02.28.07

Weird…

Posted in Poker News at 6:13 pm by Valentino Viccetzar

Well, maybe not so weird, but definitely a lesson in bankroll management. As has become my (almost) daily habit, I was googling poker news on Monday evening and came across this insane post. Although the connection to this particular blog is perhaps a little tenuous, nonetheless, there is a strong poker theme to this story and a lesson to be learned.

In the news on Monday was the story of a teenage girl from south Pakistan whose father gambled her off in a poker game. The girl’s father lost her in a poker game when she was two years old and she’s in the news because she has been asking authorities in Pakistan to prevent her from being handed over to the middle-aged relative who apparently won her.

The girl’s mother said her husband amassed debts of 10,000 rupees to the family relative, Lal Haider, by playing poker.

“My husband didn’t have money to pay, and instead he told Lal Haider that he could take Rasheeda when she grows up,” she said.

Despite receiving the money he was owed last year, the mother also said Haider still insisted the girl should be given to him because of tribal customs.

Ok, so what lessons can we learn from this?

Well, um, let’s see. Don’t ever gamble more than you can afford to lose. And that includes not only the apparently obvious monetary items…savings, retirement funds, college funds for your kids, etc. It also includes your kids, your wife, your immediate relatives, friends, family pets, cars, house, and wardrobe.

Don’t ever put on the table something you can’t afford to lose, and if you think that you can afford to lose any of those items we’ve just mentioned, put down the cards or walk away from the computer. Seek out professional counseling and avoid playing poker or gambling in any other way, shape, or form until you have resolved what most definitely is a gambling problem.

Lucky for this particular gambler, his wife and daughter had the presence of mind to contact the police. After ten men tried to pressure them into following through with the deal made so many years ago, police have both the mother and daughter in protection.

Apparently the winner of the fateful poker game, Lal Haider, was intending to marry the 17-year old girl to his eldest son. Both were among the ten men who are now being sought by police.

Look, we’ve all thought about it…gambling our spouse/significant other…definitely our children…but at the end of the day, it only leads to trouble. Practice proper bankroll management and save yourself additional headaches!

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02.26.07

Rallying ‘Round the Table

Posted in Poker News at 2:36 am by Valentino Viccetzar

Other news today brings the ‘ray-of-hope’ motif to light once again. In the aftermath of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act of 2006 – in the immediate aftermath – the Poker Players Alliance has done much to generate popular and powerful support for the online poker industry. The most recent development in the fight to restore or at least confirm the legality of online poker, former New York Senator, Alfonse D’Amato has been tapped to sit as PPA Chairman.
Reports indicate that the PPA courted the three-term New York senator to represent the interests of deep-pocketed online poker businesses.
When the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was passed at the end of last year, its purpose was clearly to put an end to the online betting of American-based poker players. Shortly after it was passed, lawyers across the United States began fielding enquiries from online gaming entrepreneurs whose activities, taking and recording bets fro American-based players, put them in real danger of prosecution by an increasingly combative Department of Justice.
Enter Alfonse D’Amato on behalf of the PPA, his nomination for PPA Chairman recently nominated by the group’s board of directors.
The PPA united leaders of several major online poker sites in the face of well-founded fears of anti-gaming legislation. The purpose has been very precisely explained: theirs was a bid to convince Congress to separate poker from proposed legislation that had labored in both Houses for years, without resolution. During the 2006 World Series of Poker, for example, the PPA hosted a reception for a number of important figures to promote the interests and the legality of online poker playing.
The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was signed into law by the President on October 13, 2006. Since then, numerous online gaming businesses determined with their counsels that they were on the ropes. The US-based players who continue to navigate the online gaming world are tails-spinning in the face of the new legislation. Related businesses are also struggling to evaluate the economic fallouts as pressures mount for them to abandon the American market.
Enter Alfonse D’Amato playing the best advocate for the poker industry. If he and the Federalist Group with whom he will collaborate are able to succeed in their efforts, the benefits will be felt far beyond the interests of big online gaming companies. Senator D’Amato is well known for his commitment to the little people among his constituents. His support for big business and his interest in poker are equally sincere and well-known. He has been an avid poker player in home games for years.
Most important of all, the senator brings to the table his credentials as a mover and shaker in Washington. He’s also expected to bring sincerity to the more global cause of the estimated 140,000 members of the PPA. With Alfonse D’Amato on board, PPA chances of attracting a million-plus members, may exponentially increased. Who could be a better pick to advocate for the right to play poker in your pajamas if you are so inclined-in the privacy of your home?

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02.25.07

Tournaments! Tournaments! Tournaments!

Posted in Poker News at 5:56 pm by Valentino Viccetzar

Well, it’s Sunday again and poker players are waking up late, racing to the Sunday afternoon game. This doesn’t mean they sleep less than the conventional eight hours…Saturday night games go well past midnight, then there’s hours spent after, re-hashing success and catastrophe from the previous night.
Of course, there’s a lot of truth to that old, old saw: The winners tell jokes and the losers say, “Deal!”
So, for the winners, here’s a joke:
A poker player walks in to a bar. He sees a soft game in the back, takes the empty chair. On the second hand he gets wired aces and goes all in. Three players call. No one draws out and as our hero reaches for the pot, one player puts his pistol on the table and says, “Hang on one second.”
“Tough beat, he made a lollapalooza,” the dealer says, and shoves the chips to the big blind.
“Yup, nine-seven-four-three-two, he drew a gut-shot lollapalooza, tough beat,” the players commiserate.
“What the h—?” our hero complains. “A lollapalooza?”
The dealer points to a small sign behind the pool-table: “Lollapallooza (9-7-4-3-2) beats any hand.”
Our hero figures that between the pistol and the sign he better not argue, so he re-buys (the game was really, really soft), and two hands later he’s Big Blind with a nine-seven suited. He limps in before the flop and then the flop comes 2-3-4.
“Nice,” our hero thinks, and he pushes in all his chips.
Fold, fold, call, fold, fold. Burn, turn, burn, turn, runner, runner, the caller turns over his set of trip fours, our hero turns over his 9-7 and reaches for the chips.
Once more the pistol smashes down on the table as the dealer pushes the chips to the trip fours.
“What about my lollapalooza?” our hero demands.
“What are you, an idiot?” the three fours reply. “Everyone knows the lollapalooza is good only once a night.”
* * *
Lollapalooza:
And here we are with the round-up of poker news for Sunday in the am, and yes, it’s tournaments, tournaments, tournaments! And, um, celebrities?
First of the bat we have the actress best known for her stint as the scantily clad foreign exchange student in the first installment of American Pie. Shannon Elizabeth is on her way to New Zealand to try her hand at the Celebrity Poker Challenge for Charity in April according to Christchurch Casinos.
Elizabeth signed up to compete in the main tournament, for the grand prize of $500,000, and believe it or not, you American Pie fans out there, Shannon Elizabeth is celebrated, not only as one of the most attractive women in the world, but also a poker champion of the highest caliber.
Last year, for example, the actress won the first Nicky Hilton Caesars Palace New Year’s Eve poker tournament. According to the spokesman for Christchurch, who seems to know his poker, “her opponents will have to be wary though…if they underestimate her, they will get burned.”
Stay tuned for our next installment…coming later in the day…we’ll take you to LA for a run-down of the 2007 Poker Classic Tournament Updates and Round-offs.
All right, now shut up and deal.

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02.22.07

Belgium Chocolates and a New Book…Yes, It’s About Poker!

Posted in Poker News at 2:56 am by Valentino Viccetzar

A dash of novelty news to start the day. It was announced yesterday in online poker news that the specialty chocolatier, Images in Chocolate, is about to release the first ever custom imprinted chocolate poker chip. These cute little novelty items will be made available in the US and for the first time, it seems, casinos, hotels, and Las Vegas trade show exhibitors will have a great way to increase their corporate brand awareness.

The chocolate poker chips are designed to be 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and yes of course, they’re designed to resemble poker chips.

“Until now, there have been generic chocolate casino chips in the market but never one that could be custom imprinted for promotional use,” said Tim Dugan, company CEO. “Not only can our new chocolate casino chips be custom branded, they are the first to use 100% Belgian chocolate and also feature a much more authentic casino chip design than available before.”

“Although this product was designed with the corporate client in mind, we’ve seen tremendous interest in the consumer market as well, primarily from individuals having Las Vegas weddings or other gambling-themed events,” said Dugan.

Now for some very different news…

Well, I was trawling the news pages today for something to couple with this short but sweet (pun intended) story about the chocolate chips (pun again intended). It seems the best they can come up with is, oh goody, “The Rules of Poker”. A new book on the ins-and-outs of the game is now in bookstores and online for $13.95 ($19.95 Canadian).

It’s being hailed as: “a much needed book that covers every aspect of poker and its various intricacies, including games outside of Texas Hold ‘Em such as Stud games, Omaha and Lowball variations”.

The authors, Krieger and Bykofsky, have done extensive research on the running of poker tournaments. In particular, they are being praised for their efforts to speak with, not only tournament directors, such as WPT Tournament Director, Linda Johnson and famed Tournament Director, Matt Savage, but also the floor managers and personnel that work on the front line at these major events.

“The Rules of Poker” is a must-have reference book for every poker player, no matter what level of play they are at; the 276 page tome covers virtually every aspect of the game, including all of the rules for the different variations of the sport. Even if you only ever plan to play home games, this book is still worth getting so you can land on your feet in a tough situation. The thoroughness of the research behind this book is, sources say, “very necessary in the world of poker” because of the extent to which rules deviate from place to place, casino to casino, and of course, home to home.

Poker enthusiasts will particularly enjoy this book, unless they are masochistic in their poker reading. The tone of the book isn’t at all dull. The writers make every effort to be snappy and quirky. They use anecdotes to spice up rule after rule. Having fun while learning something…what a novel idea!

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02.21.07

Real Money Poker For Online US Players: Part 1

Posted in Poker News at 2:22 am by Valentino Viccetzar

You’re going to be reading a lot of posts on this subject. It’s symptomatic of the times we live in. Yes, many online poker sites are no longer allowing US-based players to play with real money thanks to the recent legislation passed by the government that notionally outlaws internet gambling of any kinds.

Many online poker sites reacted to the news with ever dramatic shifts in policy. Others, which we will mention here, have implemented policies to help US players keep doing what they love. The problem isn’t so much where you can and cannot play at the online money tables. The real issue is all about the bankroll. How do you fund it? How do you get your hands on it?

There is one definite rule on this subject: No personal checks. Other than that, there are many ways for US-based players to continue moving money to play online real money poker.

After the loss of Neteller, things looked a little hairy, but now the storm has passed and the waters have calmed, plenty of options are presenting themselves.

First of all, Poker Stars (www.pokerstars.com) is now offering three ways to fund bankrolls for US-based players. The first choice for their online e-wallet service is ePassporte; second choice is using Visa or Mastercard credit-cards to make relevant deposits, although one potential problem with this method for US players is blocking from the issuing bank. Third choice for funding: cashier’s checks, bank drafts, and old fashioned money orders.

Withdraws from Poker Stars are easiest using an ePassporte account, however, PokerStars also has a well established paper-check system that’s still in operation and very much everything you need. The minimum withdrawal amount is $50 and all checks for more than $1,000 are sent via courier service.

Second we have Full Tilt (www.fulltiltpoker.com) who has recently caused an uproar with their introduction and then swift withdrawal of Wire Cards as a means of adding and withdrawing from accounts. Their new method, MyWebATM, allows you to deposit and withdraw from one account. It’s fairly convenient but for the person who plays online money poker only every once in a while, the monthly account fee ($3.95) and small flat rate fees for individual transactions.

Full Tilt also accepts ePassporte and Click2Play for withdraws and deposits; credit cards and MoneyGram cash transfers are also accepted for deposits.

Not that unless you are withdrawing more than $300 from Full Tilt using MyWebATM, you will be required to register either an ePassporte or a Click2Pay account anyway.

The third and final stop for today is Bodog (www.bodog.com) who have actually maintained a good variety of funding channels, including the usual suspects, credit cards, Click2Play, NUcharge, and direct money transfers. Nucharge is a very indirect and thus very good way to load your account. It involves buying a phone card and basically selling the minutes you’ve bought to Bodog. For withdrawals, you can transfer from Bodog to Click2Pay and direct money transfers by prearrangement.

Part 2 Coming Soon!

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02.20.07

A Hard Life Lesson: Students Struggle with Poker Debts

Posted in Poker News at 2:37 pm by Valentino Viccetzar

It’s the second time a search through the poker news archives has brought up specific accounts of college students and high school students struggling with debts turned in from gambling.

According to one recent online report, the director of the Prevention and Recovery Center at Mount Auburn Hospital has been fielding reports from college students who have massive debts from gambling and playing online poker. The report said that the debts claimed by students were as high as fifteen thousand dollars and cited as responsible were, of course, the latest trends and years of “poker-pumped television”.

Well, at the risk of being too harsh, it looks like it’s time for everyone – but young people in particular – to learn a little about money management. One U-Mass student spilled his guts and told the whole story of the onset of his gambling problem. What happened? Basically, he started playing for free and then started playing for fast cash. He let the winning go to his head. There was nothing business-like about his thinking and money management. Behaving like he won the lottery, the student in question started using his credit card to buy food and meet other living expenses. All so he could carry around several big bills and feel good about his winnings. Big mistake. He was gambling, putting money on the table that he really couldn’t afford to lose. Hmmm…definitely time to review money management strategies.

Instead of rallying for the end of poker, it seems far more constructive to implement programs like Poker 101 that’s offered at the University of Richmond, which is apparently offering a college course for students that want to pursue a career in poker. Well, not exactly. The course is offered as “no credit” and it meets once a week for three weeks using Monopoly money as a teaching aid.

For $69 students are introduced to the basics of poker: the math behind poker probability, the psychology of poker, and poker strategies. It’s the second year that the course has been offered and it is apparently very popular and, although there’s no formal test, class participants demonstrate what they have learned at the end of the course, working out the general lessons and strategies picked up as part of a demonstration.

The poker world doesn’t bring doom and gloom to every high school and college age enthusiast, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, one student has virtually been able to give up on studying law (which, let’s face it, is generally appealing because it leads to high paying jobs) simply by playing poker. Despite swings, the student apparently won enough money to build a house (from scratch) worth several hundreds and thousands of dollars playing on his laptop in the school library. He also managed to amass a six figure buffer in his bank account to protect against even those most violent, natural downward tilts.

What lessons should we learn from this, from the ups and the downs of youngsters playing poker? Basically, money management is key.

Golden Rule: Don’t Ever Bet More Than You Can Afford To Lose!

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Big Wins for Top Players

Posted in Poker News at 4:06 am by Valentino Viccetzar

Championship poker is hotter than ever, even amidst the tumultuous upheavals of government regulations against online poker. Yes, by failing to properly differentiate between gambling and skills games, the government is targeting online poker. I’m sure they’re aware of how ridiculous their work is…but what the heck. Poker is a die-hard sport.

And what could possibly be a better demonstration of poker’s popularity than yet another tournament. This time, the Full Tilt Online Poker Series III, with its charming little acronym, FTOPS III, and equally charming guaranteed total prize pool money…a sizeable $3.4 million big ones.

The so called crown jewel, the pick of the picks, was the $1.5 million guaranteed no-limit hold’em main event course.

The main event of this tournament drew over three thousand entrants, paying $500 a pop. The price pool at the end of the night was $1,608,500, and among the top players were Mark Vos (142nd, $1,448), Chris Ferguson (203rd, $1,126), Paul Wolfe (261st, $1,046), and Layne Flack (308th, $885).

Some top internet players featured were Tuan “Supertuan1” Nguyen (18th, $8,043), Spiked (33rd, $4,826), Kyle “kwob20” Bowker (47th, $2,976), Eric “Rizen” Lynch (107th, $1,609), Sorel “kristy_sea” Mizzi (167th, $1,287), and Kevin “GetPWN3D” Saul (192nd, $1,126) within the top 200.

To receive a portion of the prize money, it was necessary to be within the top 459 players left. When it got down to the final table, among the players still standing, were poker pro Robert “Miss Lulu” Williamson III, a World Series of Poker bracelet winner in pot-limit Omaha; Internet poker phenom Brian “tsarrast” Rast;. Alec “traheho” Torelli; and Justin “Boosted J” Smith, who was the FTOPS III tournament leader board leader before the event began.

The final standings were:
1) Alec “traheho” Torelli - $288,001.93
2) Justin “Boosted J” Smith - $175,326.50
3) Brian “tsarrast” Rast - $114,203.50
4) Robert “Miss Lulu” Williamson III - $89,271.75
5) MychCumstien - $66,752.75
6) Balforios - $49,380.95
7) THEOLDLION - $36,995.50
8) CoinFlip - $28,953
9) bokpower - $21,553.90

Traheho had the chip lead with three players remaining. He had $7.2 million against the $4.6 million held by Boosted J in second, and the $4.3 million held by tsarrast in third place.
Tsarrast lasted seven minutes within the top three before his final hand was dealt. Traheho had $11.3 million at the beginning of the heads-up match. Boosted J held $4.8 million and was just one double-up from the chip lead, but it took all of two minutes for the contest to end. Boosted J made little headway before the final hand, which played out with a raise from Boosted J, traheho reraise up to $1.4 million, Boosted J push for all in at $5.5 million. In the final moments, traheho called and showed the ace and king of spades. The board ended up completely missing both of the players, with the jack and ten of diamonds, two and five of hearts, and the four of clubs. Boosted J ended with $175,327 in second place, while traheho earned $288,002 in first-place.

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02.18.07

A Brief History of Playing Cards

Posted in Poker History at 3:58 am by Valentino Viccetzar

Some sources have suggested that India may have been the origin of playing cards. There is a striking resemblance between the symbols on some early European decks and the dated Indian decks, which featured a ring, sword, cup, and baton, depicted in the four hands of Indian statues. That said, it seems far more plausible at present that playing cards were born in China, sometime after the invention of paper. Ancient Chinese money cards had four suits: coins, strings of coins, myriads of strings, and tens of myriads. There were represented by ideograms with the numerals of two to nine in the first three suits and one to nine in the tens of myriads. It’s possible that the first form of playing cards were actually paper currency; that is, they had a dual purpose as both the tools for gaming and the actual stakes for which the game was being played. Some evidence suggests that the first deck of cards was printed as a domino deck.

When and where playing cards were introduced into Europe are also a matter of dispute. It appears that the 38th cannon of the council of Worcester in 1240 recognized the presence of cards in England during the middle of the 13th century. A game known as de rege et regina is mentioned in the cannon, and for some time, this game was thought to involve playing cards. While it seems now that rege et regina was a game more closely related to chess, there is also a mountain of other circumstantial evidence that cards were not well known in Europe as late as 1278. Petrach never mentions cards in his work, De remedies utriusque fortunae, which deals with gaming. Likewise, Boccaccio, Chaucer, and a host of other writers never mention cards.

The likely path of playing cards, from China (or possibly India) to Europe began with a move from the Mamelukes of Egypt in the late 1300s. The Mameluke deck contained fifty-two cards and closely resembled the modern decks. There were also four suits known as polo sticks, coins, swords, and cups. Each suit contained ten cards with a number and three court cards: the king, the viceroy, and the second or underdeputy.

There is some evidence to suggest that this deck may have evolved from an earlier 48-card deck that had only two court cards per suit, and some further evidence to suggest that earlier Chinese cards brought to Europe may have traveled via Persia. From there, they had a profound influence on the Mameluke and other Egyptian cards of the time.
In the late 1300s, the use of playing cards spread rapidly across Europe.

The first recognized reference to cards is confined to Spain in 1377, in Switzerland in 1377. In 1380, they are referred to in many locations including Florence, Paris, and Barcelona.

One early mention of a series of playing cards appears in an account by the treasurer of the household of Charles VI of France. The entry dates to 1392 or 1393, which records payment for the painting of three sets or packs of cards.

The earliest cards were made by hand, making them quite expensive. The printing of woodcuts on paper may have developed because of the demand for cards. The technique of printing woodcuts was transferred from being used to decorate fabric to use on paper around 1400, very shortly after the first recorded manufacture of paper in Christian Europe. No examples from before 1423 survive.

Most early woodcuts of all types were colored after printing, either by hand or, from about 1450 onwards, using stencils. The manufacture of playing cards en masse was undertaken in Germany to coincide with the development of the printing press. As cards became increasingly popular throughout Europe, each country tended to develop their own designs or variety of designs, eventually leading to the modern 52-card deck we play with today.

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02.17.07

Turbulent Times For the US Poker Industry

Posted in Us Poker Industry at 11:50 pm by Valentino Viccetzar

Well, if you rank among the world’s best poker players, you could get your hands on the lion’s share. The upcoming PartyPoker tournament, PartyPoker.com Premier League Poker (what a mouthful), will offer $500,000 to the player who comes out on top, after six qualifying rounds and heads up situations after that.

If you’re just an avid poker fan, liking nothing better than to spend your every waking moment glued to the action of televised tournaments, the PartyPoker.com Premier League Poker could well be right up your street. Recognizing the popularity of poker TV, online poker room Party Poker will feature a dozen of the world’s best poker players in Tony G, Andy Black, Phil Hellmuth, Kirill Gerasimov, Liz Lieu, Ian Fraser, will be playing, among others.

And while poker online is hotter than ever, the recent US government legislation is now grinding US money play to a halt. Tony G’s online poker site, Tony G. Poker, recently announced to the “good folks in the USA” its decision to end access to money tables for US players. Tony G’s website announced that the change was in response to the new, very aggressive policies against online poker play, mentioning that the seizure of US-based Neteller accounts means it is no longer possible to transfer money to US-based players.

While Tony G. Poker will no longer permit players with US country code accounts to play at money tables, it will still allow them to play at free money tables. This is more than some sites are doing.

The Tribeca Tables online poker network announced yesterday that it is no longer taking new US players and they will also be locking out all IP addresses from the U.S.

There may be light at the end of the tunnel, however. The destruction of the US online poker industry is far from a foregone conclusion. Many groups and individuals are lobbying for an end to the persecution. The Poker Players Alliance has apparently retained former New York Senator Alfonse D’Amato to join the PPA.

No official deal has yet been announced, but D’Amato’s business and financial connections are formidable, offering poker players hope that he can provide a voice of reason amidst the chaos. D’Amato served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban affairs, and was also an influential member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.

Another development of note is the reported stabilization of the Sunday poker tournament numbers. The numbers have seemingly stabilized one month after the NETeller arrests and the NFL playoff disruption.

PokerStars and Full Tilt met their guarantees and PokerStars drew its largest crowd since Jan. 14. FTOPS III is shaping up to be the most successful event in Full Tilt history with 3,976 players competing over the weekend. Ultimate Bet and Bodog, two rooms that experienced heavy overlays after the NETeller arrests and during the NFL playoffs, also saw their numbers return to early January figures.

The new e-wallets are also helping to keep U.S. gamblers in the game.

Since NETeller’s departure, ePassporte has experienced an overwhelming number of requests for new accounts. Although this has dramatically slowed their response times, the company is still allowing transactions. The good news is that ePassporte is accepted at Poker Stars, Full Tilt, and Ultimate Bet.

The bottomline: despite the disruption to the industry in recent months, online poker is still relatively strong. The government may win the battle but they look set to lose the war.

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Common Poker Tells & How to Find Them

Posted in Poker Strategy at 6:30 pm by Valentino Viccetzar

You have control over at least two factors that help determine a win in poker: your psychology and your opponent’s psychology. Ok, you don’t have control over your opponent’s psychology, exactly. It’s artistic license to phrase it that way; it sounds better. However, you do have some power when it comes to your opponent’s psychology and you need to be aware of it if you’re going to in any serious number of games.

Welcome to the world of power tells!

A tell is a habit, behavior, or reaction, somehow physically manifested, that reveals some information about the player’s hand. Rather, it reveals information about the player’s response to their hand – whether it’s good or bad. Tells can be used most effectively to figure out if your opponent is bluffing or not; whether they have a strong or a weak hand; whether they are trying to give you false tells!

The tells most often featured in top ten lists are, not surprisingly, the most common tells you encounter at the poker table (in real life).

The Eyes: A window into the sole, the eyes of a player are goldmines of information so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many professional poker players have taken to wearing sunglasses when they play.

There are the most common tells for the eyes and what they suggest about the player’s hand:

• Long looks at cards: many players can’t help but stare at big hole cards.
• When a player looks to the left, this suggests they are looking to steal the pot. The look suggests they want to see what the remaining players are going to do.

Facial Expressions: Facial expressions are another window, not always as clear as the eyes, but certainly quite revealing. Many professional poker players have gone to great lengths to hide their face as well.

• Look for signs of discomfort, unhappiness, or nervousness as these are classic signs of a weak hand.
• Watch out for repetitive characteristics too (twitches and such) as these are a strong indication of the same.

The Act: A lot of poker players, particularly inexperienced ones, try to act a particular way, thinking that it will deceive their opponents. Well, it doesn’t. At least, it shouldn’t. In it’s most simplistic form, the act in a poker game is an effort to communicate the opposite message. A player trying to act as if they have a good hand – raising their voice, trying to look intimidating – is probably bluffing. One who is trying to look intimidated – twitching deliberately, for example – is working to suggest that their hand is weaker than it is.Watch for classic signs of anxiety. Use your own judgment to detect anxiety as much as the advice here, but remember that anxiety is often revealed by the flexing of muscles, palpitating heart rate, dry throat, eye and pupil dilations. Look out for what psychologists call the fight or flight stimulus response. In poker, someone with a big hand can exhibit these characteristics, so too when someone is bluffing.

When someone has a big hand, their voice may become slightly higher. They may try to make comments to off-set the other players.

Something you may decide to try: some of the most experienced players will look at the vein on the top-side of their opponent’s face to check for changes in blood pressure. Trembling hands can be another sign of a big hand.

Glancing at chips and hole cards: Many player look quickly at the chips and it can be a sign that they are planning to attack; peeking at the chips is generally a subconscious reaction. Some players have the similar habit of looking at their hole cards. Generally this is a sign that they are bluffing but again, you should use your instincts and experience to make a determination.

Repetitive betting patterns: These are common in novice players but they may work their way into advanced games too. Experienced players are not infallible and they may overlook their own habits. If you pick up on a repetitive pattern, respond to it as you feel appropriate. If your opponent always checks when he has a strong hand or folds after being re-raised, take these patterns into consideration to assess the value of their hand.

Body Posture, Attitude, and Chip Stacking: Watch out for hunching, slumping, and straightening of the posture. Mostly, players slump when they have a weak hand and lack confidence. If a player appears increasingly attentive to the game – looking physically and mentally more alert – this is generally a sign that they have a strong hand. Watch out for leaning in as this is generally a sign of weakness masquerading as strength.

Chip stacking habits are another give away – perhaps the ultimate give away of a player’s general habits. If your opponent presents unorganized and sloppy stacks of chips, they are probably a loose aggressive player. Well-organized chip stacks naturally denote a conservative and tight player.

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