TELL #4
TITLE: Where is that $100 I hid here in 1976?
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: This man is buying chips, but doesn't want anyone to see what is in his wallet.
MOTIVATION: He is by nature conservative about money. It's possible that he doesn't have much money in his wallet and is embarrassed to show it. Maybe he has a lot of money in his wallet and doesn't want anyone to see it. The general truth is that be simply isn't a flashy player.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 80%
· Average players = 65%
· Strong players = 60%
VALUE PER HOUR
· $1 limit = $0.15
· $10 limit = $0.33
· $100 limit = $0.90
DISCUSSION: This is exactly the opposite of the previous tell. When you see a player hiding his bankroll, there's a very good chance he'll play conservatively. Usually he won't even lift his wallet above the table to buy chips. He'll guard it in his lap.
BEST STRATEGY: Call him less; bluff him more.
TELL #5
TITLE: I bet I can wait longer than you can.
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: From the expression on this player's face, his mind seems to be on something other than poker. He's leaning back slumped with his arms folded.
MOTIVATION: This player is not in a gambling mood and is simply relaxing while waiting patiently for a good poker hand.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 9
· Average players = 85%
· Strong players = 78%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit = $0.30
· $10 limit = $0.54
· $100 limit = $1.32
DISCUSSION: This sort of body language seems to convey patience and that's exactly right.Here you see that this player has just received his fourth card in seven stud. He apparently has little interest in this pot. It's possible he got the fourth card for free because nobody bet on third street. In any case, this pot isn't very important to him. Players who are winning and wish to sit on their lead will often simply lean back and wait for the good opportunities. True, players often act uninterested when they have strong hands, but that isn't the case here. If this man were trying to deceive you, he'd probably do more than just lean back and stare. He'd likely look away from the action or even start to throw his hand away prematurely. Those tells will be analyzed later.Take a good look at this man. When you see someone whose mannerisms are similar, you can
be pretty sure he'll play only quality hands.
BEST STRATEGY: Seldom get involved in a pot with this man.
TELL #6
TITLE: I've got better things to do than play poker.
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: Again we see a player leaning back and looking uninterested. This time he is not folding his arms.
MOTIVATION: He is feeling patient.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 88%
· Average players = 78%
· Strong players = 68%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit = $0.24
· $10 limit = $0.51
· $100 limit = $1.05
DISCUSSION: This is similar to the previous tell. However, when a player has his arms folded,he's generally in a long-range waiting mode. Some players lean slightly forward when they're interested in a hand and otherwise (as in this photo) slump backward. Players may even be aware that they're doing this, but it's too much effort for them to try to camouflage their behavior — especially when they figure
BEST STRATEGY: If you act before this player, play some slightly weaker hands which you would normally pass. That's because this player is no threat to you at the moment. He's making it easier for you to steal the antes.
TELL #7
TITLE: When will I ever get a chance to stack these chips?
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: There are a great deal of chips scattered in front of the woman. That's not because she isn't organized. It's because she just won a giant pot and hasn't had time to stack it.
MOTIVATION: Won last pot.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 85%
· Average players = 80%
· Strong players = 74%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit =$0.12
· $10 limit = $0.27
· $100 limit = $0.63
DISCUSSION: Most players like to stack their chips before they get involved in another pot.This doesn't mean they won't play strong hands. A player may even toss in a few chips on medium-strength hands as a courtesy while sorting through the last pot. However, there's one thing players will almost never do in this situation, and that's run a bluff from scratch. True, they may end up bluffing, but when they enter pots, it's almost always because their hands merit it.
BEST STRATEGY: If this woman plays a hand while she's still stacking a giant pot, give her credit for having at least medium power. Don't invest money on the hope that she entered the pot bluffing.
Tell For Poker Play(1)
When I get through with you, the magic of tells will be your key to profit for life. Most of your profit will come from reading players who are trying to deceive you. Those are actors who are aware of what they're doing. Usually they will act exactly opposite of the true strength of their cards. If their hands are hideous, they will try to make you think that they hold something fearsome. If their hands are powerful, they will try to convince you that they hold garbage. We'll get into the world of actors in Chapter 6 — Tells From Actors.Right now we'll deal with another important category of tells. The folks in the upcoming photos will give you valuable information, even though they won’t be trying to fool you.Although these tells are not from actors, these same people probably will be actors at other times. It's just that they aren't bothering to act at this particular moment. So let's see what they have to tell us ...
TELL #1
TITLE: When I was a boy, I liked to play with blocks.
CATEGORY: Noncombat
DESCRIPTION: This man has gone out of his way to arrange his chips neatly. He's even
bothered to line up the markings on the sides of the chips.
MOTIVATION: His personality, be it permanent or momentary, is not reckless. Neatly
arranged chips make him feel secure.RELIABILITY:
· Weak players =88%
· Average players = 68%
· Strong players = 59%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit = $0.33
· $10 limit = $1.14
· $100 limit = $3.15
DISCUSSION: Very rarely is stacking chips used as a ploy by a player. Most players only bother to act when the rewards are immediate (i.e., a pot which is still being fought for).Glimpses of an opponent's true nature can often be gained by watching the way he stacks his chips. The very organized manner in which these chips are arranged suggests that this player will probably choose his hands carefully, seldomly bluff and won't display a lot of gamble.Of course his mood may change during the game, but in that case his stacks will probably become less neatly arranged. Notice that there are a few extra chips on top of his large stacks.This could be his profit. That's important to know, because you can frequently bluff successfully just by betting slightly more than his profit.Players are reluctant to call when they're winning, but would be losing if they made an unsuccessful call. Also, note that this fellow is very neatly attired. This is often, but not always,an indication of conservative play.
BEST STRATEGY: Don't get involved with medium-strength hands after this man has entered a pot. Bluff him somewhat more often than you would other players. Don't call as liberally whenhe bets.
TELL #2
TITLE: Building code violations.
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: This player isn't terribly concerned about how his chips appear. They are
unarranged and uncountable.
MOTIVATION: The player feels like gambling, is poised for action and is not thinking about
real money.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 79%
· Average players = 62%
· Strong players = 53%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit =$0.27
· $10 limit = $0.90
· $100 limit = $2.70
DISCUSSION: Although players will sometimes fool you, haphazardly stacked chips usually mean careless play. This player's game will probably be too liberal, but he might also get good value from his big hands by playing aggressively. There's a good chance this man is prepared to lose all those chips, and often he will.
BEST STRATEGY: Call more often when he bets. Bluff him less frequently than other
players.
TELL #3
TITLE: Help, hurry, I want to gamble!
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: The man at left is out of chips and he wants more. He's making sure he gets immediate attention by waving his money in the air.
MOTIVATION: This guy doesn't mind letting people know that, at least temporarily, he has money to gamble with. Often he's compensating for the "humiliation" of having lost his chips by making certain everyone knows he isn't broke. He may even feel playful in anticipation of gambling more freely than before. It's rare for a conservative player to use a flamboyant method of buying chips to fool you; that is unusual among weak or average players.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 75%
· Average players = 72%
· Strong players = 55%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit = $0.24
· $10 limit = $0.75
· $100 limit = $20
DISCUSSION: Even though this tell isn't always accurate, when a man asks for chips in a flamboyant manner, there's a much better chance that he's going to play aggressively and often carelessly.
BEST STRATEGY: Until you know differently, treat this man as you would any other loose player. Call more often; bluff less often.
I will continue whith this tells tomorow.Have a nice day and thx for visit my blog.
TELL #1
TITLE: When I was a boy, I liked to play with blocks.
CATEGORY: Noncombat
DESCRIPTION: This man has gone out of his way to arrange his chips neatly. He's even
bothered to line up the markings on the sides of the chips.
MOTIVATION: His personality, be it permanent or momentary, is not reckless. Neatly
arranged chips make him feel secure.RELIABILITY:
· Weak players =88%
· Average players = 68%
· Strong players = 59%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit = $0.33
· $10 limit = $1.14
· $100 limit = $3.15
DISCUSSION: Very rarely is stacking chips used as a ploy by a player. Most players only bother to act when the rewards are immediate (i.e., a pot which is still being fought for).Glimpses of an opponent's true nature can often be gained by watching the way he stacks his chips. The very organized manner in which these chips are arranged suggests that this player will probably choose his hands carefully, seldomly bluff and won't display a lot of gamble.Of course his mood may change during the game, but in that case his stacks will probably become less neatly arranged. Notice that there are a few extra chips on top of his large stacks.This could be his profit. That's important to know, because you can frequently bluff successfully just by betting slightly more than his profit.Players are reluctant to call when they're winning, but would be losing if they made an unsuccessful call. Also, note that this fellow is very neatly attired. This is often, but not always,an indication of conservative play.
BEST STRATEGY: Don't get involved with medium-strength hands after this man has entered a pot. Bluff him somewhat more often than you would other players. Don't call as liberally whenhe bets.
TELL #2
TITLE: Building code violations.
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: This player isn't terribly concerned about how his chips appear. They are
unarranged and uncountable.
MOTIVATION: The player feels like gambling, is poised for action and is not thinking about
real money.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 79%
· Average players = 62%
· Strong players = 53%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit =$0.27
· $10 limit = $0.90
· $100 limit = $2.70
DISCUSSION: Although players will sometimes fool you, haphazardly stacked chips usually mean careless play. This player's game will probably be too liberal, but he might also get good value from his big hands by playing aggressively. There's a good chance this man is prepared to lose all those chips, and often he will.
BEST STRATEGY: Call more often when he bets. Bluff him less frequently than other
players.
TELL #3
TITLE: Help, hurry, I want to gamble!
CATEGORY: Noncombat.
DESCRIPTION: The man at left is out of chips and he wants more. He's making sure he gets immediate attention by waving his money in the air.
MOTIVATION: This guy doesn't mind letting people know that, at least temporarily, he has money to gamble with. Often he's compensating for the "humiliation" of having lost his chips by making certain everyone knows he isn't broke. He may even feel playful in anticipation of gambling more freely than before. It's rare for a conservative player to use a flamboyant method of buying chips to fool you; that is unusual among weak or average players.
RELIABILITY:
· Weak players = 75%
· Average players = 72%
· Strong players = 55%
VALUE PER HOUR:
· $1 limit = $0.24
· $10 limit = $0.75
· $100 limit = $20
DISCUSSION: Even though this tell isn't always accurate, when a man asks for chips in a flamboyant manner, there's a much better chance that he's going to play aggressively and often carelessly.
BEST STRATEGY: Until you know differently, treat this man as you would any other loose player. Call more often; bluff less often.
I will continue whith this tells tomorow.Have a nice day and thx for visit my blog.
Winning In Poker
The following lecture was the 26th Tuesday Session, held March 23, 1999, and later appeared in Card Player magazine.
Some of Poker's Most Profitable Things to Observe
I believe that many potential winners are inattentive at poker games simply because they don't know what's important. They want to win. But they try to do too much at once. They try to look at everything. They become frustrated. They fail. They look at nothing.That's what we're going to talk about today. This was the 26th in my serious of Tuesday.Session classroom lectures at Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy. It was delivered March 23, 1999 and has been specially enhanced for Card Player. The title of my talk was….
Profitable things to watch in a poker game
1. The vast majority of players simply give up on trying to observe seriously,
because the task is too overwhelming.Trying to take poker seriously, but still not being able to discover basic traits or tells in opponents is a classic case of "not being able to see the forest for the trees." There is so much going on at a poker table that -- if you try to watch it all -- you will almost certainly be overwhelmed and you might as well observe nothing. You will seldom observe the most profitable things in poker if you try to look for everything. The trick is to focus on one thing at a time.Students are often amazed by the results they get when they focus on just one thing.When you look for something specific, miracles can happen. Sometimes you see what you're looking for and sometimes you don't. But when you try to focus on everything,you are overwhelmed and important things can go unobserved. You almost never see what you're looking for, because you're looking for too much.The more experienced you become, the more things you can focus on and still get results. But when you're still learning and having little success spotting poker tells or understanding your foes, use the rule of one.
2. This is not an absolute, set-in-stone list of things to look for or how to observe.Everything we're going to talk about today is collectively only one example of how I might teach somebody to go about observing things at a poker table. You can incorporate today's tips into your own game plan, add some, subtract others or you can just take advantage of these specific tips, exactly as presented.
3. First question: Is this game worth my time?That's the first thing that demands your attention. If the game is so tough that there's no profit in it or if there is a better game available, you shouldn't be in that seat. You can get a good idea about whether a game is worthwhile even before you take a seat. In the first hour of play, keep asking yourself what things are happening that you clearly know you wouldn't (or shouldn't) do. If you don't spot any of these mistakes, the game is probably not very profitable.And that's one of the key lessons I've learned over my years of playing poker. I need to see mistakes made by others that I wouldn't make myself. If I can't spot these, I'm probably in a bad game. The only regular exception I make is against players who are not making many tactical errors but exhibit powerful tells. Then I'll play because I won't be able to take advantage of such blatant tells in another game where opponents seem otherwise to be playing more poorly.
4. Second question: What is my fantasy seat.By applying the criteria we've talked about in previous lessons (sit to the left of the loose players so they act before you, also sit to the left of knowledgeable, aggressive players, and sit to the right of tight non-entity players), decide what seat you would most like to have. If an opportunity arises allowing you to take that seat, take it. If you don't focus from time to time on what seat you would ideally like to have, you'll likely be too late to make a switch if that seat becomes available.
5. Try to reconstruct hands.Nothing else gives you as much insight into the way opponents really play. Focus on just one opponent and - after seeing the showdown and while the next deal is being prepared - go back mentally and try to equate that player's hand with how he played at each stage of the action.You will discover wondrous new things about an opponent's habits when you try to put the picture together after the fact and figure out how he arrived at the showdown. Most world class players do this instinctively.
6. When looking for tells, focus on just one player.Other tells from other players involved in the hand might become apparent, anyway.The main reason players can't spot tells is that they don't focus on just one player at a time. Remember, too many trees and you can't see the forest.
7. When you're out of a hand and you don't feel like observing, don't.I believe that one of the main reasons players don't learn observational skills - and thereby sacrifice profit - is that observing constantly is agony. It's better to let your mind rest when it wants to rest. Always observe when you're in a hand. Otherwise:
When it's comfortable to observe do; when it's not, don't.Yes, you can force yourself to concentrate more and play a little better for short periods. But most people will find that they "burn out" quickly and are unable to playvlonger sessions in profitable games if they force concentration while their mind rebels.vI believe that in those long, profitable games, you should let your brain relax between hands whenever it wants to.
8. A simple, accurate way to rate your table.For 20 hands that you're not involved in: (a) Add 1 point for each call; (b) Subtract 1 point for each raise; and (c) Subtract 1 extra point for each check-raise (minus 2 points total). First bets are ignored in the count. Re-raises count as a single raise (minus 1 point). All players' actions count, even when they act more than once on a single betting round. The higher the score, the better.
You'll have to compare your results to other games of the same size, type, and number of players. But soon you'll know with surprising accuracy how profitable today's game is compared to yesterday's. Twenty hands may seem like too small a statistical sample, and sometimes it is. But usually it's enough to tell how profitable your game is relative to others you've played or will play. Try it. -MC
RELATIV BLOG:betthepot.blogspot.com
Some of Poker's Most Profitable Things to Observe
I believe that many potential winners are inattentive at poker games simply because they don't know what's important. They want to win. But they try to do too much at once. They try to look at everything. They become frustrated. They fail. They look at nothing.That's what we're going to talk about today. This was the 26th in my serious of Tuesday.Session classroom lectures at Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy. It was delivered March 23, 1999 and has been specially enhanced for Card Player. The title of my talk was….
Profitable things to watch in a poker game
1. The vast majority of players simply give up on trying to observe seriously,
because the task is too overwhelming.Trying to take poker seriously, but still not being able to discover basic traits or tells in opponents is a classic case of "not being able to see the forest for the trees." There is so much going on at a poker table that -- if you try to watch it all -- you will almost certainly be overwhelmed and you might as well observe nothing. You will seldom observe the most profitable things in poker if you try to look for everything. The trick is to focus on one thing at a time.Students are often amazed by the results they get when they focus on just one thing.When you look for something specific, miracles can happen. Sometimes you see what you're looking for and sometimes you don't. But when you try to focus on everything,you are overwhelmed and important things can go unobserved. You almost never see what you're looking for, because you're looking for too much.The more experienced you become, the more things you can focus on and still get results. But when you're still learning and having little success spotting poker tells or understanding your foes, use the rule of one.
2. This is not an absolute, set-in-stone list of things to look for or how to observe.Everything we're going to talk about today is collectively only one example of how I might teach somebody to go about observing things at a poker table. You can incorporate today's tips into your own game plan, add some, subtract others or you can just take advantage of these specific tips, exactly as presented.
3. First question: Is this game worth my time?That's the first thing that demands your attention. If the game is so tough that there's no profit in it or if there is a better game available, you shouldn't be in that seat. You can get a good idea about whether a game is worthwhile even before you take a seat. In the first hour of play, keep asking yourself what things are happening that you clearly know you wouldn't (or shouldn't) do. If you don't spot any of these mistakes, the game is probably not very profitable.And that's one of the key lessons I've learned over my years of playing poker. I need to see mistakes made by others that I wouldn't make myself. If I can't spot these, I'm probably in a bad game. The only regular exception I make is against players who are not making many tactical errors but exhibit powerful tells. Then I'll play because I won't be able to take advantage of such blatant tells in another game where opponents seem otherwise to be playing more poorly.
4. Second question: What is my fantasy seat.By applying the criteria we've talked about in previous lessons (sit to the left of the loose players so they act before you, also sit to the left of knowledgeable, aggressive players, and sit to the right of tight non-entity players), decide what seat you would most like to have. If an opportunity arises allowing you to take that seat, take it. If you don't focus from time to time on what seat you would ideally like to have, you'll likely be too late to make a switch if that seat becomes available.
5. Try to reconstruct hands.Nothing else gives you as much insight into the way opponents really play. Focus on just one opponent and - after seeing the showdown and while the next deal is being prepared - go back mentally and try to equate that player's hand with how he played at each stage of the action.You will discover wondrous new things about an opponent's habits when you try to put the picture together after the fact and figure out how he arrived at the showdown. Most world class players do this instinctively.
6. When looking for tells, focus on just one player.Other tells from other players involved in the hand might become apparent, anyway.The main reason players can't spot tells is that they don't focus on just one player at a time. Remember, too many trees and you can't see the forest.
7. When you're out of a hand and you don't feel like observing, don't.I believe that one of the main reasons players don't learn observational skills - and thereby sacrifice profit - is that observing constantly is agony. It's better to let your mind rest when it wants to rest. Always observe when you're in a hand. Otherwise:
When it's comfortable to observe do; when it's not, don't.Yes, you can force yourself to concentrate more and play a little better for short periods. But most people will find that they "burn out" quickly and are unable to playvlonger sessions in profitable games if they force concentration while their mind rebels.vI believe that in those long, profitable games, you should let your brain relax between hands whenever it wants to.
8. A simple, accurate way to rate your table.For 20 hands that you're not involved in: (a) Add 1 point for each call; (b) Subtract 1 point for each raise; and (c) Subtract 1 extra point for each check-raise (minus 2 points total). First bets are ignored in the count. Re-raises count as a single raise (minus 1 point). All players' actions count, even when they act more than once on a single betting round. The higher the score, the better.
You'll have to compare your results to other games of the same size, type, and number of players. But soon you'll know with surprising accuracy how profitable today's game is compared to yesterday's. Twenty hands may seem like too small a statistical sample, and sometimes it is. But usually it's enough to tell how profitable your game is relative to others you've played or will play. Try it. -MC
RELATIV BLOG:betthepot.blogspot.com
Free Poker
