Poker is a game of skill. It is not just about the cards that are dealt to you, but also the cards that are dealt to your opponents. To win a hand, a player must be able to figure out what cards his opponent is holding. One of the ways a player can find out is to see the betting pattern of his opponent. If you are able to keep a track of the cards that are being placed on the board, and the type of bets your opponent is making at the flop, turn, or river, you will be able to gain a huge win or at least, you can avert a dangerous loss. Looking for these poker tells are not that simple and it takes a lot of patience and observation to finally crack your opponent’s strategy. Here are some ways in which you can find out and identify the different betting tells in poker.
Forceful bet
One of the biggest sayings in poker is, ‘strong is weak and weak is strong’. What this means is that players who know they have good cards will try to play weak and players with bad cards will try and bluff their way out by looking tough and playing aggressively. When you are observing your opponents, you must see what type of bets they are playing on the flop, turn, and river. If the flop shows a possible straight or flush draw and your opponent is checking, you know that he is waiting for one or two cards that will help him land the draw.
If a pair shows on the board and your opponent instinctively raises an exuberant amount, he could either be bluffing or has landed either quads or a set. You should keep an eye on how quickly he calls or raises. A long thought-provoking call is a sign of a player making a strategic move, and this means that he has made a set. A quick call is generally a bluff as the player is trying to act like he has a strong card and is trying to out-raise you.
Checking instantly
In poker, checking is one of the only moves that no opponent can read properly. In some cases, poker players will check to slow raise their opponents into making a big raise before three-betting or four-betting them out. However, checking could also mean that your opponent is waiting for a good card to show on the board so that he can make his bet. Checking is a gesture that is aggressive and conservative at the same time. It must be used in such a way that it throws your opponent off guard.
When you see that an opponent is checking really quickly, it is a sign that the player is looking for other players to make a call as he already has a pocket pair or has seen the flop and has landed a set. Players who check instantaneously are aware of what is happening on the table and are testing the other players to see if they have a better hand or not. This style of checking is more of a baiting move where the opponent will try and rope you into his call. You should avoid raising against a player who bets quickly.
Delay in betting
Another betting tell in poker is the long delay. Players who delay their opponents are simply trying to throw them off guard. The idea behind the long delay is that the player has landed a big set on the table and is looking for different options to get his opponents to make a call or a bet. He is trying to figure out a suitable amount to raise or whether he should check the hand, because he knows that he is eventually going to win it. To break this opponent down, you must observe the duration of the delay from the beginning of the hand. If it is a short delay when the flop shows and increases when the turn comes up, that player is looking for a stronger card to make a proper set and when the turn arrived, he knows he has won the hand. Check for the duration of each of the delays of all your opponents on the table. One of the best ways to read another person’s cards is to see how they react to the different cards on the board.
Concluding notes
In short, identifying poker tells will help you win a lot of hands and avoid ones that you know you are in a bad position to win. There is no fixed method to find out different betting tells, but the key to identifying your player’s tell is complete observation. As a poker player, you must know your hand as well as the cards that have been placed on the table.
While the other players are betting, you must spend all your time seeing how much they bet and how quickly they do so. This way, you can have an idea of what kind of hands they might have or whether or not they are bluffing. In most cases, you will not be able to read your opponent’s hand and your instinct will not help you. You must think logically and decisively before you touch your chips and lay them in the pot.