played against my friend?'
He could have told me that anytime for the 40 minutes before, but chose to say it right at that time.

I instantly thought it was a way to induce light calls / spews from me, as the emotional reminder of this hand (that had tilted me when it had happened) could just piss me off. What do u think?

strength from my experience, especially after they bet

@joelapioche - In my (limited) live experience, if someone suddenly starts or stops talking (that is, changing how they were behaving right before the hand) they've become much more interested which generally means they have a strong hand.

For example, if two guys are in friendly conversation while cards are being dealt and right in the middle of the story the guy talking suddenly goes all quiet it means his attention is elsewhere - on the hand he's playing. Same thing if a quiet guy who wasn't talking before and generally doesn't suddenly gets chatty.

Yup, talking during at hand, especially at a crucial point in the hand, is usually strong in my experience. And if someone sighs and says something like, "Okay whatever, I have to go home anyway, I'm all in" then they have the stone cold nuts.

"Okay whatever, I have to go home anyway, I'm all in" then they have the stone cold nuts.

'The Speech' is the most adorably obvious tell in the world. I've never, ever seen it be anything but the absolute nuts.

Really? I have all the time. At my casino its usually a genuine "justifying bad play" call.

Its almost always a monster in my experience (with the exception of some rare regs who do it as a false tell).

The Pre Flop mini speech prior to 6x ing it is common in my games, denoting a monster pair. Something like "...well the pots a bit small, better raise it up." (because I have aces)

I have looked at the Caro and Navarro tells etc and find many players have even more obvious tells..... ie. Player looks visibly disappointed with flop - screws up his face as if he is unhappy, checks his cards again - folds to small bet.

Player is tapping, moving or talking - suddenly stops dead when the turn card hits (just made a full house). One player actually mouthed "wow" when he had made the nuts on the turn - his opponent folded trips to his min check raise....and then he showed his full house. You have to try to keep a straight face.

Facing a Big turn bet..... Player leans back and breathes in deep as if exasperated. Then either folds, or tank calls and then gives up on river when a blank hits.

Yeah, gotta love speeches as a sign of strength. I also like when people eat at the table during the deal of the hand -- if they suddenly stop chewing when they look at their cards, watch out!

Really? I have all the time. At my casino its usually a genuine "justifying bad play" call.

I think we're talking about different speeches. 'The Speech' tell is usually preflop and when some guy looks at his cards, gives 'the speech' usually about how its time to go home, then shoves all-in for some ridiculous overbet.

Are you talking about guys giving a speech then calling off all of their money? Because I see that a lot. You make a bet that puts a guy all-in, he talks about how it's time to leave anyway, then calls. That's a 'justify bad play' call all day. But when you get the speech then a guy shoves, watch out .

the greatest tell ever is if your facing a bet on the river and you have a really good hand but you dont want to pay it off ask the villian a question that isnt a yes or no answer ,but not a tough question example. whats your fav ice cream? if he tells you a flavor he has the nutz if he cant answer the question with a logical answer he's lying and you should call .they wont know what your doing and its very very reliable