Revealing a Friend's Tells

Question

You have a friend with whom you play regularly. You want to help each other get better, and you frequently discuss strategy, hands, etc. You've picked up on a tell of his.

Do you ...

• Tell him about it?
• Keep it to yourself and exploit it?
• Let him know you have something on him, and then beat him mercilessly with it until he figures it out?
• Something else?

To further complicate things, imagine this friend (whom you do want to see succeed--just not against you) is entering a major event soon. Would you give up this edge you could have on him?

Answer 1

If you want to see him become a better poker player, tell him. If not, keep it to yourself.

Answer 2

If you want to help each other get better, you should tell him. Play against each other hard, but away from the table you can both benefit if you are each other's ally. If you tell him about his tell, you might be surprised when he reciprocates and tells you about yours.

Answer 3

I'd tell him, as long as he tells me when he figures out my tells. It's a great way to help each other grow.

That being said, I'd tell him after the game I figured it out in.

Answer 4

Assuming we are at basically equal skills or he is not taking more money than I can afford from me(which if he is I would have another problem):

I absolutely tell him. Exploiting a tell will not help me improve. Finding new tells will.

If he has been exploiting our friendship to suck my extra cash dry, then I would probably make him sweat out a few games where I can exploit it though.

Answer 5

I would tell the friend that he has a tell, but not "tell" him what it is. Instead, let him figure it out. (Maybe drop a helpful hint from time to time.)

If you "tell" him, you've cured just one tell. If you train him to find his tells, you've cured him "for life." (Like the difference between giving a man a fish and teaching him to fish.)