Reading hands

[n3trider]

Any suggestions, books or online, on how to improve hand reading skills? Thanks.

[kiai]

Talk to good players, successful players. They are better than books....

look at the betting
large pre-flop usually means pocket pairs... AA thru 10-10 or AK AQ

after the flop, what is on the board? And what is the response, with the bets.

You have to discern if they are betting a flush, a straight, or pairs.

But, some people bet on anything and don't read what others could have.

Look at the board, look at the bets, look at the people, and remember their history.

Kiai

[fish2fry]

if you're reraised and you don't have the "nuts"...u should fold most of the time....

[RIZPLAYBOY1]

.......I always visit the Gyspy women at the fairs. They look at your hand and tell your future. SO far they have been wrong but I will try once more later this month.

[LawnChairBoy]

expeirence is the only way to improve your hand reading skills.

[Revelator59]

Kiai and LawnChairBoy are both right. Great advice from Kiai but the only way to really get good is play many, many, many hands and pay attention.

[Caroline xx]

Use a little mirror.

[RobinVo]

And remember, its one thing reading hands online and live at tables.

Trust me, its like day and night.

[HuskerBret]

For live play, Caro's Book of Tells is a MUST. Read it and play, and then keep picking it up periodically to refresh and reiterate. It's amazing all of the things that people do without realizing it, and it's amazing how many people go along with the actions before they realize what they SHOULD do in those situations. Also, there are some more involved reading techniques that you can find that involve physiology and body language. Just go to your local library or search for lie detection on the net.

For online poker, I haven't found anything that lays it all out like Caro does, but then again, I haven't looked very hard. The only real tips I have here are some ones that you pick up on in time. If somebody thinks forever, and then raises, they have a monster. Contrary to what somebody said above, a disproportionately large preflop raise usually means a medium to small pocket pair, or an AT, AJ (they are raising so big because they don't want callers). That last one sort of depends on the player, so be observant. If anybody knows of any good articles or books on online reading, I would like to hear about them.

Bret

[snowblinded2]

a big pre flop raise can mean any thing. depending on player position and time in the tournament. is the button trying to steal blinds. is the big blind trying to protect. one of my favorite plays is to raise with junk in early position so they respect your hand. then bet half my stack on the flop if an ace or king hits people fold so fast its amazing. you cant do it all the time but you can once in a while. my best advise is to pay attention and think about how u would play the other players posible hands if you flop 4 aces would you go all in or play it slow. or maybe a medium bluff sized raise. try to keep in mind even the best players cant win em all and the worst players can be harder to beat. good luck at the tables and never go all in on the first hand without the nutz. :waytogo:

[smoothtooth]

i usually look at a player and find out why they touch there face. i notice a face touching player show he has a good hand if the player touches the face.