Daniel L. Cox
Editor, Poker Insider Magazine
August 1^st, 2009

This article is Part 4 of 4 Parts and is an excerpt from “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em” by Daniel L. Cox. Available at Amazon.com.

Chip Tells
The amount of force a player uses in placing their chips in the pot can be an obvious tell in several ways. If the player spikes their chips (slamming down a stack past the bet line), they are more likely to have a weak hand.

Also, be aware that fumbling of the chips may betray inexperience at a brick and mortar casino, and belie the fact that the player has considerable experience online. This is very apparent with some players on televised poker tournaments that draw their players from online qualifiers, such as Fox Sports Net tournaments sponsored by major online poker sites.

When a player makes a call or raise and they place their chips closer to themselves, they often have a strong hand. By placing them close, they are often subconsciously keeping their chips within easy reach to rake them back when they win. A player who uses a lot of force in tossing in the chips toward the pot, or flings them away, often has a marginal hand. This tossing away of the chips is often because they feel they have already lost the hand and the chips as well.

Players with several denominations of chips in front of them can often give away their hand by which chips they use when betting. If they are unsure they have the best hand, they place their smaller denomination chips in the pot, subconsciously giving away their small chips and keeping their big chips for themselves. If they bet with the high denomination chips, they are not expecting to lose them. A player making a move for their chips out of turn is normally indicating that the most recent community card is an improvement.

How players maintain their chip stacks may give an insight into their style of play. Neat, organized chip stacks are often the earmark of a tight-aggressive player. Loose-aggressive players often have sloppy, irregular chip stacks. How a player cuts¹ out the chips can also give insight into the strength of the hand. This is the key place to look for chip tells. A player who is unsure of the amount of chips needed for a call, or who is having trouble counting out the correct number of chips, is often unsure of the strength of his/her hand. A player counting and recounting chips may also be unsure of his/her hand’s strength. Unfortunately, playing with chip stacks are where most players go Hollywood², so realize that the player may be using a reverse tell to fool you and the other players.

Card Tells
At what point a player looks at their hole cards can be a tell on their experience level. Many inexperienced players look at their cards as soon as they receive them instead of watching the other players look at their cards. By not waiting until it is their turn to play, they miss viewing possible tells other players may exhibit.

As the dealer places the community cards on the table, it is important to watch how other players still in a hand react. Their eyes may look to their chips, a look of pleasure may pass fleetingly over their face, or a look of disgust may show they did not hit the card they needed.

If the flop falls with several cards of the same suit, watch for the player who rechecks their hole cards. They may remember the rank of the cards, but be unsure of the suits, and be checking to see if they are on a flush draw. The same tell is possible if the flop cards are connected, since they are verifying their straight draw. Be wary of any strong bets after these tells.

Betting Tells
The speed with which a player bets is often indicative of the hand they have. A fast call or raise normally signifies strength, while taking too much time can be a sign of indecision to play. Make sure you observe the player’s actions for a while to determine the normal speed they play their hands. Be prepared for the false tell, though, as this is an excellent place for an opponent to think long and act weak while holding a premium starting hand.

By noticing a player who always raises with large pocket pairs, you can avoid a confrontation when you hold a marginal hand. If you notice a player with a tendency to continue to bet after a pre-flop raise, then you can safely check to them when you have a big hand, knowing you can get a check raise out of them.

It is important to follow the betting patterns of your opponents through each street. Follow all hands to the river to see what they have bet and how strong their hand actually was. This information becomes invaluable the longer you play with a particular opponent, as you will be able to correlate their betting with their hole cards.

It is just as important to not provide betting tells to your opponents. You do this in one of two ways. One way is to keep your bets the same size whether you are holding King–King or 5–7 offsuit. Also, take the same amount of time to bet the monster hand as you do when you fold. The other way is constantly changing the size of your bet. By making the bets different sizes for the same cards, you portray a confusing pattern to opponents. By being inconsistent, you do not allow your opponents to get a read on your style. Remember that the less information you provide your opponents through your own betting patterns, the better.