Chip, Card and Betting Tells in Texas Hold'em Poker- Part 4 of 4

Chip Tells

The amount of force a player uses in moving their chips to the pot can be an obvious tell (subconscious action). If the player spikes their chips (slamming down a stack past the bet line), they are more likely to have a weak hand.

Be aware that fumbling of the chips may betray inexperience at a brick and mortar casino, and not betray the fact that the player has considerable experience online. Televised poker tournaments that draw their players from online qualifiers, such as Fox Sports Net tournaments sponsored by major online poker sites, can make this very apparent with some players.

When a player moves their chips closer to themselves after making a call or raise, they often have a strong hand. By placing them close, they can be subconsciously keeping their chips within easy reach to rake them back when they win. A player who uses a lot of force in tossing in the chips toward the pot, or flings them away, often has a marginal hand. This tossing away of the chips is often because they feel they have already lost the hand and the chips as well.

Players with several denominations of chips in front of them can often give away their hand by which chips they use when betting. If they are unsure they have the best hand, they place their smaller denomination chips in the pot, subconsciously giving away their small chips and keeping their big chips for themselves. If they bet with the high denomination chips, they are not expecting to lose them. A player making a move for their chips out of turn is normally indicating that the most recent community card is an improvement.

Insight may be gained by observing how players maintain their chip stacks. Neat, organized chip stacks are often the earmark of a tight-aggressive player. Loose-aggressive players often have sloppy, irregular chip stacks. How a player cuts out the chips can also give insight into the strength of the hand. Cutting out chips is when a player separates the chips from the stack before placing them in the pot to see how many chips will remain after the bet. It is similar to the way a cowboy would cut out a calf from the herd for branding.

This is the key place to look for chip tells. A player who is unsure of the amount of chips needed for a call, or who is having trouble counting out the correct number of chips, is often unsure of the strength of his/her hand. A player counting and recounting chips may also be unsure of his/her hand's strength. Unfortunately, playing with chip stacks are where most players go Hollywood (Acting at the table, normally with a reverse tell.), so realize that the player may be using a reverse tell to fool you and the other players.

Card Tells

At what time a player looks at their hole cards can be a tell about their experience level. Many inexperienced players look at their cards as soon as they receive them vs. watching the other players while they look at their cards. By not waiting until it is their turn to play, they miss viewing possible tells other players may exhibit.

As the dealer places the community cards on the table, it is important to watch how other players still in a hand react. Their eyes may look to their chips, a look of pleasure may pass fleetingly over their face, or a look of disgust may show they did not hit the card they needed.

If the flop falls with several cards of the same suit, watch for the player who rechecks their hole cards. They may remember the rank of the cards, but be unsure of the suits, and be checking to see if they are on a flush draw. The same tell is possible if the flop cards are connected, since they are verifying their straight draw. Be wary of any strong bets after these tells.

Betting Tells

How quickly a player bets is often indicative of the hand they have. A fast call or raise normally signifies strength, while taking too much time can be a sign of indecision. Make sure you observe the player's actions for a while to determine the normal speed they play their hands. Be prepared for the false tell, though, as this is an excellent place for an opponent to think long and act weak while holding a premium starting hand.

If you notice that a player always raises with large pocket pairs, you can avoid a confrontation when you hold a marginal hand. If you notice a player continues to bet after a pre-flop raise, then you can safely check to them when you have a big hand, knowing you can get a check raise out of them.

It is important to follow the betting patterns of your opponents through each street. Follow all hands to the river to see what they have bet and how strong their hand actually was. This information becomes invaluable the longer you play with a particular opponent, as you will be able to correlate their betting with their hole cards.