Poker Series: Happy Feet

I'm beginning to think that the only people taking the time to learn about body language are poker players. I play the game but usually online, because I like the mathematics of the game and let's just leave it at that.

One of the biggest tells in ANYTHING, not just poker, is happy feet. The feet and legs are the least concentrated part of the body (when people are trying to conceal emotion) and it is where leakage is most likely to occur. Think of a 2-4 year old who just got a new present, he/she cannot stop running in place they are so excited.

Even if you cannot see the feet you can usually tell by looking at slight movements in the shoulders; there is even one professional player who has long hair and every 500-600 hands shows happy feet by a barely perceptible three or four bounces of his hair that lays on his shoulders.

One note of caution for the detective or manager using body language to be better at your job- moving feet or fidgeting feet can signal a desire to remove oneself from the room, or boredom so please take the movement of feet and legs in the context that you observe it.

While playing cards, especially when first looking at dealt cards or after the flop, and... "happy feet are seen or felt- you're not to happy with what is dealt."◦

Poker Series: Happy Feet

Poker Series: Beware of the Speech!

Anytime someone goes out of their way to give some sort of a speech before a raise, get out of the way. Doesn't matter what is being said, statistically they have something good. It is their way of hiding what is good, talk it down. I've heard everything from I wanted to get some sleep, or I'm really hungry... so I'm all in...

If you want to learn more how to use body language at the tables, check out,
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Poker Series: Beware of the Speech!

Poker Series: When A Tell is Not a Tell

People who play poker for a living know one thing, odds. They know they can lose 4 out of 5 times and still be ahead in the long run. It is one of the biggest advantages the professional player has.

So they know they can act a certain way into 4 losing hands- lean back in their chair, showing their weak hands- knowing the last time they lean back in their chair-they have you and all your chips.

They spend their games setting up situation after situation with each player at the table- they are working to get you into situations where you lose big- and they win big and live in expensive homes and drive fast cars.

It can be hard to write about poker tells because every player swims at a different level of the shark tank. He thinks that I think that he is thinking about... so in the end if you are reading tells at the poker table evaluate the player you are reading.

Just like all actors are at different skill levels, so are all poker players, and somewhere in the middle the two will meet.◦

Poker Series: When A Tell is Not a Tell

Poker Series: Recheck the Held Cards After the Flop

There may be many reasons to do this, here are some that I have seen:

On a straight draw and needs to check to see if they made it, or what they need to make it.

On a flush draw and they need to check their highest card; also means they didn't have the ace, probably a 10 or J.

Good flop, if they raised, have pocket something it is human nature to confirm you have trips. See this with the 4 through 7 held pairs.

Anytime there is a rainbow board of face cards, so many ways to be beaten and out drawn. They are not only confirming what they have, they more importantly trying to figure out what their opponents have.

Anytime they need more time, if they fold, no worries... probably just an act.

I can think of about another 10 reason to look at the held cards again... the thing is to evaluate and learn why YOUR opponent did so.◦

Poker Series: Recheck the Held Cards After the Flop

Poker Series: How you put your chips in the pot tells a great deal about your hand.

Every good poker player does something really good. They consistently put their chips into the pot. They do it the same way no matter if their hand is weak or strong. They do not want to show strength or weakness by either throwing or sliding their chips into the pot.

If a player throws chips into the pot, it is a sign of weakness. Since he/she doesn't have it in the cards he/she will make up for it in the way the chips enter the pot.

Watch for differences in how people act. If someone strongly puts the chips into the pot, but then leans back in their chair there is a problem. Resist human nature, where we always think the other person has a better hand than we do and trust their body language. Compare that to a different poker play who throws chips in and slightly leans forward in their chair. Whow would you be more likely to believe to have a strong hand.◦

Poker Series: How you put your chips in the pot tells a great deal about your hand.

Poker Series: Varied Bet Sizes Before the Flop

It amazes me when I see this, and it is happening right now on at least 25% of the online tables...Right Now!!!

Some players will bet two times the blind on marginal hands and four times on the top hands, and check on the semi dogs (hoping for a straight draw). There are about ten different variations on this, but they all mean this one simple thing to you- Once you figure out the betting strategy, bet and re raise to exploit the information you have.

If someone is attempting to "fake" this, it is pretty hard to do it too many times because you learn quickly what is going on. The fakers will inevitability do "something different" (if playing in person) like taking too long to commit or the reverse by quickly pushing in their bet; talking too little or too much compared to usual; something out of the norm. They will also be trying to slow play more often that not. Plus good players will not fake this because it doesn't help their table image (of the style of play such as tight or loose).◦

Poker Series: Varied Bet Sizes Before the Flop

Poker Series: Protect the Cards

If you see someone holding the cards with their hands, closer to the rail that players is sending you the signal that the cards need protecting. They could be great cards, or they could be those draw cards depending on the context of the hand. If it happens immediately after the deal, they are good.◦

Poker Series: Protect the Cards

Contempt in Blackjack = $$

Written by Guest Contributor "Scarlett"
A Natural

My name is Scarlett and I recently went to Vegas on vacation. Blackjack is one of my favorite games to play and little did I know I could make some money off of my natural ability of reading people. While I enjoy playing, I also enjoy watching. I was there with my boyfriend and we were on a bit of a bad luck streak, so I let him play while I watched. This particular dealer passed out the cards, revealing a 10 for himself. As the other players groaned, I watched the dealer look at his facedown card using his viewer. When he saw the card, he showed contempt. Interested, I watched how the hand played out. Most of the players had 16s or 17s. Then the dealer turned over his hidden card, a Jack. No one won and the dealer showed sadness for taking everyone's money. This showed me that his contempt was for his own hand, having a good one that beat all of the others. It could have been taken the opposite as well....there are some dealers in Vegas that love to help the players out and are on their side, while others show no mercy when they get blackjack three times in a row. This guy was clearly not one of them.

With this discovery, I whispered to my boyfriend what I saw. On the next hand, the dealer dealt himself a 10. When he looked at his hidden card he did not show contempt. I told my boyfriend to stand on a 16. The dealer turned over a 3, then busted with a facecard. Success! Within an a few hours we had racked up $300.

So what did I learn? First, when a dealer is looking at their facedown card, quickly glance at the other players. They are eagerly staring at the dealer's hands, waiting in anticipation to see if he flips over an ace and ends the hand with a blackjack. Look at the dealer's face! Next, you have to determine what kind of dealer he is, one that is on the side of the players or isn't. Play it to your advantage either way!◦

Contempt in Blackjack = $$

Hey Stop Looking at my Chips!

They are thinking they'd like to have them and are probably telling you they think they have a pretty good hand, or think you are weak.◦

Hey Stop Looking at my Chips!

"So how much do you have left?"

When they ask this... sure they want to know the answer... but they will be looking for more than an abstract number that any good player can estimate from 25 yards away- they are wanting to get a feel of how good your hand is.

Are your frustrated that you have to count chips?

Are you displaying signals that counting your chips is worth it for you or them?

It takes time, and during that time they are putting you on a weak or strong hand from your body language and voice tone- it is no more simpler than that.

If you play in tournaments- or want to go far in this game- you have to have a chip count routine (like a preshot routine in golf or basketball) where when someone asks you for a chip count you are mechanical for the two or three minutes it will take you are neither displaying weakness or strength. One of the best professional poker players is Chris Ferguson.

There are rare occasions when this is asked so the player has more time to think of pot odds, etc. but rest assured they are also focused on you.

This is 100 times more effective than the stare down.◦

"So how much do you have left?"

Looking At Your Chips

If even for split second, they are saying they got a good card and I'm going to bet.

If they linger longer than a second on their chips they are thinking. Most of the time they are trying to determine if they have the best hand, or your odds so you will continue to accept their raise, or what bet make them appear weak or strong.◦

Looking At Your Chips

Shaky Voice or Hands

Unless you are playing against drinker on the wagon, or a nervous guy or gal, if you see or hear the shakes it simply means one thing- they are not confident, and the lack of confident usually means weakness.

The shaky voice is hard if not impossible to "act" realistically.

If the hands are shaking due to a physical reason, I'd hope you would have noticed before you playing for the pot.◦

Shaky Voice or Hands

Hands Move with a Hint of Their Intention

John Bulwer, the seventeenth-century student of gesture, recognized this
when he described how, "the Hand, which is a ready Midwife, takes often-times the thoughts from the forestalled Tongue, making a more quicke dispatch by gesture;
...For the gesture of the Hand many times gives a hint of our intention, and speakes out a good part of our meaning, before our words, which accompany or follow it, can put themselves into a vocall posture to be understood."

Bulwer, J. (1644) Chirologia; or the Natural Language of the Hand.
London.

When playing poker watch your oppontent hands, analyze them separate from all other parts of your opponent body/gestures, notice how they behave when they call and raise. How they move towards the chip stack. You will be able to see when your opponent is calling when they just as easily could have raised...◦

Hands Move with a Hint of Their Intention

Why Are You Leaning on the Table?

I have found that players who overtly lean over the table tend to have weak hands, while those that subtlety are leaning towards the table have a good hand.

The opposite is true, if a plays overtly leans back in his/her chair it could be the person is trying to act like they want to be away from the hand and they have a week hand while in fact they have something and are doing their best to appear that they do not. Now if you see a player start so slightly move away from the table during the course of the hand you can be sure they are attempting to flee their hands.

Here is the key: if their body language does not match their betting style, run. If I see someone make big bets and is leaning back, I better have the Nuts. On the other hand, If I see someone bet big then slowly fade away, it is probably a bluff.

Now there is another key to all this: You need to be able to spot genuine body language to the fakers. fakers have more orchestrated movements because they are thinking as they do them, and they tend to hold the position longer than true body language.◦

Why Are You Leaning on the Table?

When Players Who Talk Become Silent

They have a hand.

When silent ones become talkative, they have a hand.

When people who have lazy posture, are sitting straighter or even at attention, they have a hand.

You are looking for changes in behavior. Subtle or not so subtle need to be recognized and noticed. Whenever there is a change, your should be on full alert. I see professional poker players on televison do this all the time after their initial bet after the flop, it is time for the sunglasses?!?!◦

When Players Who Talk Become Silent

Bet Quickly

Usually means they have a weaker hand. Meant to intimidate or convey they are in a hurry with a good hand. When you have a good hand, you act more purposefully.

When you see someone make a slow bet with their chips it is implying they have a weak hand. If you really had a weak hand would you be so obvious with your bet? Nope, you'd try to act as normal as possible.◦

Bet Quickly