Easiest way to spot a bluff
Roy Rounder
There is one KEY PRINCIPLE to keep in mind when deciding if someone is BLUFFING or has a GREAT HAND...
Here it is:
If a player acts STRONG, he is probably WEAK.
If a player acts WEAK, he is probably STRONG.
It's simple human nature.
This is NOT an original idea... Mike Caro was the first toput this amazing insight into words many years ago.
And after I had heard this wisdom, my poker winnings soaredto a NEW LEVEL.
Because every poker TELL boils down to this fundamentalprinciple.
Now, the UNFORTUNATE thing about this advice is that eventhough it is SO SIMPLE, most card players just don't "getit", or don't apply it properly.
So let's discuss how you can use this concept to spot bluffsQUICKLY, EASILY, and CONSISTENTLY...
First off, it's important to remember that in order to spotBLUFFS, you must be tuned into signs of STRENGTH as well.
For example... if you only look for "tells" that suggest aplayer is BLUFFING, you're only getting half the picture...
When trying to get an accurate read on an opponent, you mustbe looking for both signs of strength AND weakness.
Let's go back to our main "rule" again and look at the firstpart:
"If a player acts STRONG, he is probably WEAK."
This means that when a player does something that makes itLOOK like he's got a monster hand, he's probably bluffing.
The CRUCIAL point to keep in mind is that most players don'tTRY to act strong. They just do it unconsciously...
I know that sounds strange, but think about it.
Let's say you've got 9d-2s and you decide to make a boldbluff by going all-in pre-flop (which I don't recommend, bythe way!).
Anyway... in your mind, you're thinking, "Damn I sure hopeno one calls!"... but when someone starts contemplating adecision, you REALLY start to get worried.
So what do you do?
Well, the NATURAL thing to do... the thing that MOST playersdo... is to act like you're NOT afraid.
Obviously you don't want someone to know that you're SCAREDof getting called, right?
So you sit up straight, your hands don't tremble, your voicehas a little "arrogance" to it...
And ultimately, all of those things are signs that you'reBLUFFING.
But you didn't MEAN to act that way... it just kind of camenaturally. You didn't think, "Oh, I don't want him to knowthat I'm scared, so I'm going to sit up straight and actsmooth and talk with arrogance."
It just kind of HAPPENS...
Still with me?
Ultimately, a BLUFF is a LIE.
That's right... just a plain old lie.
So when someone is bluffing by betting, they're simply LYINGabout what they have in their hand.
Which means technically, the real skill is not the abilityto spot a bluff... it's the ability to spot a LIE.
But anyway... back to my point...
When the player acts strong, he's probably weak. But hedidn't really CHOOSE to act strong... this is just a"mechanism" inside of him that turns on, simply because he'sLYING to you about his hand.
Let me show you a few practical examples. Here are THREEvaluable "tells" to look for:
1. When a player "flicks" his chips in the middle with extraOOMPH or tosses them in aggressively...
What's going on there?
I'll tell you what:
The player is ACTING strong... which means he probablydoesn't have a very good hand.
2. When a player speaks aggressively and talks a lot...
Once again, this is usually a sign of weakness, since theplayer is "covering up" his bad hand by acting like he's gotsomething.
BUT... this poker tell is very easy to confuse and getCOMPLETELY WRONG, and here's why:
There is a major difference between SPEAKING AGGRESSIVELYand DEMONSTRATING CONFIDENCE.
Here's what I mean...
If a player talks a lot in a manner that's NOT normal forhim, it's usually a sign of WEAKNESS.
The way to sense this is to look for any signs ofDESPERATION with his voice...
But if the player is chatting along, having a good time, andseems quite CONFIDENT in general, it usually means he has astrong hand.
It's a very subtle difference, and takes time to learn.
3. When a player looks you dead in the eye...
This usually means the player does not have a strong hand.
The "death stare" is simply an ACT of strength, but what itreally means is WEAKNESS.
Now...
Let's flip this over and look at poker tells that will showyou when a player is sitting on a monster hand...
Because knowing when to FOLD is often times MORE IMPORTANTthan just knowing when someone's bluffing you.
So, repeating the second part of our mantra:
"If a player acts WEAK, he is probably STRONG."
ACTING WEAK is usually more subtle than acting strong...it's usually demonstrated in a way that is more likeDISINTEREST.
And once again, the player doesn't usually MEAN to actweak... it's simply a NATURAL MECHANISM. Of course,sometimes a player will INTENTIONALLY ACT WEAK, but themeaning behind it is still the same:
He's got a strong hand.
Here are three poker tells when a player is acting WEAK, buthas a really great hand:
1. Looking AWAY and acting disinterested... and NOT makingeye contact with you...
This is the opposite of STARING YOU DOWN, which is a sign ofweakness.
This poker tell is ESPECIALLY apparent when the flop hits...if the flop REALLY helped a player, he'll usually justglance at it for a brief moment and then look away.
(On the other hand, if a player stares at the cards on theflop for a long period of time, that usually means the flopdid NOT help him.)
2. Being very quiet...
When a player is PRAYING to himself that you're going tocall his bet, he usually stays very quiet and to himself...
If everyone at the table is laughing at something and aplayer suddenly gets QUIET... or kind of "forces" hislaugh... then that's a sign he just picked up a monsterhand.
Beware!
3. Getting shaky...
When a player's hands get very shaky, watch out.
Some people think it's a sign of BLUFFING, but I sure hopeyou're not one of those people. Shaky hands is almost alwaysa sign of a MONSTER HAND.
Also... I might add here... that after someone WINS a reallybig pot, sometimes they get shaky as an "after effect".
Honestly, I have no idea why. But I do know that it happens.So if someone just won a huge pot and is looking kind ofshaky, that's probably why.
Knowing about poker tells like these... both signs ofWEAKNESS and signs of STRENGTH... is a very important partof WINNING POKER.
Written by Roy Rounder
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