Poker is a game of people played using the medium of cards. A tell is a pattern that indicates the relative strength of a competitor’s hand. If you play web-based poker, familiar tells include wagering patterns and the amount of time to act. Physical poker at the casino provides a better chance to identify tells. Along with time tells and betting patterns, individuals have body tells. Players often telegraph the strength of their cards through body language, eye movements, heart rates, and voices. Poker is a sport of feelings and a lot of folks cannot control their feelings when money is involved. In order to spot a tell you need to closely pay attention to your opponents on every single hand. Look for any form of betting sequence or body tell that correlates with the strength of their cards. If a challenger consistently breaths deeply when she has a big hand, that’s a tell for extreme strength. If an opponent consistently bets his weak hands with a flick of his wrist, that’s a tell for extreme weakness.
Tells allow you to see further than your own hand and into your opponent’s mind. Focus on everything that your opponent does while he plays a hand and try to link each action to a relative strength of hand. With the ability to obtain tells on your opponent, the playing cards really don’t matter. If your opponent tells you that she is weak, you can raise them with any hand knowing that he’ll fold. If your opponent indicates you that he is strong, you will be able to drop out on very strong hands. There is a lot more to poker than just the hand you are given. Concentrate on your competitor’s body language and your earnings will skyrocket.