Leaning in vs. Leaning back tell

[dozer]

My whole life, I believed that when a card player leaned forward while sitting at the table, he was weak. If he leaned back away from the table, he was strong.

Navarro's new book reports the opposite to be true.

Based on experience, have I been ass-backwards this whole time?

[signal]

The way I heard it was that -- let's say after seeing a flop-- someone leaned in it was because they hit it well & they were looking to get action (strong). The oppposite is true if they lean back (disinterested/weak).

I think this stuff is well documented in Caro's Book of Tells, although I've not read this book.

Since I do not play high limits live (and I play limit games) I do not worry about tells that much.

[qwartzip]

You have to know a particular player. If its a "weak means strong, strong meants weak" kinda player, go with Caro. If it is a more or less honest player go with navarro. It's all player dependent.

[PantsOnFire]

While it is player dependent as always, leaning forward means stength and aggression. For most players this usually means weak and is done to frighten off an opponent and make him fold.

This is good one to pull off a reverse tell. If I find an opponent who is looking for this, I will try to pull off a thinly veiled bluff and lean forward. If he folds, I smile and rake. If he plays back I throw my hand in disgust. That's the setup Then, when I get a real hand, I pull the same play and try to get a very bad call out of him for much more money.

[BigBuffet]

Navarro does say that the more you lean, or better yet, the more forward your hands go toward the flop the stronger you are.

However, he also says that after you bet and then lean back, you are giving a strong tell to. In other words, it's stronger if you lean forward, bet and then lean back.

If you lean back while watching the action as it goes toward you, then you didn't hit.

[Fightingbee]

I would agree with some of the other posters here. It's all situational and player based, as are all tells. Concentrating more on this will bring it to light.

[BrunoThePug]

I've also heard that leaning back and trying to look relaxed (sipping water, chatting with people) is a sign of a bluff.

If the player makes a large bet or raise into you and leans back they may be trying to seem confident and carefree as if they're so sure of the outcome of the hand that they don't need to be involved and 100% interested.

[BigBuffet]

See page 110 for what I meant.

[Bryn]

If someone is leaning back and not playing many pots, then suddenly leans forward and takes interest they've got something and are interested in playing. The leaning forward normally occurs preflop while they think noone is watching them.

If someone is in a pot already and leans back and acts disinterested after making a bet then there's a good chance there strong.

[vhawk01]

[ QUOTE ]
I've also heard that leaning back and trying to look relaxed (sipping water, chatting with people) is a sign of a bluff.

If the player makes a large bet or raise into you and leans back they may be trying to seem confident and carefree as if they're so sure of the outcome of the hand that they don't need to be involved and 100% interested.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is generally exactly backwards. Against normal donks, the weak tell is they stare at you and dont do anything, the strong tell is they sit back and drink water or chat. This is why donks shouldnt chew gum when they play. Bluffing = stop chewing.