Most obvious reliable tell you've ever seen (2 Viewers)

[jbutler]

I've played with a guy in two different games for a few years now who has the most ludicrously over the top tell I've ever seen. As with all "tells" it's not 100% reliable 100% of the time, but it is shocking how often it's dead on.

It comes in two stages. At DEFCON 2, as soon as the turn/river card comes out, he says, "What's that" and squints his eyes like he can't make out the card (he's in his late 60s as are several of our regulars and habitually sits in the 2 or 3 seat). At DEFON 2, he might not have the stone cold nuts, but he really likes the card. At DEFCON 1, he does the "What's that" thing, but also stands up to lean over and more dramatically study the card. At DEFCON 1, he has the nuts 90%+ of the time. It's uncanny.

What shocks me the most - but I suppose shouldn't since I come back to these games for a reason - is that literally no one else seems to have ever picked up on this. I routinely fold second nuts to one DEFCON 1 bet, but I have to stifle laughter every time he goes to DEFCON 1 and people still raise/call.

There have got to be some other good ones out there, but I can't think of any other as striking as this guy's.

 

[links_slayer]

This one guy I used to play with (a downright mean and nasty Russian MF) plays with a rack of these chocolate sandwich cookies next to him. If he eats one, look out he's got it. If he puts just pulls the two halves apart he's got air.

 

[sleepypiggly]

Watch out when you play with the hero too...

 

[bergs]

In a casino with unknowns, I've found the hand tremble thing to be a fairly bad tell from a consistency perspective, but the "throat clearing while calling" thing is actually pretty reliable. 80%+ of the time it means that the villain doesn't like making the call. Doesn't mean he's necessarily on a draw or that sort of thing, but he doesn't have the nuts and doesn't like making the call.

 

[atomiktoaster]

I've played with a guy in two different games for a few years now who has the most ludicrously over the top tell I've ever seen. As with all "tells" it's not 100% reliable 100% of the time, but it is shocking how often it's dead on.

It comes in two stages. At DEFCON 4, as soon as the turn/river card comes out, he says, "What's that" and squints his eyes like he can't make out the card (he's in his late 60s as are several of our regulars and habitually sits in the 2 or 3 seat). At DEFON 4, he might not have the stone cold nuts, but he really likes the card. At DEFCON 5, he does the "What's that" thing, but also stands up to lean over and more dramatically study the card. At DEFCON 5, he has the nuts 90%+ of the time. It's uncanny.

What shocks me the most - but I suppose shouldn't since I come back to these games for a reason - is that literally no one else seems to have ever picked up on this. I routinely fold second nuts to one DEFCON 5 bet, but I have to stifle laughter every time he goes to DEFCON 5 and people still raise/call.

There have got to be some other good ones out there, but I can't think of any other as striking as this guy's.

Pointless nitpick, but DEFCON works the other way around (5 is boring, 1 means "find your iodine tablets").

I'm reminded that for a lot of the guys I play with, perfect knowledge of the perceived strength of their hand isn't terribly useful, due to wild misunderstanding of hand strength. Hard to make use of a tell in those cases.

 

[jbutler]

Pointless nitpick, but DEFCON works the other way around (5 is boring, 1 means "find your iodine tablets").

Whoops - fixed.

 

[sleepypiggly]

The first time I played limit poker in a casino (Foxwoods), I distinctly remember seeing my hand shaking (and couldn't stop shaking) when I kept on raising and reraising with a 88x board holding A8. There was only one other guy in the hand and he must have had something good. It was 2/4 limit and the pot was $60-70 on the river. I won that pot.

 

[H|Q]

There is a guy in out regular meatup games that ALWAYS says POT when he has air. I don't want to say who it is though...

 

[gopherblue]

My hands tremble like dry leaves in the wind...and that's just when I'm totally relaxed. Or nervous. I love it when people rely on it as a tell--there is zero information to be gained from it since it happens all the time.

 

[BukNaked36]

Best tell - guy that looks at his cards in front of his chips so I can see his cards

2nd best tell - neighbor that blankly stares at the board cards for a long time when he misses

 

[inca911]

I played with one player that only capped his cards when he had a good hand. He might as well have been playing them faceup for all the folds induced by betting at him.

 

[Trihonda]

shuffling da cards = on a draw, or hand isn't "made" yet.

But one tell I noticed from a VERY solid player recently, was he'd bet with reds with a solid holding, and he'd add a few whites for dramatic effect when he's bluffing.

Sad thing, I had position on him, but couldn't ever look him up when I'd noticed the tell. (usually multi-way pots with people who DID have hands).

 

[DrStrange]

Had a calling station raise by saying "full house" and toss in $40 worth of chips right after the board paired. But it was a one time event. We still make fun of her about it.

DrStrange

 

[slisk250]

The biggest fish in our game will play any 2 cards at any time so he could have air or the nutz and it's hard to know. He really likes to play straight draws, gut shot or up & down. If he is calling bets on earlier streets and then raises or leads on the river, he has the straight almost every time.

 

[joker80]

Had a calling station raise by saying "full house" and toss in $40 worth of chips right after the board paired. But it was a one time event. We still make fun of her about it.

DrStrange

I had a game once where the guy called and mumbled something and the other player thought he called and said "bluff" at the same time.

 

[snooptodd]

This one guy I used to play with (a downright mean and nasty Russian MF) plays with a rack of these chocolate sandwich cookies next to him. If he eats one, look out he's got it. If he puts just pulls the two halves apart he's got air.

You beat me to it, links ... I was typing this response in my mind as soon as I saw this thread title. Well played.

 

[BPTDirector]

Guy at my regular game looks to his stack after viewing hole cards. And if he does, fold, when he has nada, no look. Thing is he is an early looked too so even when he has a late position you can either check into him or outright fold when he looks at his stack.

 

[BGinGA]

We have a guy who when he limps utg has KK every time. Never limps utg with anything else; he either raises or folds with all other holdings.

He will always reraise if raised (often all-in), so it is pretty easy to play against him if you've picked up on it (most haven't).

 

[MatB]

Couple of observations i've made up at Hampton Falls....

1) The over exaggerated sigh while staring at hole cards then board then back to hole cards = made str8 or flush.

2) When someone has a made hand, typically a monster, even experienced guys have trouble feigning nonchalance. So as they bet, or call, they throw their chips in a little too "casual". I snap fold every time. I probably should take time to fold to let them believe it was bet size that made me fold.

I have a harder time getting reads off our home game players, betting patterns are like a rollercoaster.
Alcohol may play a part .:
Of course there's always the obvious defeated look in your opponent that means you have to bet out, even if you have air.
I think there is a law that says you have to.!!

Actually another question.,,,does anyone have people tell you what your tells have?

 

[Poker Zombie]

We used to have a player that would bet hyper-aggressively when he had air, but only when heads-up against female players. We won a few tournaments, but once Mrs Zombie was informed of his tendency, she used it to clobber him (donated 4 rebuys against her that night). Shortly afterwards, he stopped attending.

 

[chipjoker]

I play with a guy who is very talkative. When he has a good hand he will bet (normally just check calls if drawing) when he bluffs he is a bit less talkative and makes big bets, I also noticed he will turn to the person he was talking to before he made the big bet and says something to him (here is were I picked up on his tell) then he looks to the right (or away from hero) and swallows BIG, I mean this is Soooo noticeable, almost like swallowing for air to force yourself to burp.....

I look for this anytime he is in a hand and more often then not I see him do this...

I like playing cards with this guy.

 

[Strike1st]

The first time I played against my Dad in years and after developing my own game...we were at a full table and I could look at my old man and adjust my eyebrows ever so slightly and he'd instantly go...I know what cards you have and he'd fold.

It was so much fun...assholish...but fun.

After a few hours and beers he caught on when I went to do it and busted out laughing.

The old man still pissed about that one.

 

[UTGPoker]

The first time I played limit poker in a casino (Foxwoods), I distinctly remember seeing my hand shaking (and couldn't stop shaking) when I kept on raising and reraising with a 88x board holding A8. There was only one other guy in the hand and he must have had something good. It was 2/4 limit and the pot was $60-70 on the river. I won that pot.

Thats is a SAVAGE sized pot for 2-4 holy sheet.

 

[RainmanTrail]

Hand trembles mean nothing.

Two pretty reliable tells to remember though...

1) If a player shuffles his cards mid hand, he's almost always on a draw (note, I said shuffles CARDS, not chips). This is what it's called when they slide their cards back and forth, usually with their thumb on one card, and middle finger on another.

2) If a player has a cart with some food and drink behind him, and he goes for the food and drink after a flush card comes in on the turn, he usually either is going to fold or he hit the flush. It means he's disinterested in what the other players have. He's more interested in the food. But be careful with this tell. It only works in the right spots. But if the spot's right, it's pretty reliable.

 

[manamongkids]

Everyone look out

 

[QuiQuog]

Hand trembles mean nothing.

Two pretty reliable tells to remember though...

1) If a player shuffles his cards mid hand, he's almost always on a draw (note, I said shuffles CARDS, not chips). This is what it's called when they slide their cards back and forth, usually with their thumb on one card, and middle finger on another.

2) If a player has a cart with some food and drink behind him, and he goes for the food and drink after a flush card comes in on the turn, he usually either is going to fold or he hit the flush. It means he's disinterested in what the other players have. He's more interested in the food. But be careful with this tell. It only works in the right spots. But if the spot's right, it's pretty reliable.

Wait a minute. On tell #2, are you saying that it means he either has something, or he doesn't? But only in the right spots?

I wouldn't say that hand trembling means nothing. I would say that it means different things for different players. Sometimes it's just tension or old age. Usually it means a monster, but I've seen people fake the tremble also.

 

[Strike1st]

Everyone look out

View attachment 28862

Spewed tea all over my tablet...Fan Effin Tastic!

 

[jbutler]

Hand trembles mean nothing.

Two pretty reliable tells to remember though...

1) If a player shuffles his cards mid hand, he's almost always on a draw (note, I said shuffles CARDS, not chips). This is what it's called when they slide their cards back and forth, usually with their thumb on one card, and middle finger on another.

2) If a player has a cart with some food and drink behind him, and he goes for the food and drink after a flush card comes in on the turn, he usually either is going to fold or he hit the flush. It means he's disinterested in what the other players have. He's more interested in the food. But be careful with this tell. It only works in the right spots. But if the spot's right, it's pretty reliable.

Not sure if serious but if so you will always have an open seat in my game

 

[slisk250]

Wait a minute. On tell #2, are you saying that it means he either has something, or he doesn't? But only in the right spots?

I wouldn't say that hand trembling means nothing. I would say that it means different things for different players. Sometimes it's just tension or old age. Usually it means a monster, but I've seen people fake the tremble also.

For me it means the DTs are kickin' in, pour me a drink.

 

[RainmanTrail]

Wait a minute. On tell #2, are you saying that it means he either has something, or he doesn't? But only in the right spots?

I wouldn't say that hand trembling means nothing. I would say that it means different things for different players. Sometimes it's just tension or old age. Usually it means a monster, but I've seen people fake the tremble also.

When I say "trembling means nothing" I mean that it's an unreliable tell. There are many reasons player's hands tremble. The most common reason is that they are new to live poker and are nervous. Players get nervous any time they are uncomfortable, but they can be uncomfortable for so many reasons, that you can't narrow it down to "strong hand" or "bluffing". Old peoples' hands often tremble as well. Even strong players hands tremble both with monster hands and with big bluffs. It's just not directionally reliable.