People give away far more information than they may realise from their gestures, body language and speech when playing poker. Learning to interpret these ‘tells’ can improve your poker and make you a more successful player.

If you are completely new to the game, you might want to start learning basic poker strategy and rules, such as poker ranking hands, before you start learning tells. However, more experienced players should learn to read other player’s signs, understand when they could be being deceived and how they can avoid giving their own tells too.

Here are some of the most common tells to look out for when playing poker:

Not making eye contact

This one is a useful tell to learn for everyday life and not just for poker. When a person avoids giving eye contact, it could be because they are being deceitful. If a player is looking you squarely in the eyes they are consciously or unconsciously displaying a position of strength.

A player that is bluffing or has a weak hand may feel uncomfortable and will therefore avoid long periods of eye contact. They may look down at the table more frequently and fixate on something else in the room.

Of course, there is a chance that the player is doing the opposite in order to be deceitful, they may stare intensely to give the impression they are confident with a strong hand. If you play with the same people on multiple occasions you will start to learn their tendencies or you can read other tells to help you decide if they are genuine.

Immediately reaching calling a bet

A defensive movement to look out for is the speed at which a player reaches for their chips. If you are reaching for your chips to place a bet and the other player immediately reaches for theirs as if to call straight away, it is a sign they actually have a weak hand.

A strong player is more likely to sit still, they do not want to give the other player a reason not to place a bet. They are confident and waiting for you to make your move.

How they handle their chips

When a player calls a bet in the river and the opponent is slow to grab their chips and spends some time rifling through them before checking, this could be a subtle tell. they could be trying to convey interest in the pot when in reality they have a weak hand.

Subtle tells are not always reliable. Some people generally move around a lot and like to keep their hands busy, so you should try to observe the player throughout your games so you can learn what their typical behaviour is.

How much they are talking

If your opponent is talking frequently during a hand, this could indicate that they are feeling relaxed and could therefore have a strong hand to play. Quietness can indicate they are nervous or unsure of their next move.

However, this tell isn’t the easiest to read as some people talk far more than others. If you know the player and play with them often, that can make it easier to know if they are being more talkative than they usually are.

Goading could be an indication of a strong hand too, if they are talking you into a bet then this could tell you a lot about their confidence. However, it is important to note that speech is a good method for deception.

Some experienced players may choose to keep all talking to a minimum and convey a very serious tone throughout. They do this to prevent giving away any information and keep their reactions the same regardless of the strength of their hand.

Not playing much attention

Lastly, the level of attentiveness to the game can give useful information. A player that holds their cards in a folding position probably isn’t that involved in the game.

If they are looking around the room, down at their phone or ordering food and drinks, they may not be fully invested and satisfied with the cards they have been dealt. Also, by not paying attention they are missing your potential tells and putting themselves at a disadvantage.

The key takeaways from this are that you should give steady eye contact and avoid showing either over-confidence or nervousness through your speech or actions throughout the game.