Monday, November 10, 2008

Live Tells ... so much to learn.

If you haven't already checked out the RedPro Forums on PokerRoad, please do. They are clutter free and incredible! Here is an extract from a Tony "Bond 18" Dunst request for advice on Tells

http://www.pokerroad.com/forums/showthread.php?t=743&goto=nextnewest ...

I thought about betting but by now I decided he either has AT-AQ or he has a flush draw that missed. So I check and he grabbed like 4k which was more than half his stack and about a pot sized bet, and he throws his chips in with a flick of the wrist, giving the chips that kind of "spin" throw... I don't know if this is how he value bets or if this is how he bluffs but I decided to stand up from my chair and yell "YOU DID THE SPIN THROW, THATS ALWAYS A BLUFF" just to see what his reaction was, he remained just as still and quiet. At this point I knew that if I talk for 2 minutes I'd eventually be able to get one or two tells that will let me decide whether or not I can call. So for the next 2 or 3 minutes I kept saying stuff like "I cant beat anything, but I can probably beat you" "I make one sick call per tourney, this might be it" etc etc....this guy wasn't giving anything away, and finally I decide to go under the table and look at his feet. Navarro says the feet are the most truthful part of the body and whenever I look under the table people always think I'm just being a clown and they don't change the way their feet are positioned. So I go under and see his feet are flat on the ground, I come back up and I say "your feet say you're bluffing" at which point he smiles at me, I throw the chips in and he mucks his hand, I show the 22 and the guy announces to the table "You know what the sick thing is.....I've seen him do this before" pretty sure I didn't get bluffed again at that table.


It's identical to my Eric Assadourian experience in Auckland (I was at the next table) ... http://tiocfaidhmola.blogspot.com/2008/10/gone-walkabouts-playing-with-pros-in.html

Just incredible to witness and very very intimidating. Had I been at the table, I would have felt like just handing over my chips there and then. In reality, I now know that it is just a skill that has been learned and passed on between Pros. Not sure that I could combat it.

You just gotta love all aspects of poker!

1 comment:

The blindman said...

I reckon physical tells are overrated. This essay was written by chess International Master and poker player Guy West:

http://www.theholdemlounge.com/articles/poker_essay_01.html