Monthly Archives: May 2010

Three major misconceptions about poker tells

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Zachary Elwood

I discuss some of the common misconceptions about poker tells, including:

1) People think that bluffers are usually going to stare them down, but this isn’t usually the case; bluffers will usually tend to avoid eye contact.

2) Related to #1, people tend to think that when they seek players acting in exaggeratedly strong ways (splashing chips, staring, talking shit, acting cocky) that this means weakness. But actually, many people with strong hands get more relaxed, which leads to them acting in these strong ways. So actually, for many people, strong actually means strong.

3) Everyone seems to think trembling hands is a very important tell, but it’s not unless you’re playing with extreme beginners. Most even somewhat experienced players don’t get so excited to see a strong hand that their hands shake. Plus there are many reasons a person’s hands can shake.

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Staying friendly with someone you’re bluffing

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Zachary Elwood

When someone asks you “What’d you have last hand?” or stuff like that, I realized it’s a good strategy to say something like, “I don’t mind telling you, but I don’t want to tell everyone else. I’ll tell you later.” Later, of course, you can tell them whatever you want.

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Leg shaking at the poker table

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Zachary Elwood

A leg-shaking tell that influenced my play in a $100 tournament. This particular player was prone to shaking his legs a lot when he had a good hand, and not shaking his legs when he was more vulnerable.

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