Alex Fitzgerald: Five Subtle Tells to Watch for at the Table

In live poker, some habits can reveal far more information than players realize. Alex Fitzgerald outlines five subtle tells to watch for in opponents at the table.

A tournament player who wants to play strategically needs to know which stacks are behind them. If someone has a very short stack, they won't want to keep opening and getting shoved on again and again. For this reason, players scan the table as soon as they sit down and make quick estimates of everyone's stacks.

Players who sit down, don't look around, seem uninterested, and start opening immediately are often over-opening. This gives opponents repeated chances to attack. There are also players who check with a bored attitude when they miss the flop. That check is almost like saying "let's just keep going."

A player who checks quickly and carelessly usually has a weak hand. It could be a medium draw, a medium pair, or nothing at all. When a big hand arrives, the player may show a one-second "oh wow" reaction. A sudden change in breathing or body language is often a subtle sign.

How a player handles chips is also an important indicator. Players who move their chips without looking at them, the way a basketball point guard controls the ball, may have spent many hours at the table. They may even have memorized the chip colors and values at that casino. A player who keeps looking at the value of each chip might be assumed to have come from somewhere else.

Players who are uncomfortable with chips are either playing mostly online or have little live table experience. Players who play well but look clumsy placing their chips may be heavy online players. However, it can also be a player who feels uneasy because everyone is watching them. That discomfort can matter in big pots.