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What the heck is a “physical read” in poker? Is that like a person having a tell? (Something they do that is unintentionally revealing.)

danenania 3y ago
"Is that like a person having a tell?" Yes, same thing.
- munchler 3y ago
  Why would other pros say “nuh-uh, that’s not a thing”? I thought the concept of a tell was widely known.
  - danenania 3y ago
    It’s widely known but many pros consider it to be of low importance compared with “hand reading”, which is more about putting someone in a play-style bucket based on the hands you observe and then deducing what hand range they are likely to hold from their actions in the hand up to that point. Physical tells are typically considered as unreliable compared to this unless they are really obvious. Amateurs tend to overestimate the importance of tells vs. hand reading.
    - spease 3y ago
      So it’s perhaps more like there’s a local minimum before you reach the global maximum.
      - danenania 3y ago
        Right. If you're already really good at hand reading, you might get some extra edge in working to improve your physical reads, but otherwise looking for subtle tells will probably just make you play even worse. In elite games, you would assume everyone is an expert at hand reading, so it makes sense that physical reads would become more important.
  - takinola 3y ago
    Tells are something you see more of in “movie” poker rather than real poker. Most poker guides (as the OP alludes) discourage tell based play unless you are playing with people you are very familiar with and have studied over time. Even then, it’s a bit of a crapshoot as opponents can use this against you (“did he scratch his temple because he has a poor hand or because he wants me to think he has a poor hand?”) The one suggestion that I do find helpful is not to look at your cards as they are dealt but instead look at your opponents’ faces as they look at theirs. Sometimes their micro-expressions betray them before they regain composure.

danenania 3y ago

"Is that like a person having a tell?" Yes, same thing.

munchler 3y ago
Why would other pros say “nuh-uh, that’s not a thing”? I thought the concept of a tell was widely known.
- danenania 3y ago
  It’s widely known but many pros consider it to be of low importance compared with “hand reading”, which is more about putting someone in a play-style bucket based on the hands you observe and then deducing what hand range they are likely to hold from their actions in the hand up to that point. Physical tells are typically considered as unreliable compared to this unless they are really obvious. Amateurs tend to overestimate the importance of tells vs. hand reading.
  - spease 3y ago
    So it’s perhaps more like there’s a local minimum before you reach the global maximum.
    - danenania 3y ago
      Right. If you're already really good at hand reading, you might get some extra edge in working to improve your physical reads, but otherwise looking for subtle tells will probably just make you play even worse. In elite games, you would assume everyone is an expert at hand reading, so it makes sense that physical reads would become more important.
- takinola 3y ago
  Tells are something you see more of in “movie” poker rather than real poker. Most poker guides (as the OP alludes) discourage tell based play unless you are playing with people you are very familiar with and have studied over time. Even then, it’s a bit of a crapshoot as opponents can use this against you (“did he scratch his temple because he has a poor hand or because he wants me to think he has a poor hand?”) The one suggestion that I do find helpful is not to look at your cards as they are dealt but instead look at your opponents’ faces as they look at theirs. Sometimes their micro-expressions betray them before they regain composure.