Tells of the Digits:
The face, legs, and mouth have been the focus of my columns recently because they often betray the most obvious nonverbals, but I’ve neglected a very important area of the body that can really cue you in on an opponent’s emotions. Tells of the fi ngers and thumbs can be a valuable part of your investigation at the table, so next time you’re trying to read an opponent’s hand, try paying some attention to their hands.
Throughout my lectures, I’m often asked the same question in reference to the fi ngers and thumbs: Does it mean anything when players are playing with their chips?
The chip shuffl e is perhaps the most common action you’ll see at a table and I suspect that many question this situation because we focus on movement. Quite simply, if you’re looking at this action, you’re most likely missing other things and should widen your focus. We tend to witness this behavior all the time and since we have an orientation refl ex towards movement, we pay too much attention to something that can be ignored. But what does it all mean?
As with everything in poker, we have to put these specifi c observations in context. Players, both men and women, routinely play with their chips. They’ll rearrange the order, move them from hand to hand, and do all sorts of things to entertain themselves while playing. Chip shuffl ing and tricks can also be used to intimidate others with their digital skills.
From recent research, many partake in these actions to pacify themselves, as any repetitive movement (leg shaking, arm stroking, playing with rings, curling hair) tends to calm us down. There are players that do it to let others know they are experienced poker players and are to be feared, but besides that, what else are we learning? Should we pay any attention to players playing with their chips?
First off, this should not be your primary focus as the whole body should be speaking to you. If you are going to focus on these digital movements, then set your mind in the right place. Pay attention to see if your opponents are playing with chips and making and changes in how or when they play with them. If a player shuffl es continuously, you can dismiss the action. His chip shuffl ing is a repetitive motion that means little – it’s an amusement. If they stop playing with their chips after seeing the community cards, then this action has more meaning. If they stop and later fold or stop and then raise, you’ll be given some additional insight into their hands. Given the nature of the game, it is likely that you will see these behaviors again.
Besides chip shuffl ing, you’ll often notice the shaking, quivering, or twitch of a hand or fi nger. Our limbic brain, which handles emotions (like those that come with having a great hand or avoiding bluff detection), dumps adrenaline into our blood that can cause hand tremors or erratic movements of the fi ngers and loss of smooth muscle movement. As mentioned earlier, put the action into context. When and why does it happen? I know when I get a monster hand my hands quiver because I get excited. This is often the case and its something that both Mike Caro and myself discuss in our respective books. It is important to assess everyone’s hand behaviors at the table and determine not only where players keep their hands, but if there are any tells they are giving off (playing with rings, stroking fi ngers, biting nails, strumming table, etc.). Hands may naturally shake because of stress, effects of caffeine (which really shows in my situation) or with the elderly or those with nerve or neurological damage. The best advice I have in this situation is to be prepared. Witness and analyze all hand behaviors and note whether the hands shake all the time or just when the player has a monster hand. Maybe they’ll shake when they are bluffi ng. This reaction can signify either feeling which is why the shaking hands can represent both sides of the spectrum.
The thumbs can also tell a story, but how many players actually look at your thumbs during play? Believe it or not, you can learn a lot from the thumbs, even though getting a solid look might take some maneuvering. Why are the thumbs signifi cant? If a player interlaces his or her fi ngers on top of their cards, watch their thumbs. If after looking at her hole cards or after the fl op, she suddenly elevates their thumbs (a gravity defying behavior) chances are she has a very strong hand. We do this behavior often while talking and it’s one of the ways our brain shows emphasis. We don’t usually recognize that this is happening, but it is very accurate. The next time someone “talks with their hands,” take a glance at their thumbs and see if you can determine their confi dence level based on the elevation.
Your mother probably told you this next one a billion times: stop picking at or biting your fi ngernails. This is yet another repetitive behavior that soothes the individual during stressful situations. Generally, people pick at their nails or cuticles to ease their concerns about an external situation. Return to the question of ‘what does it all mean?’ We know that the player is pacifying themselves, but when does it stop or when does it come back and increase? Stress causes nervous gestures and ticks to increase.
So that’s it, right? Not a chance. Besides chip shuffl ing and thumb elevation, there are several additional items to watch. Be observant of how men and women will slightly stroke the tops of their fi ngers with their other hand to comfort themselves (pacify) when they are unsure or nervous. This typically happens when they are bluffi ng. When a player is weaker, watch the immediate movement of the fi ngers to the neck. This is another sign of insecurity, stress, and weakness. I’ve mentioned these before, but I’m telling you again as I constantly see them at the poker tables. Conceal, don’t reveal!
There is one more nonverbal that often escapes us and is not often discussed.
When a player’s fi ngers withdraw from the table (particularly the thumbs when they tuck themselves in under the fi ngers), a player is feeling concerned about the current situation. They have weak or marginal holdings and are slowly removing themselves away from the hand and their fi ngers represent their true emotions. Also, look for fi ngers which suddenly, perhaps after the player looks at the fl op, distance themselves from the cards or begin to handle the cards with the fi ngertips rather than the full hand. This is another way of distancing when weak or concerned.
So there you have it. The next time you are playing take more than just a quick look at your opponent’s hands. Gauge their reactions and put what you’ve seen into context. For a more in-depth look at hand behaviors, check out my new book, What Every Body is Saying.
