How to Hide Your Poker Tells
Question
I would love to know how not to give away my hand - how not to "tell"... seems that's a big problem for a lot of people (including myself) - Is there any way to not give my hand away? I don't even realize I'm doing it sometimes!
Answer
"It depends on the players you're playing with. What is your table presence? How do your opponents view you? Are you tight/aggressive? Loose/aggressive?"
A good player mixes up their play. Commonly, a player will bluff early, call all the way down the river, then turn over rags- this allows other players to see that you bluffed, and you'll get a lot of action when you're involved in a hand. This is an appropriate ananolgy for someone who consistently doesn't want to disclose their hand for the simple reason that you'll likely need to do things subtly to give the OPPOSITE impression of the strength of your hand.
Typically tells of good players are actually that they play the opposite of their hand, they play too aggressively when they have bad hands, and they delay, think, and place callable bets when they have good hands.
A good exercise for you, if you're having trouble controlling yourself when you look at your cards is simple- prepare yourself for pocket aces every single time you're looking at your two down cards. Or- you can look at one at a time- when the dealer throws the first one, take a look at it- you can't possibly get a good read on a player off of one card- even if it's an ace, you're not too excited- yet.
So assuming you're going to find aces under there every time should allow you to be let down a bit when you find QQ or AK - it's a mental preparation that's necessary in this game.
Frequently, you need to be very self-aware when the common cards come out. Figure out how you're perceived by the other players. Do they respect your raises, and fold? Or do they call and re-raise you on occasion? If they'll play with you consistently, or they think they can bump you off a pot if they bet over you- then you need to tighten your game up, and wait for good cards- you'll get your action.
If you're getting a lot of folding to your raises, you need to examine your body language. Are your hands shaking when you get good cards? Do you fumble your chips when you reach for them? When you raise, and you've got a potential caller looking you over- are you forward or back in your seat? Are you playing with your cards, or looking away- or at them? Are you sweating? Did you reach for your drink?
Knowing that I'm looking you over for nervous twitches, or actions while I'm thinking about how strong my hand is, you need to project what you WANT me to see. Be subtle. If you've got a marginal hand, go ahead and reach for your drink- it implies that your throat is dry because you're nervous because you've got a solid hand. Or wipe your forehead.
The easiest way to not tell is to take the same amount of time to play whether you are ready to fold, or going to go all-in. If you take your time, make your play, then not move- you're a stone, and no one gets a good read.
Enjoy the game, make good, slow, smart decisions, and be self-aware. Once you realize how you want to be viewed, allow yourself to act how you want to be perceived.
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