What exactly is a poker tell? A tell is a bad habit that a player can have (often subconsciously) that tells his or her opponents something about the handing they are holding.

Many players are in denial about their tells, but most amateur and even mid-level players have tells.

What are some basic tells?

It can be said that when a player is holding some monster cards or a good hand they will sometimes...

1. Have shaky hands.
2. Pretend to be uninterested.
3. Look at their chips after the flop, turn, or river (plotting an attack).
4. Breathe heavily (also note increased heart rate).

If a player is bluffing or has a weak hand he or she might...

1. Try to appear to be holding a strong hand (leaning back in seat, staring down opponents, and talking a lot)

If your playing online take note of whether or not your opponents use the check boxes while playing. You can tell if they have already made up their mind to make a decision. This can mean that they are holding good cards.

Players talking a lot of trash in the chat box may be on tilt and are likely to be easy money.

Keep track of how many hands your opponents are playing. If they play almost every hand then they are careless and should be easy to beat. Watch out for the guy just sitting their waiting on high pocket pairs.

Try not to show any tells when you are playing at Party Poker or Sun Poker!