The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Continuing from my poker post dated, wow, April 27 (time flies when you see your Sens choke!)I'd like to share with you some more tells that may help you in future cards session if you're trying to decide if your opponent is strong or weak:

- A player who organizes their chips in neat stacks is usually the sign of someone who's not a big gambler and is tight. Someone who has their chips in a big mess in front of them is usually a loose player and will play any two cards.

- If someone is busy playing with their MP3 player, talking on a cell phone or in a conversation with someone, then they peak at their cards and reach for chips, give them credit for a strong hand. Hardly anyone will play a junk hand if they have something else to pass their time

- A player who bets quickly is usually weak. A player who bets slowly is usually strong, as they are trying to demonstrate they are uncertain about betting.

- Players who call their hand quickly are usually on some sort of draw. If they've made a modest hand, they usually think a little bit before making a decision. If they've made a monster hand, like flopping three of a kind, they will contemplate raising or flat calling and not rush their decision.

- If you're thinking about making a bet and the player next to act is reaching for chips, that's usually a sign they're weak and they're trying to intimidate you by implying they will raise or call your bet.

If you're playing against a savvy player, you might encounter the "reverse" tell. For example, I played a hand where there were four callers including myself, and I held pocket 7s. The flop came:

2-3-5

Not a bad flop for 7s. I was first to act and bet 1/2 the pot. The person next to me raised and the last two players folded. I made a mistake already by not raising my hand pre-flop, so he could have had anything. While I was thinking about it, he leant back against his chair and had his hands behind his head...a sign of strength. I quickly folded.

"What did you have?"
"Not much" and showed me one of his hole cards, a five. I was well ahead in the hand with my 7s better than his smaller pair.
"I thought you had a monster hand!" I said later on in the evening.
"That's what I wanted you to think!" was the response.

Always be careful with tells!