How Can I Tell If I Have a Tell?

[llleisure]

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The reality is, you should get your cards ready to look at, keep an eye on what's going on at the table, and when nobody is looking at you and everybody's eyes are on the other guy down there where the action sits, steal a quick peek. If you DO give off a micro expression as you look, nobody is watching you. Now just sit quietly and wait for your turn. When it's your turn, move quickly to either muck the cards or grab chips.

The point is, if you wait until the action is on you to look at your cards, EVERYBODY is watching you as you get your first glance. Doncha think MAYBE people give off tells in that situation? It's just a lot easier to have the self-discipline to not telegraph your intentions after you check your cards (unless you're intending to do so) than it is to control micro expressions and sub-second glances as you look.

So not only do you make the game go faster by looking before it's your turn, I believe you decrease your chances of giving off uncontrollable tells.

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I was going to reply and say pretty much exactly what bav said but I read his reply so I'll just quote it and strongly agree with it. In general you can notice the players that watch people carefully when they're checking their cards - you won't have a table full of them so I tend to try and dodge specific players looking at me when I check my cards.

WRT video taping yourself playing, I've read about doing this and thought about doing it but exactly how would you go about this? I mean you can sit home, self deal hands and video tape yourself looking at cards but that isn't anything remotely close to a real world test. You can't do it at a cardroom or casino. I can't help thinking a home game where everyone is video taping themselves is a bunch of fruitcakes. I like fruitcake and I'd be willing to play in such a home game and there may well be enough of us here around the Dallas are to do it but even then, how do you match up the video with specific hands without disrupting the game badly or showing your cards all the time? Seems you need at least two cameras per person you want to tape, a hole-cam and a face/torso cam. Actually a regular home game with a taping setup would be cool now that I think about it - and everyone could take turns being taped - bring your own tapes and take them with you so only you get the info even... Yep...I'm a fruitcake.

Don't get me wrong, I think having a video of myself playing would be incredibly useful, I just don't see how the mechanics of it would ever work out short of making some WSOP final table and being on ESPN.

[bav]

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I honestly didn't think this particular topic would generate so much controversy so I humbly strike it from my original response.

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You posted 8 items and ONE has sparked some debate. 7 out of 8 ain't bad. And there actually IS a lot of debate about this one item, so there's no right or wrong.

I just happen to know I can control telegraphing my intentions. Sometimes I intentionally send no signals, sometimes I telegraph my true intentions, sometimes I send false signals. So hopefully anybody paying attention will be hopelessly confused when it actually matters. What I'm less sure of is my ability to control that instant little rush that sometimes comes of knowing a big hand is about to happen when KK or AA appears under my cupped hands.

So for me, looking early I believe to be the better choice. For other folks, that may not be true. But exactly because many experienced folks think as I do, I believe the blanket advice "never look at your cards before it's your turn" is one of those to best strike from the little green book as a good rule of thumb. I'd far rather see "be careful not to telegraph your intentions if you look at your cards early". And maybe "be aware people may be watching you when you look at your cards."

[PantsOnFire]

I thought about this even more and I now realize I don't even take my own advice. It really depends on the other players and my position.

UTG, I look as I get each card and since I'm about 6% in this position I am usually mucked before the deal is over. UTG+1 and I'm looking about the same time as UTG. It is unlikely UTG will base his play on what I'm doing. I check early in the blinds a lot and then watch the action. The button is one place where I really watch the action first since my range is wide and I want reads right off the bat. And if the players on my right are not paying attention to me preflop, then there is no need to wait to look.

So you were very correct in stating that instead of a blanket advice of never looking early, I should simply state that your actions with your cards preflop could be a source of tells so play accordingly.

[GiantBuddha]

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So for me, looking early I believe to be the better choice. For other folks, that may not be true.

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I thought about this even more and I now realize I don't even take my own advice. It really depends on the other players and my position.

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You both make very good points here.

I think the most effective way to reduce or reverse your tells is to be self aware but not self conscious. This also helps you read other player's tells better. When I recognize a tell in myself, I can easily recognize it in someone else. I'll even go so far as to subtly mimic the expression or gesture that someone makes and see how it makes me feel. Usually that's a useful clue to how they feel about their hand. Now you just need to know what sort of hand they'll feel this way about.

Regarding the usefulness of tells: Many people feel tells are overrated. They're not, particularly in no limit. But a knowledge of tells without an ability to read hands (betting patterns) is virtually useless, and sometimes harmful. Some people seem to think that tells are this magical salve that will fix your broken game, but they're obviously not. But if you excel at other aspects of the game, being able to read what your opponent's check really means without having to make a c-bet first can be extremely valuable.

[kyleparks]

play heads up with yourself whilst facing a mirror.

[Taso]

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I've posted this multiple times here, but I'll say it again. I think waiting to look at your cards is TERRIBLE advice. It seems to be one of those old poker wisdom gems that just keeps getting passed around.

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Of course you are right here. People who look early and are prepared to fold when it gets to them is the single most reliable tell I use in live games. Some people are so obvious that they'll put a chip on their cards if they are going to play them. Others hold them in a firing position for folding. Others pay attention to the action if they are interested in their hand and others chat with their neighbor if they plan to fold. I have even encounted players who have the BB counted out, ready to limp in. I suppose it is unwise to give advice to change that.

Personally, I am going to stick to waiting for my turn to check my cards. I always look left to see who is looking at their cards. I was in a tourney in Vegas last month wher the two guys to my left held their cards above the felt for insta folding. The button was virtually mine for three hands in a row every orbit.

As well, I can act very quickly since I am ranging my hand compared to my position and action thus far (and the guys behind me who looked early). As well, I don't have fireworks go off when I see AA. Instead I'm already thinking about the various hands that are going to crack them.

I honestly didn't think this particular topic would generate so much controversy so I humbly strike it from my original response.

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Agreed 100%

As others have said though, when UTG, i'll usually fold before the deal is completed. Otherwise, I look at my cards as the player on my right does - it's impossible for me to slow down the action this way.

I don't understand the whole, "look early, so you have time to think." What is there to think about when its not your turn? "I'm going to raise, i'm going to fold, i'm going to ___" how can you know what you are going to do before the players ahead of you act? This is one reason I never got the online "fold to any bet" "check" ahead of time buttons.