home / contact us /
The Poker Professionals Association
Research Chapter
09
TELLS
__________________________________
Tells are probably the most disputed topic of poker theory. Many noted experts and authors of poker tactics believe that poker tells are such an important part of winning play that they devote whole books to the subject. Other, equally repected Poker writers believe tells add little value to poker earnings. We tend to fall somewhat in between. We will acknowledge that tells have a place in Poker and at times can be valuable against certain players; However, not all players give off tells and those that do are often hard to interpret correctly. Naturally, as you play higher and higher levels you become more adapt at reading tells; unfortunately, as you play better players, they will give off less tells or even give off missleading tells. Nevertheless, we will give you a few tells we have observed in a broad range of players and that seem to have been somewhat dependable.
1. Hole Cards: Watch how a player handles his hole cards as, most of the time, it tends to reflect how they feel about the cards. If they are quality cards most players will treat them with respect in accordance with their value. They will shield them carefully with their hands when looking at them and promptly place a chip or object on them to protect them from the dealer mucking them by mistake.
If, on the other hand, the hole cards are rubbish, many players may tilt the cards perpendicular to the table to look at them openly. If the player taps the table with the cards the player normally will shortly fold.
2. General Attitude: This can be a good tell with some players. Do you think the player is generally happy with their cards? Sometimes, it is far easier for a player to give off specific tells trying to misslead you than it is for them to convincingly seem confident and happy about their cards, if they don't have them.
3. Humor: When a player places a significant bet and, while waiting for you to act, says something truly funny enough to make even you laugh, our observances are that they are not bluffing. Very few players are able to be convincingly humorous while bluffing.
4. Aggression: If a player tends to look agressively at you after making a bet and waiting for you to act, they are often bluffing and trying to intimidate you enough so that you will not call the bet.
5. Chip Handling: Watch how a player places his chips upon making a big bet. If he handles them with excess force, he is often bluffing. If on the other hand he slides them in a inconspicously as possible, he is often trying to make a big bet without being noticed and normally has a very good hand and he is hoping you won't even notice the unusually large bet.
Many top players have taken to betting the same for all bets, good cards and bluffs alike, by betting in a solid confident manner and with the same force in pushing in the chips. Naturally, this gives little or no read on them, which is of course what they intend. We recommend you practise this method of betting as it provides the least information to your opponents.
Tics: Some players may display an involuntary tic upon making large bluffs. This information was derived from a Secret Service report on methods they use to detect when someone is lying.
According to the report, over 80% of people exhibit an involuntary micro-second facial tic when lying.
The Tic location is directly between the eyebrows but about a half an inch higher. The duration of the tic will be only a micro-second and in any event not longer than about a quarter of a second. If it is much longer than that it may be an attempt to voluntarily give off a worried look to throw you off. The tic is most dependable if you can ask the player a direct question about their hand and watch their face carefully, in most people, if they lie, that micro-second tic will appear.
In conclusion we are aware that there are many players, hopefully not professionals, who give off tells. For these players, tells can significantly reduce their poker income. We recommend you have a trusted poker friend watch you for tells so that you can keep from developing this costly habit.
For your convenience in relationship to the current topic, and as a continous reference, the poker point system is attached below.
__________________________________
POKER PRO POINT SYSTEM
With the point system we assign each card a specific relative value or points. As expected, the Ace receives the highest value; however, you will note that cards rankings from 8 down receive no value, unless paired, connected or suited.
For learning purposes, we are using Texas Hold'em Poker game primarily because it is currently the leading money game both for tournaments and live play and it the easiest to use to demonstrate the point system, as only two cards are dealt each player initially. Naturally we will cover the use of the Point System in other primary poker games in later research chapters.
Individual Card Point Values:
- A= 6 points
- K= 5 points
- Q= 4 points
- J = 3 points
- 10=2 points
- 9 = 1 points
- 8 = 0 points
- 7 = 0 points
- 6 = 0 points
- 5 = 0 points
- 4 = 0 points
- 3 = 0 points
-
2 = 0 points
Pairs receive an extra value of 8 points.
Suited cards receive an extra value of 3 points.
Connected cards receive an extra value of 2 points.
Suited cards are written with a small "s" as: KJ's
Connected cards refers to directly adjacent cards such as: KQ or AK or KQ or QJ, not KJ or AQ.
Examples of values of first two cards dealt in Texas Hold'em:
- AA=20 points (6 points for each ace plus 8 points for a pair)
- KK=18 points (5 points for each king plus 8 points for a pair)
- QQ=16 points (4 points for each queen plus 8 points for a pair)
- AK's=16 points (6 points for the ace, 5 points for the king plus 3 points for being suited and 2 points for being connected)
- JJ=14 points (3 points for each jack plus 8 points for a pair)
- KQ's=14 points (5 points for the king, 4 points for the queen plus 3 points for being suited and 2 points for being connected)
- AK=13 points (6 points for the ace, 5 points for the king plus 2 points for being connected)
- AQ's=13 points (6 points for the ace, 4 points for the queen plus 3 points for being suited)
- T,T=12 points (2 points for each ten plus 8 points for a pair)
- AJ's=12 points (6 points for the ace, 3 points for the jack plus 3 points for being suited)
- AT's=11 points (6 points for the ace, 2 points for the ten plus 3 points for being suited)
- KJ's=11 points (5 points for the king, 3 points for the jack plus 3 points for being suited)
- KQ=11 points (5 points for the king, 4 points for the queen plus 2 points for being connected)
- 9,9=10 points (1 point for each 9 plus 8 points for a pair)
- AQ=10 points (6 points for the ace, 4 points for the queen)
It is interesting to note the value difference of 3 points between AQ's and AQ. This demonstrates the importance of suiting and is helpful in evaluating the correct value of a AQ starting hand. Suited it is definitely playable while unsuited it can be a marginal hand often played for more than it's worth.