Luck, players, plays, beats, medicine, rulings, people, questions, tells, puzzles, and even “bad wins” are all a part of poker. The next few weeks we will look at “The Bad.”
A Bad Tell
A poker tell is a mannerism or action by a player that “tells” his observant opponent whether he is betting a strong hand or bluffing with a very weak hand and hoping his opponent will fold. A player’s shaking hand, when he bets into a big pot on the final round of betting, is a reliable tell. It does not mean the player is nervous and thus bluffing. On the contrary, the player was tense and holding his muscles very tight. However, he just received a card making him a very strong hand and his muscular system is relaxing, thereby, causing a tremor in his hand. He is not bluffing and you should call only with an exceptionally strong hand. But you must be careful against experienced opponents. They will often give a false tell to induce their opponent into making a wrong decision, e.g., a player who is bluffing will purposely tremor while betting in order to convince his opponent to incorrectly fold.
I have become a master of this bad tell the last few years as I have a medical condition creating a tremor in my left hand. I bet with it when I am bluffing.
