The Biggest Tell in Poker

I’m watching some late night ESPN WSOP and one of the common denominators I’m seeing for people who give away their hand is acting to quick on their hand.  You’ve got to be careful here because even if you hold off, the amount of time you take to act can reveal patterns in your game.  But that’s secondary to acting very quickly when you’re holding a big hand or just hit your card.  This is especially illuminated if you have been acting slowly throughout the hand.  Of course, you can use this information to your advantage and act very excitedly to show strength.  If someone is acting unusually quickly, decipher their playing level and greenness to poker.  If they act like an amateur or unexperienced player, they most likely are and you can use this to read a big hand.  Polished players usually don’t act like this simply because they don’t want to look like an amateur.  Of course, you always take the scenario into account, but in general big hands act quickly.  To see what I’m talking about, watch the WSOP highlights.