The Show Must Go On - Poker Tells

The Show Must Go On BY BARBARA CONNORS

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their entrances and their exits; And one man in his time plays many parts. -William Shakespeare.

Tells in poker always fall into one of two categories- unintentional tells from players who don't realize what they're doing, and deliberate tells from actors. In this latter category, a player intentionally puts on a show to mislead his opponents. He's trying to fool you. This is the basis for that oft-repeated poker axiom, "Strong means weak and weak means strong." These would-be poker thespians want very badly to make you believe the opposite of the truth.


This type of acting runs the gamut, from subtle and nuanced (rare) to over-the-top hamminess (much more common). But whatever form it takes, poker acting never goes out of style.


Fundamentally, poker is a game of deception. So is acting. In both professions, the more deceptive you can be, the more success you will enjoy. It's a natural fit. And the poker table is a stage, where one by one, clockwise around the table, we each get a turn in the spotlight. When that spotlight shines on us, some just can't resist the temptation to put on a show. Trying to win that Oscar for Best Performance Trapping an Opponent While Holding the Mortal Nuts.


The biggest problem with "Hollywooding" is that just as in real life, true acting talent is rare. Bad acting performances are the rule, not the exception. And knowing how to read those bad-acting tells can earn you extra money. It may be more glamorous to be an actor, but it's more profitable to be a critic.


Generally speaking, the more exaggerated the acting performance, the more extreme the opposing truth will be. For example, if the action is on one of your opponents to call, and he shrugs his shoulders while announcing, "Oh what the hell, I'll raise,"-that's a blazing red flag. He's probably putting on a show with strong hand. Now suppose this exact same player gives us a more elaborate performance:


He agonizes over the decision while staring at his hole cards, starts to reach for his chips, and then hesitates. He sighs. Twists up his expression as if in physical pain, rubs his face, and finally asks in a defeated, mourn ful tone, "How much is it to me?" Now that's a real ham actor, chewing up the scenery for all he's worth. He's got the stone-cold nuts.


So watch out for any opponent who conspicuously sighs, shrugs, speaks with a too-obviously-sad tone of voice, or asks a stupid obvious question about how much it is for him to bet, call, or raise. These are all signs of a good hand putting on a bad acting performance.


Other clues pointing to a strong hand "playing possum" include the following: Conspicuously looking away from the action while trying a little too hard to appear unconcerned. A player making a showy, fake-folding gesture when he sees that another player is about to bet-an exaggerated show of disappointment when the river card hits. Because of its decisive nature, the river triggers more acting performances than any other round of betting). Or a raiser who jokingly informs the table that he is "only" making a position raise.


Let's go back a bit. How do you separate out the fake acting tells, which almost always mean the opposite of what they appear, from the "real" unintentional tells? To invoke Shakespeare again, "There's the rub."


The answer is to know your opponents. Know the situation. There's some intuition involved, yes, but mostly the solution is to just think it through logically. First of all, is this opponent aware that he is being watched? Is he sensitive to what's going on around him? Or is he truly caught up in his own world, lost in his own thoughts?


If you suspect that another player is putting on an act, next ask yourself: Who is he putting this act on for?


Every performer needs an audience, and poker actors are no exception. It always takes more energy to lie than to tell the truth, and embellishing the lie with a performance requires more energy still. It's a lot of work. So if you suspect a player is putting on an act, then that act should be aimed at a specific opponent-somebody whose decision in the hand matters to him. So always consider, for whose "benefit" is he acting? What is he trying to convince that person to do, and why?


Since acting does use up a lot of extra energy, it follows that most players won't bother unless something valuable is at stake. A player holding 8-3 offsuit who intends to fold is not going to waste his energy with putting on a show. Of course in all the above examples, something valuable is indeed at stake, because the player in question holds a strong hand and wants to maximize his profit.


But on the other side of the poker-acting spectrum, the "strong means weak" side, again something of value must hang in the balance for him to go to all that trouble.


Probably the most common tell of this type is the fake-grabbing-at-chips move. It's your turn to act, you're considering whether or not to make a bet, you look over at your opponent (who is yet to act behind you) and he immediately moves his hand towards his chips. He wants you to think he's eager to put money in the pot. He's putting on this fake-strong act for your benefit, to dissuade you from betting. And while he certainly doesn't hold a good hand (this is one of the most reliable tells in poker) he doesn't have trash, either.


What he wants here is a free card. He wants it badly enough to put on this performance for you, which means he must have something. A drawing hand or a smallish pair-something that could win at showdown if he catches the right card on the river. As with all poker actors, figure out what he's trying to coerce you into doing, and then do the opposite.


Of course any time you attempt to read poker tells you must first consider your opponent's "baseline demeanor." How do they act normally? Some people are naturally theatrical and dramatic. Some players usually have a depressed air about them, while others will always behave as if they're holding pocket aces. It's the deviations from their normal behavior that will tell you when something fishy is going on. Even, and perhaps especially, for poker players who fancy themselves as great actors