THE WORLD'S #1 POKER MANUAL - Card Games

Poker Book, Increasing the Edge Odds
Scotty grims and mumbles something about John's generous act.
"Help thy neighbor, help thy luck," John tells everyone. "Nothing is cheaper than money."
That move will be remembered and discussed for a long time. The cost to John: about $35. The
return to John: certainly many times that.
5. Observation (51)
The good player depends on his observations to plan his strategy. Observation of opponents requires an
analytical technique. Observation of the cards requires a trained eye. And knowing what his opponents
observe and know will also affect his strategy.
a. Reading opponents (52)
All players have repeating habits and nervous patterns that give away their hands. The task of the good
player is to find and interpret those patterns. Most poker players offer readable patterns (tells) in their--
● initial reaction to looking at cards (freshly dealt hands, draw cards, hole cards, up cards,
opponents' up cards, flop cards)
● behaviors on making calls, bets, and raises
● reactions to calls, bets, and folds of opponents
● ways of handling and looking at cards
● ways of handling money before and during each bet
● extents and directions of interest during the action
● behaviors and remarks during each phase of action
● mumbling and spoken thoughts
● tones of voice
● reactions to comments
● responses to questions.
Questions are potent tools for reading opponents' hands. Often players reveal their hands by impulsive
responses to seemingly innocuous questions as--
● How many cards did you draw?
● Who made the last bet?
● How much was the last bet?
● Is it your bet? (when it really is not)
● Did you call the last bet?
● Are you light?
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