A tell in poker is any habit, physical reaction, or behavior that gives other players clues about what kind of hand you have. Learning how to read tells can increase your chances of becoming a successful poker player. However, keep in mind that professional poker players may make up fake tells to throw you off track. Experienced players have identified several poker tells that you should learn to recognize; here are their top eight.

The first ways to detect a poker tell is to watch your opponent’s eyes. Good players realize that the eyes will usually give away your had, because of this you see many players wearing sun glasses, hats or visors. Besides reading a player’s eyes to detect happiness, excitement or frustration of their hand you should also pay attention to certain patterns that may be noticeable. For example, a player that is planning to fold may not stare at their card s for long; instead the may quickly glance at them and then look away.

Poker players may often give away their hand by their facial expressions. Poker players often stare at their opponent’s face to detect any change in their facial expressions that might give away their hand. They will look for obvious signs of nervousness, signaling they have a weak hand, or, a look of confidence indicating their hand is strong. A player may have a repetitive habit that gives away their hand as well. For example, they may always take a sip of water when they have a strong hand.

Another very common poker tell is acting drastically the opposite way then you should with your hand, making you opponents think your strong hand is weak or vice versa. Basically players will act disinterested when their hand is good, or overly excited when their hand is actually weak. This form of bluffing is usually done by novice poker players, but can also be found in professional players as well..

A player’s hands may be another common tell. If your opponent’s hands are trembling, it may be a sign that they are overly excited about a big hand.

One of the most revealing tells is a repetitive betting pattern. This means that a player may follow the same betting patterns during similar situations. A player may always fold in certain situations, while the usually check in others. Learning to recognize you opponents betting patterns can help you determine what kind of hand they have.

A poker player’s body posture and attitude may be another way that they indicate the strength of their hand. For example, they may slump their shoulders and appear bore when their hand is weak. Conversely, when they have a strong hand they sit up straight and play close attention to the game.

Chip stacking is also thought by some to be a poker tells. The generalization assumes that players that are conservative betters will stack their chips in neat organized piles. However, poker players that play loosely or more aggressive will leave their chips in sloppy, less organized stacks.

In addition, when a player is bluffing they may show some physical signs that give away their anxiousness. These include dilated pupils, rapid breathing, tense muscles, or a dry throat. A player’s voice may also sound higher when they are bluffing.

Learning to recognize some of the most common tells can increase you chances of being a successful player. However, keep in mind while you are scanning the table for give away signs, chances are so are the other players. Try not to get so wrapped up in reading other players expressions and lower you guard, giving away your own hand.