Put on a Poker Face
When you play online poker at live tables, observant players look for “tells” - small signs that give away a player’s state of mind. They learn to recognize tics and personality traits that reveal fear, excitement, confidence and deception. When you play online, tells are not so easy to spot, so one does not have to be so on guard as at a live table. If you are an poker player who wants to venture out to live tables, then you must learn how adopt a specific image for each table you play. Some players act like maniacs, always talking and goofing around. It’s hard to figure out what they’re feeling because their non-stop chatter masks their thoughts. However, if a chatty player gets quiet, then be afraid. If you use chatter as a mask, then keep it up at all times. Going silent will be a tell on your hand. If you’re not confident about creating an image, then you should rely on the old online poker face concept. Always maintain the same calm attitude and look. It helps to be very consistent with how you sit and reach for chips. Another way to obscure your intentions is to always take the same amount of time to respond with an action, whether it’s folding, calling, betting or raising. At live tables, you must conceal your thoughts by controlling your facial expressions and physical movements so that you are hard to read.
