How to Effectively Hide Tells

With poker, it’s important that you try to be as indifferent as possible. With that said, though, a large number of people have tells. These are things a person does that gives away that they have a good or bad hand. While you might not be able to get rid of all of your tells, there are a few things you can do to make them less noticeable. Keep reading to find them out!

Relax

Staying relaxed is one of the easiest ways to help hide your tells. People can tell a lot about you based on what facial expressions or body movements you make and they can quickly pick up any tells. Not only do you want to stay relaxed when you have good cards in your hand, but also when good cards come up on the board. By practicing relaxation, you’ll have an easier time hiding your tells.

Stay Covered

Another great tip for hiding your tells is to wear a hat or sunglasses. Since there are so many tells that you can give away, you want to try and cover your body as much as possible. Make sure you wear something that isn’t too out of the ordinary, such as pro poker player Paul Phua who wears a baseball cap, he speak about this and the Art of Bluffing here. Many people wear similar clothing, so try and blend in. Some things, like sunglasses, you’ll want to try and wear sparingly. Not only does it look a little suspicious, but you might have a hard time seeing what the cards are.

Don’t Converse

Some people might think it’s a little rude, but try and avoid conversation with other players. Many players that have been playing for a long time will try and start a conversation with you and see if they can notice any tells. You also want to watch any questions you’re asked by opponents because they might have it formed in a way that requires you to give away information. You might not think you’re giving anything away, but poker veterans can pick up tells quickly and easily.

Don’t Show Emotion

Avoiding emotion is another thing that can help you hide your tells. If your opponents see your eyes light up or your expression fall, they’ll be able to figure out what kind of hand you have. It might take a little bit of practice, but you want to try and have the same expression regardless of what kind of hand you have. If possible, you should try and keep the same expression throughout the entire match.

Keep Consistent Posture

A final thing you can do to prevent giving away tells is to keep the same posture through the whole match. Seasoned players will watch you and watch the outcome of the hand, which gives them insight into what you do for a good and bad hand. This is another thing that you might not realize you’re doing, but you might be giving away tells you didn’t even know you had.

Using these tips can help you make your tells less noticeable. This is especially important where there’s a lot of money at stake and you can use these to get an idea of what other people might be doing to hide their tells, which could give you an idea of what you can do to feel them out.