Information

Continuing on with our discussion of getting information from other players in a game, we can now look at some other ways in which you can benefit from other players' tells. What kinds of hands do they play and what kinds of betting patterns do they use? Are they prone to check-raising? Will they discard a hand when they have been check-raised? Will they let their ego get the best of them and get into a raising war with another player when they have been raised or check-raised? Do they play personal poker? That is, when you have beaten them in a hand, will they concentrate on trying to pay you back? You gotta love this kind of player! Playing personal poker is very expensive. I do not suggest that you try it.

How about the way that a player looks at his cards? This can give you some information. When all of the cards are out, does he look at the board, then at his hand, then at the board, and then at his hand again? This could be an indication that he is trying to see if he has made some sort of a straight that he may not have been expecting. Always exercise caution when utilizing these tidbits of information that other players will give you. Few, if any, are right on target 100 percent of the time, so act and react accordingly. How about when the river produces four of a suit? Now, you see a player glancing back at his cards. He may be trying to determine just what suit that ace he was playing is. Again, this is not foolproof 100 percent of the time, but it is often enough to be of some additional assistance.

How about the art of the misdirect? We have all seen a magician do tricks in which he will get us to look one way while he fixes his trick to come off as planned. Savvy poker players will do the same type of thing. The tells that we have discussed are often used by these players to misdirect other players. For example, looking back-and-forth to see a straight was made has often been used as a misdirect, and then the player shows a full house! Be aware of everything when you're at the table, and watch the other players, but also be cognizant of the fact that the more astute players are watching you and are equally aware that you are watching them. Act and react accordingly.

Another good tell is a player who has been following the action intently and now, all of a sudden, looks bored and uninterested. Be very careful of this player. This tell is akin to the player who acts strong when weak and vice versa. It's likely that this player holds a huge hand – a hand so big that he wants you to think that he couldn't care less about the action, as he will not be involved. Then, when he does come in after this charade, he will not raise. He will probably wait for a later street to raise, when the bet is doubled and the pot is bigger. This is a big-hand alert. The way that a player puts his chips into the pot may also tell you a lot about his hand. Sometimes, when a player puts a little extra flourish into the way that he puts his chips into the pot, he may really have a weak hand and be trying to gussy up the way that it looks. And when he looks sad and weak and makes a crying call, he may actually be fully loaded. These are the signs of a player utilizing an action opposite to the strength of his hand to misdirect other players. Class dismissed.

Author's note: Many of these tells and more may be found in Mike Caro's Book of Tells. I highly recommend it. You can order it through Card Player.

Please write to me at [email protected]. I welcome your questions and comments.