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Even though seeking to completely control one's tells is a good goal to aim for, it may be a good idea not to give them a chance of happening. One way of accomplishing this, noted in Phil Gordon's Little Green Book, is not to look at your cards until it is your turn to act (before the Flop in Texas Hold'em). Or, to state it in a more general way: The less ...

I can think of two tell-tale signs: Is your heart racing? whether you are excited because you are doing well or poorly, you might want to take a breather and calm down a bit. Are you starting to get personally invested in a particular player? do you feel riled up? do you want to teach them a lesson? do you get a rush from their misfortune? Again, you might ...

Firstly, I'm using my words very precisely here as this area is rife with poor distinctions and that itself is due to the subject material. "Tells" are what I consider traits that are outside of what you should consider "Game Mechanics" or (GM). GM's are all the explicit things you'd see that are non-player specific and intrinsic to the workings of the ...

In addition to codesparkle's great advice, I think the other key thing (as noted in Joe Navarro's Read 'Em and Reap) is to replace your tells with routine. Have a set (and comfortable) base position that you return to every time, likely with your elbows on the table, hands covering your mouth. Consciously strive to make your actions (looking at cards, ...

In online poker the only tells you can get are: timing tells when a player start talking in the chat (the poker site usually don't allow it when someone is all-in to make it more difficult to cheat) You should treat bet sizing as a FACTOR of the hand, and consider it and keep it in mind in EVERY hand, not handle it like a tell. Tells can help you win the ...

This would differ from person to person. If I had to generalize it I would say you are playing on tilt when "You are making decisions with no sound reason." Being on tilt can also be physical: Is your heart rate increasing? Do you feel like you are breathing harder? Emotionally: Are you angry? Do you emotionally feel like you are a yo-yo? The best ...

Tilt is defined by betting patterns, not so much mental state or emotions, etc. People can be completely lucid, irate, arrogant or in any other form unusual to that specific player and still make the optimal play in each situation, which by definition makes them not tilting. The most common forms of tilting are when a player changes their typical betting ...

It's challenging to accomplish, but taking a long view of poker is a good way to hide tells. If you don't let yourself get caught up in wishing for a specific outcome or action, then you are less likely to show nerves or excitement/disappointment. Dissociate your thoughts from the money and approach each situation as you would if the situation were posed as ...

Don't talk during hands. The less you communicate, the less you risk giving away. Don't try to stare down an opponent. A lot is revealed in your eyes. I like to look at a spot on the table in front of me if I am being scrutinized by an opponent. Take your time. Especially when you've already made up your mind. Make it a habit to count to 10 slowly inside ...

Playing "on tilt" is playing while thinking with your emotions instead of your head. To avoid tilting, concentrate on your thought process throughout the game, and think all of your actions through. When you notice that you are no longer doing so, you are either on tilt or otherwise distracted. At this point you should take a break until you cool down and ...

1) When you receive your hole cards - relax, hold your breath and catch a moment when everyone is busy looking at their cards. Then look at your cards slowly and then think about something neutral (concentrate on a thought how you don't really care what you're holding right now). It's better to look at your cards before your turn to act, otherwise you'll ...

For the most part, you shouldn't rely on online tells, because they can be fairly easily faked. That said, there is one tell that translates to online play: bet size. Obviously it will vary by player, but if you pay attention you may find that min-bets and pushes say something about the size of the player's hand.

When I'm tilting I start to open up my range of hands wider and play them badly out of position. I also start shouting at the screen after bad beats. I start to chase hands against people that have given me a bad beat, trying to get revenge. If I notice these things I stand up for a minute have a stretch compose myself and get back to it. I dont tilt for ...

When playing fast games online (~ 30 seconds of decision time), the time a person takes to decide can be a tell-tale sign. Of course, general lag, and intentionally long pauses make this an inexact science, but on average, if a person takes too long to make a decision (longer than 2/3-rds of the clock), chances are they are unsure of their choice. As ...