Joined: Apr '11
Location: Romania
Age: 58 (M)
Posts: 2432
According to a recent study at Stanford University, your hands could be more important than you think. Testing the importance of a player's poker face, Michael Slepian split 78 volunteers into groups of three and showed them video clips from the 2009 WSOP. Each clip showed a player betting, but each group's clips were shown from a different angle, namely the bettor's face, arms and hands or their entire body. After running multiple trials and collating the data, Slepian was able to conclude that observers, even ones without poker experience, can intuitively sense strength or weakness via someone's hands. When compared and contrasted with the other results, the tests showed that the smoothness of someone's betting action will give away more than the look on someone's face.
Joined: Nov '12
Location: Canada
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 4675
G'day mate
I have known this from live poker play for years. This science geek is just know figuring out that people have a harder time keeping there hands steady from an adrenaline rush then they do hiding their reactions on there face. You gotta wonder sometimes. I bet this science geek has just got a bunch of letters behind his name and with this so called wondrous break through just got a crap load of grant study money to do more study's.
Joined: Nov '09
Location: Canada
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 2387
Posted by RoninHarper: I have known this from live poker play for years. This science geek is just know figuring out that people have a harder time keeping there hands steady from an adrenaline rush then they do hiding their reactions on there face.
Yeah, I can remember when I started playing live trying to keep my hands from shaking a bit when raising with AA in the pocket! But after you have learned to control that like any decent live player can, I have noticed very slight differences in hand gestures by my opponents. The way they will check when it is their turn or the way they will put chips in the middle for a bet or a raise, but I haven't played enough to decode it - plus there is the whole thing of reverse-tells which I try and use at the table. The live game is so different from online...
Joined: Jan '12
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 36 (M)
Posts: 1204
Ye I always thought it was weird the way when I'm playing I always stare at peoples hands as they do things with them. Then i noticed i was getting a tell from people by doing this without even thinking about it. Its weird the way something as innocent as the way somebody puts chips into the pot can bring you to the conclusion they are bluffing
Joined: Nov '09
Location: Canada
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 2387
Posted by sadamman: Ye I always thought it was weird the way when I'm playing I always stare at peoples hands as they do things with them. Then i noticed i was getting a tell from people by doing this without even thinking about it. Its weird the way something as innocent as the way somebody puts chips into the pot can bring you to the conclusion they are bluffing
For this reason when I play live I try to do every action the same way every single time, be it a raise or a check. I also always try to take the exact same amount of time to look at my hole cards before capping them - whether they are AA or 27o. Also, I memorize my hole cards before capping them and play the rest of the hand without looking at them. Players peeking at their hole cards during a hand can tell you a lot about what they have or what they are chasing.
Joined: Nov '12
Location: Canada
Age: 55 (M)
Posts: 4675
Posted by mahdrof:
Posted by sadamman: Ye I always thought it was weird the way when I'm playing I always stare at peoples hands as they do things with them. Then i noticed i was getting a tell from people by doing this without even thinking about it. Its weird the way something as innocent as the way somebody puts chips into the pot can bring you to the conclusion they are bluffing
For this reason when I play live I try to do every action the same way every single time, be it a raise or a check. I also always try to take the exact same amount of time to look at my hole cards before capping them - whether they are AA or 27o. Also, I memorize my hole cards before capping them and play the rest of the hand without looking at them. Players peeking at their hole cards during a hand can tell you a lot about what they have or what they are chasing.
Well amigo you are not lying on that regard. You are 100% correct. I once had a friend ell me the better my hand was the more I looked at my cards just to make sure I was right so the guys new when to fold. Well the next week I stole a lot more pots bluffing, but by the end of the night they figured out I was not always getting good hole catds. I was just really forgetful about my cards
Joined: May '11
Location: United Kingdom
Age: 33 (M)
Posts: 217
Ive always thought your senses had a good part to play in poker, sometimes you cant work it out by thinking but your gut reaction tells you everything you need to know
Joined: Mar '09
Location: Greece
Age: 47 (F)
Posts: 14136
I dont have a single problem with my hands while im playing poker. Wish i could say the same for my eyes and eyebrows though lol. There, there is some problem actually. Good time im not playing live
Joined: May '11
Location: Netherlands
Age: 50 (M)
Posts: 198
When reading people yoou have to know what you are doing. It can work against you too. I remember my first live tourney where I noticed one guy who frequently got all excited when he open raised. I saw that his neck vain was pumping like mad. So I took that as a read meaning he probably had a good hand when doing so. After a couple of hours I found out that he his pumping vain actually applies each and everytime when he open raised. Even with bluff hands.
But after you have learned to control that like any decent live player can, I have noticed very slight differences in hand gestures by my opponents. The way they will check when it is their turn or the way they will put chips in the middle for a bet or a raise, but I haven't played enough to decode it - plus there is the whole thing of reverse-tells which I try and use at the table. The live game is so different from online...
