Seven Live Poker Tells You Don’t Know Are Giving You Away

From licking your lips to tapping the table, the number of physical tells we exhibit at the poker table is in the thousands. You can’t stop them all, but we have found seven key tells that you can make sure never give you away, whether you’re playing a major live tournament or just want to dominate your home poker game.

1. Eye Tells

It’s easy to get obsessed with physical poker tells, but as humans we are always drawn to the eyes. Often referred to as the ‘windows to the soul’ our eyes are naturally readable. Police detectives, psychologists and even our own partners will tell you that they can tell if someone is lying from the look in their eyes.

At the poker table, of course, we are all dealing in a world of lies. Each move is designed to convince players at the felt of a mistruth. We can pretend to look strong when we’re weak, bluff when we don’t have it and each look at the cards, at each other, can be read. Avoiding revealing information with your eyes is very hard. Of course, you can wear sunglasses – if they’re permitted, as many organizers now believe they spoil the game – but maintaining a rhythm to what you’re looking at is vital.

Looking at the board when cards are immediately dealt is a big giveaway. If we’ve four-bet with ace-king, we’re naturally drawn to looking at those three cards that land on the flop, hoping that either of our strong cards have found a pair or a flush or straight draw. It’s completely predictable to want to look at them as they land, but those three cards are not going anywhere, and you could look at them 30 seconds after watching your opponent as they observe the flop instead.

Here’s former FBI agent Joe Navarro on how the eyes can give plenty away in poker:

2. Stack Tells

Moving your stack, building your stack, removing from your stack. Poker is a game of cards, but it is played with the chips. Poker chips are a huge part of poker, and how you act with them can reveal more about your game than you know. Respectfully to other players, you should stack them in piles of 20, making them easy to add up for any attendant reporters if you’re playing in a big event, but even at your local casino, how you act with them can be massive.

How a player takes chips from their stack and puts them into the pot can be a big tell. If they throw chips in, it can actually be a sign of nerves rather than casual strength. Ideally, you want to block the possibility of someone reading how you bet with your chips by replicating the same movement each time you bet.

Also, sometimes a player will check late on the board (on the turn or on the river) before then quickly calling your bet. This is often an indicator of someone trying to mimic being heavily invested in the pot. Look closely at this action in your opponents and watch what they have if the hand goes to showdown; this subtle movement can often be a sign of weakness in that person’s hand.

3. Mouth Tells

The mouth can often be the thing that gives away the strength of a poker hand – by what it says. However, there are more reveals that the mouth gives away than simply the sound that comes out of it. One big tell comes from a ‘stretched’ mouth, or a flat expression. In life, we often make this gesture when we’re being told someone else’s bad news.

We sympathize, expressing concern for others when making this face. At the poker table, however, it can reveal our own position of strength in a hand. Zachary Elwood, whose Reading Poker Tells is a fantastic book that shines a light on many common physical behaviors at the felt – highlights this unconscious action we regularly perform that can give us away at the poker table.

Strength is a very hard thing to conceal. Our body automatically relaxes, and we exhibit clearly identifiable behaviors that display this to others around us. This is because in real life, if we are safe, it is our human instinct to show others we care for around us that they are safe too. In poker, this expression can be a bluff, but if it is followed by a positive action (i.e. a bet or a raise), then watch out for the strength in that player’s hand.

Here’s Zachary Elwood to explain this tell in more detail.

4. Breathing Tells

The way you breathe can give you away at the poker felt and everyone knows this. The way players try to modify their breathing when they have a very bad hand or a very good hand is a clear example of how we’re all aware how informative our breathing can be. Back in the 2010’s, this reporter was watching a final table play but when a well-known WSOP bracelet winner and 20-year professional was making a bluff.

Standing behind the player ready to report on the hand, I noticed that their pulse was clearly visible in their neck, and I could put it together as a bluff based on that information – it got me thinking to whether another player at the final table felt could work out the bluff on the neck-pulse alone.

Controlling your breathing is very difficult but as part of many top poker players’ preparations these day, meditation and mindfulness can be key. By learning to regularly control their breathing, players are then putting themselves into a state whereby they are relaxed, consistently the same in outward appearance and very hard to read indeed.

5. Talking Tells

Talking can reveal an awful lot about the strength of a poker hand and in gameplay, getting another player to talk can be a useful way of prizing information from an opponent. Eliciting information that tells you if that player if bluffing or betting with strength is vital… so how can you prevent giving anything away yourself?

By understanding that every word you say can convey the truth in one manner or another. If you’e grilled by an opponent after you’ve put them to a decision then unless you want to tell them what you have, don’t engage in wordplay unless you’re very able to  hold your own and disguise what you have in your hand.

The popular poker legend Fedor Holz has made millions in the live arena and his breakdown of Garret Adelstein’s ploy of talking to his opponent in this hand is very insightful.

6. Motivation Tells

One of the most common misconceptions that exist in poker is that every player is doing their very best and is desperate to win at all costs. This is hopefully the case with you, but it won’t be the case with everyone around you. Poker players are often not at their best and the so-called ‘A Game’ that all the elite pros talk about is hard to maintain.

Identifying which players don’t have that eye of the tiger at any time is hard but not impossible. If someone has won their seat in a competition or a qualifier then it could be that they’ll be looking at the game as some sort of freeroll. We’ve discussed the value of freeroll events but have no doubts, they also show you which player perhaps don’t have your experience at the level they’re playing at.

If you’re ever not at your best, then making sure that no-one at the table recognizes it can be very important. Stick to your usual game, don’t get too aggressive in your play or fearful either. If your motivation dips, then its time to step away from the table but if you’re in game, then consistency is key.

7. Hand Tells

Your hand can give you away, and we’re not talking about ace-king. Your hands themselves can be lightning rods for your emotions and from biting your fingernails to wringing your hands, you need to keep an eye on how you’re using your hands at the poker felt. Firstly, think about where you place your hands during a hand. Do you sit them in front of you, does your left hand rest on your right shoulder?

You should be comfortable in resting your hand(s) somewhere that won’t be disturbed during a hand until you need to make an action of your own with your chips. One of the most common ways to display hand strength is using your hands more during table talk when you’re thinking about what to do. We express ourselves with our hands all the time, but if you’re doing too much with them, its very possible that you’re communicating your intentions to your opponents and giving away vital information.

Poker tells are a speciality of Daniel Negreanu and the GGPoker ambassador shows how good he is at reading his opponents here as he breaks down the action of his fellow GG ambassador Alex Botez as the chess grandmaster gives herself away at the poker felt shortly after meeting her hero.

Conclusion

Mastering your physical tells at the poker table can be the difference between winning big and giving too much away. While it’s tough to eliminate every little signal, being aware of these key tells and how to manage them can give you a real edge. Poker is as much about reading others as it is about how well you can keep your own emotions in check. So, next time you sit down to play, remember—it’s not just the cards in your hand that matter, but how you control the story you’re telling through your actions. Stay calm, stay consistent, and you’ll keep your opponents guessing.