Poker Winner Blog

Changes in Breathing

A change in breathing patterns is not an act. This unconscious tell is one of the strongest in poker. If you’re seated near the opponent, you often will be able to hear this tell. But even if you’re seated across the table, you sometimes can see it by the movements of the person’s diaphragm.

The key here is that players who make strong hands tend to become excited and need to breathe faster. Players who are bluffing, on the other hand, tend to disguise their breathing and sometimes stop entirely. They fear that anything they do might trigger their opponent’s calling reflex, so they become extremely unanimated and scarcely breathe.

Misdirected Bets

A misdirected bet is an act. If the action is three-way or more, expect your opponent to be most concerned about the player who appears to be the most threatening. If you seem to have the strongest hand, based on exposed cards and previous action, then you should be the main target.

What if an opponent, instead, stares down another player who doesn’t seem to be the big threat? And what if the opponent then aims his bet toward that other player? What then? Then you have witnessed a misdirected bet and you have every right to think, “Hey, what about me?”

This misdirected bet usually means that the player is trying to convince you that he isn’t really worried about your hand but about something he sees elsewhere that is even more powerful. But if you can’t see that other threat, then you should usually conclude that the misdirected bet was all an act. You should not be intimidated into folding. In fact, if your decision would otherwise have been between calling and raising, you might lean toward raising.

Ewa Emphasis

Extra emphasis on a betting motion is an act. This is one of the hardest of all tells to spot, and you need to train yourself to see it. We’re not talking about conspicuously exaggerated bets. Those bets can be either a lure to entice your call, or a false warning not to call, depending on the opponent and the situation. What we’re talking about is more subtle.

Watch the tail end of a bet. If the betting motion is smooth but is closed by a slight extra flare — perhaps a flick of the fingers releasing the chips — that’s extra emphasis and it usually indicates weakness. The opponent is either bluffing or uncomfortable about the strength of his hand. The final flare happened because the player thought at the last instant that he wasn’t making the bet seem strong enough. Why would he worry about that? Only if the hand was not powerful enough to make the bet comfortable.

So, when you see extra emphasis on the tail end of a bet, tend to call more often than usual.

Looking Away

Conspicuously looking away from the action is usually an act. A player looking away from you tends to be more dangerous than a player looking at you.

When you see a player gazing away from the action as if distracted, beware. There are only two possibilities here, folks. Either that player really isn’t interested — so why risk a bet? — or the player is acting to deceive you. If the player is acting, then she’s trying to make your bet comfortable. Don’t be fooled. Unless you have a very strong hand, check and fold after the opponent bets. If you bet a medium-strong or worse hand, expect to be raised. And almost never bluff into a player who is gazing away from you.

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