Tell (poker)

In poker, a tell is a detectable change in a player's behavior

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that gives clues to that player's hand.

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Possible tells include leaning forward or back, placing chips with more

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or less force, fidgeting, changes in breathing or tone of voice, direction

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of gaze and actions with the cards, cigarettes, or drinks.

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For example, a player with a weak hand, hoping to bluff, may throw his chips

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into the pot forcefully and with a direct gaze at a player he hopes to

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discourage from calling.

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Tells may be common to a class of players or unique to a single player.

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A player gains an advantage if she observes another player's tell,

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particularly if that action is unconscious and reliable.

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However, better players may fake tells, hoping to lead their opponents into

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costly traps when they rely on the false information.

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So the observing, creating, and evaluating of tells can add another level

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to the play of poker.

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A number of tells are common to most poker players -- when someone with normally-still hands bets, and their hands shake, it's a release of tension indicating that they are confident in their cards. As well, most players act -- as in, try to conceal their intentions -- and generally behave aggressively or loudly with a weak holding, while acting meek and mild with strong ones. More in-depth information can be gleaned from Mike Caro's comprehensive book on tells;

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his Book of Tells (ISBN 0897461002) is now a standard reference on the subject.

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David Mamet's 1987 movie House of Games includes an interesting

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discussion and visual reference to tells as an essential part of the plot.

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The 1998 movie Rounders contains an even more subtle use of strategy:

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at one point, "Mike" discovers a tell in his opponent (that he eats

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cookies in a particular way after he has bet a very strong hand), and

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after using it once, he reveals to the opponent that he has this tell;

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although this eliminates the usefulness of the tell itself, it upsets

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his opponent so much that it affects his later play.

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