In June of 2019, I ran an essay contest. I’ll be posting some of these submissions on this blog. Here’s the second post from one of the winners. This is from Mike Lynch, of the U.K.
How Zachary Elwood’s books and videos have improved my poker game
by Mike Lynch
Believe me, Zach’s books are the poker equivalent of the Klondyke – “there’s gold in them thar pages.” Each and every page carries a wealth of priceless information that can only enhance your game, if you can manage to retain even a fraction of the content.
He constantly emphasizes the importance of correlation, since some tells can be ambiguous, possibly indicating weakness in one person but strength in another. Example 1: a regular opponent I play with has two very different methods of shoving. He will forcefully toss chips in, loudly stating “All In,” which could suggest confidence in a strong hand. However, sometimes he slowly pushes his stack forwards gently, quietly announcing “I’m All In.” The first one is done with complete air, but the second is invariably the nuts. (He gets very frustrated when I call massive shoves and win.) Careful observation of a player’s individual tendencies is stressed by Zach and, as in this case, it pays dividends.
The clues outlined in the book Verbal Poker Tells crop up with astonishing frequency, since most guys have no idea just how much information they are imparting with seemingly innocuous remarks. Example 2. I was middle stack at final table, three handed and just in the money, blinds 1000/2000, when shorty shoved with 33,000. Asked for a count, half way through he said “I hope you’re not gonna fold after all this effort” and then added “You’re getting a good price to call.” Normally, both comments would suggest strength and extreme confidence but, fortunately, I knew that when he has a hand, he NEVER speaks and those errors were enough to generate a winning call.
Example 3: Classic “speech” and “reluctance” are outlined by Zach and last week I witnessed this one. Flop comes Ac 6d 7d, there are 3 limpers and young guy on button sighs, saying “I suppose I’m gonna have to shove cause I’m getting low.” Amazingly, 2 blokes called with middle pairs and button showed A2 of diamonds – top pair plus flush draw. His actions and comment screamed strong hand, but only if you know what to look for.
Example 4: Early stages in local pub game, I’m button with Qd 7d and called 3x raise from UTG+1, a really loose aggressive youngster. Flop came T 7 2 rainbow – he instantly bet half pot, almost scorching the felt. Called – turn is 8 and he bet pot, again instantly. Called – river brought a 6 (no flush possible) and he shoved immediately, hardly looking at board. I had him covered and called confidently, telling him that my 7 was better than his – he showed 74o and had no idea that the speed and total lack of even a moment’s consideration of board texture told me that he was merely trying to push me off the hand. This situation is perfectly described in Reading Poker Tells.
Example 5: With Kings in mid position, after two limpers, I raised 5.5x and got a call from the button, the worst player at the table who calls with any two cards. Limpers folded and flop came Kc As Ad – boat for me, so bet 2/3 pot for value since a King had been flashed accidentally as burn card, so he couldn’t have AK for better boat. Villain called – turn 2s – I bet 1/3 expecting fold or hero call with his Ace – he called. River 4s – I checked to induce a bluff with his Ace or Ace flush. He paused for ten seconds, then made “poker clack,” not just once, but three times rhythmically before shoving for three quarters of pot. Well known sign of extreme strength (page 118 in RPT) so I asked if he’d show if I folded and he agreed. Gasps of astonishment as I folded the boat face up, but his 35 Spades straight flush had me crushed and I lived to fight on and win the game an hour later.
These are just a few examples of tells that have arisen in the last four weeks and all of these nuggets (and loads more) are waiting to be mined in Zach’s material, but there are two minor problems that need mentioning. Firstly, there are hundreds of gems waiting to be discovered and, with so many, it can sometimes be difficult to remember all of them, especially at my age. Secondly, I do feel slightly guilty whenever I’m asked (frequently) how I seem able to detect various tells that others cannot see, wondering how I managed to make a call. It would undoubtedly help Zach’s sales if I disclosed the source, but that would only reduce my edge and cost me chips. Sorry Zach – I’m a Yorkshireman and we are tighter than the Scots, so free advice is not available to opponents. I did make the mistake of passing Verbal Poker Tells to my son and it took six months to get it back, since his game was transformed beyond belief after reading it.
The value of Zach’s research is inestimable and the three books will pay for themselves many times over within months of absorbing the contents. The writing style is easy going, precise and, most importantly, unbelievably observant, based on years of research and, without doubt, his work is unparalleled in this field. I try to read them at least once a month, to reinforce points which may have been forgotten, and repeatedly find tips that could have helped me in games if I hadn’t allowed my concentration to slip.
If you study the videos which are available, they are absolutely mind blowing. Reading about a tell is one thing, but actually seeing it displayed on a table puts it in a different category. Playing live four times a week, I gain advantages from tells I’ve learned in every single game and I can only suggest that you do yourself a favour – study Zach’s material and watch your game improve beyond measure.