Examples of some odd or obvious poker tells you've seen

G0930 · May 29, 2026

Oxinthewater said:
In online , snap decisions after a major card (maybe an ace, or flush draw comes in) might indicate a bluff because the player would likely think about what this new card means if they've just hit a monster.

True and you can exploit that. I've done it myself , trying to play monsters under the radar.
Although I must say any tactics are almost futile in microstakes. too many calling stations in most games. Ofc you can exploit that when you know who calls constantly. Quite harder when the whole table acts this way.
such tactics begin to be really effective at low stakes level from my experience

frank174 · May 29, 2026

That's the thing about tells,what you think is a tell is another player signal.play enough live poker and you will learn most of us are not named Daniel, sure some real week player will telagraph their hand but even the most recreational player can put out fake tells,my advice pay attention just because someone played a certain way one hand doesn't mean they will play the same hand the same way the next time,unless you know the person from repeated playing with them I put very little stock into tells.I think the biggest mistake the average player makes is thinking their smarter then the table when they havn't a clue about the player's at the table,stick with playing your hands and quit trying to make that one bluff catcher because you want to show the table how smart you are.or be that player and come join my table please

Dmitriy_rus7 · May 29, 2026

Most often, I notice that a person hasn't won anything and he starts to intimidate by making uncertain bets.

GrannySmit77 · May 29, 2026

I guess the poker tell everybody knows is when they sigh, wait a bit and then go all in. Another one I've noticed is when they look at their cards the look at their chip stack. I heard a lot of people say this is a good indicator that they're thinking of how much to bet. But I'm just a recreational player I don't focus too much on their behaviour. The best I can do is try to focus on my game and on me not having too many tells.

Gritz18 · May 30, 2026

nabmom said:
Paying attention to other players' behavior at the poker table allows you to pick up on some really obvious or odd poker tells.

Certainly, in live poker it's easier to assimilate and observe a player's specific behavior, especially if you're a professional player and are always playing with the same people in big tournaments.

nabmom said:
And yes, there are tells in online poker too.

In online poker, it's more difficult to observe this type of behavior. Online, players change their playing style depending on the tournament, and it's even worse if it's a freeroll, as players tend to play more freely, not caring about following a specific playing style.

Poison91 · May 30, 2026

ms_attack said:
A tell that I have observed many times is when a player raises pre-flop and then makes a continuation bet on the flop and you call, and then he checks on the turn, it shows the player's weakness and in most cases he has a hand that did not hit the board.

Do you suggest slowrolling in case you are losing to make him believe you have a good hand in case of a straight draw or flush that doesn't come up?

martinlgs · May 30, 2026

When playing online, I always follow my own strategy. I don't care if someone is on autopilot or takes a long time to play; they might be distracted or focused, playing multiple tables, or have a bad connection. Based on this, I play according to my chips, my position, and my cards. In tournaments, you can see a player's statistics, and if they've been at the same table for a long time, you can get a sense of their playing style. As for whether they're using a program or getting distracted, I don't pay attention to that. I don't have access to all the information about players' physical reactions (which you can detect at a live table). I do well at final tables because I look at their statistics and study several hands, and I can draw some conclusions about my opponents' playing style and approach.

bowserdon · May 30, 2026

there are definate tells but Im not going to tell

anasslaaleg · Jun 1, 2026

In most cases, the answer is no. Slow-rolling is generally considered bad etiquette and can frustrate other players unnecessarily.
The only real exception is when you're genuinely unsure whether your hand is the winner and need a moment to read the board.
Poker is a competitive game, but showing respect at the table goes a long way. Win with class, lose with grace, and keep the game enjoyable for everyone.

Pabloro10321 · Jun 1, 2026

In poker, I believe that the most reliable signs are patterns of behavior that are repeated. In live poker, you may notice changes in attitude or nervousness, while in online poker, response time and bet size are often key factors. An isolated signal can be misleading, but when a pattern is repeated several times, it often provides valuable information.

Omar.Imrane · Jun 2, 2026

one tell I've noticed quite often online is the instant all-in from recreational players.. Sometimes they do it with very strong hands because they don't want to face difficult decisions later. On the other hand, some players suddenly start using the time bank when they have a monster, trying to look weak.

as for me, I realized that when I'm bluffing, I tend to act faster than usual. It's something I've been working on because good regulars can definitely pick up on those patterns over time.

dreamer13 · Jun 2, 2026

Shaking Hands: In movies, shaking hands are often depicted as belonging to a weak bluffer. In reality, if a player's hands start shaking when betting, it's a dead giveaway that they have the nuts (the absolute strongest hand), as they experience a powerful adrenaline rush that can't be faked.Perhaps the most important skill in poker is the ability to read other people. I've even heard aggressive players say that they don't even really care what hand they have—their entire style is based on figuring out what the other player has, which is part math and part people-watching.

RhinoRyan89 · Jun 2, 2026

Online the main ones are bet sizing and time tells.

Not sure if any odd ones

But live there are many more tells
And kinda odd such as.

Erratic breathing, Excessive sweating, Over talking prime example Jamie Gold 😅

anasslaaleg · Jun 2, 2026

poker tells are fascinating because they often reveal more than the cards themselves.
One of the clearest tells I've seen is a player who acts instantly with weak hands but suddenly takes extra time when holding a monster. Another common one is the player who becomes unusually talkative right before making a big bluff.
Online poker has tells too. Timing tells, bet-sizing patterns, and even changes in playing speed can reveal a lot about a player's confidence or uncertainty.
As for me, one tell I've had to work on is playing too quickly when I'm excited about a strong hand. Over time, I learned that consistency in decision-making is just as important as reading opponents.
The funny thing about poker tells is that everyone thinks they're hiding them until someone starts paying attention.

csecsey · Jun 2, 2026

I have noticed the signs that when I have a pair of jacks in my hand, one of the players is 100% sure that he has a pair of queens or aces in his hand.
The other very dangerous hand for me is A10, I have never won with it. Seriously, if it comes, I will fold.
100% sure that the other player has AQ or AK.

Jyco · Jun 2, 2026

I think there are two tells that come up a lot.

The first is players who never bet the flop unless they have something. Against those players, making a bet on the flop is often enough to win the pot.

The second is players who bet every street regardless of what they have. Against them, you need to play more cautiously and patiently, and look for opportunities to win a big pot when they continue playing the same way with both strong and weak hands.

Those are two of the most common patterns I tend to notice.

nabmom · Jun 2, 2026

csecsey said:
I have noticed the signs that when I have a pair of jacks in my hand, one of the players is 100% sure that he has a pair of queens or aces in his hand.
The other very dangerous hand for me is A10, I have never won with it. Seriously, if it comes, I will fold.
100% sure that the other player has AQ or AK.

This is a different kind of tell than what this thread is talking about. Your response is more about the internal dialog we have when we worry we won't make the best hand!

Do you have any examples of actual poker tells?

yuriko oyama · Jun 2, 2026

Fake misclick, takes too long to pay for a good game.

csecsey · Jun 3, 2026

nabmom said:
This is a different kind of tell than what this thread is talking about. Your response is more about the internal dialog we have when we worry we won't make the best hand!

Do you have any examples of actual poker tells?

Yes.
This is the case with slowplay. It's hard to spot, especially when you have a good hand. It's hard to let go.
Your opponent just checks, but calls everything to your calls.
At this point, you should suspect that he is hiding something.
Especially if you call on the river and he goes all in.

Rosemaryyy · Jun 3, 2026

nabmom said:
Paying attention to other players' behavior at the poker table allows you to pick up on some really obvious or odd poker tells. And yes, there are tells in online poker too.

What are some of the clearest or oddest tells you have actually seen (or done?) playing poker?

One of the clearest live tells I've seen is players who suddenly become very talkative when they're bluffing and unusually quiet when they have a monster hand. Another common one is the shaky hands while placing chips in the pot—often a sign of excitement rather than weakness.
Online, timing tells can be surprisingly revealing. Some players instantly check when they've already decided to give up on the hand, while others suddenly take much longer than usual before making a big bet, often because they're trying to make a strong hand look like a difficult decision.
The oddest tell I've seen was a player who always rearranged his chip stacks after looking at premium hands. He didn't even realize he was doing it until someone pointed it out!" ♠️😄

cwdignus · Sunday at 5:29 PM

I'm not sure if it's possible to read a player's hand in online poker. If a player takes a long time to make a move, it's either because they're thinking about a strong hand or because they're playing at too many tables. I saw some comments above, and some of them are even plausible.

Lodestone said:
I'm reading the book "Reading Poker Tells" that is being referenced in this video, I think one of the best ones I've read about so far was how long people look at their hole cards for. I never thought that the length of time spent looking would be a tell because I assumed it would be the same and automatic... but that's probably why it works lol

Of all the answers and observations, I found this one to be the most valid and logical.

frnandoh · Sunday at 6:28 PM

Scared faces when sees AA, KK or QQ. It is impressive how people are not used to find them in their hands. Other poker tell is breathing too high when bluffing. Hold your action trying to fish some info on the villain face and see him being nervous.

Botuna · Monday at 6:47 PM

One of the clearest live tells I've ever seen was a player who would suddenly stop talking whenever he had a strong hand. Normally he was very chatty, but the moment he flopped big, he became completely silent and motionless. After noticing the pattern a few times, it became surprisingly accurate.

Online, I've noticed timing tells can be just as revealing. Some players instantly check when they have nothing but take several seconds before betting with a strong hand because they're deciding how to extract maximum value. Of course, timing tells aren't always reliable since people get distracted, but over a large sample they can be useful.

As for my own tell, I used to bet much faster when I was bluffing because I wanted the hand to be over quickly. Once I became aware of it, I started paying much more attention to keeping my timing consistent regardless of my hand strength.

ratbat615 · Tuesday at 11:38 AM

I mainly play online so seeing someone's eye's starts darting all over the room when they are bluffing is not possible online. but i have notice online when a certain player has a good hand they always raise more on there opens and just min raise with less that a premium .

Mazembe · Tuesday at 11:48 AM

Gutshot Gus said:
You are playing against a chatty player and all of a sudden he gets silent and starts to focus on his hand.

He mort than likely is playing a strong hand

You know when you're having casual table talks and all of a sudden you get a good hand and your brain just goes quiet. That's actually a tell in itself. When someone suddenly goes quiet during a hand, be careful

Examples of some odd or obvious poker tells you've seen

G0930

Captain Fathermucker, Satty Aficionado

frank174

Legend

Dmitriy_rus7

Legend

GrannySmit77

Visionary

Gritz18

Legend

Poison91

Visionary

martinlgs

Legend

bowserdon

Legend

anasslaaleg

Visionary

Pabloro10321

Visionary

Omar.Imrane

Rock Star

dreamer13

Legend

RhinoRyan89

Legend

anasslaaleg

Visionary

csecsey

Rock Star

Jyco

Rock Star

nabmom

Moderator

yuriko oyama

Legend

csecsey

Rock Star

Rosemaryyy

Enthusiast

cwdignus

Carpe diem

frnandoh

Legend

Botuna

Enthusiast

ratbat615

Legend

Mazembe

Rock Star

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