Tells of the Mouth Part 2
Last month, I noted how paying attention to the mouth could make a difference in your decisionmaking process at the tables. To refresh your memory, I stated that while the feet may be the most trustworthy place to pick up nonverbals, when it comes to the face, the mouth is where it’s at.
For millions of years, we have communicated our emotions, feelings, and sentiments with our faces, long before we learned to talk. Our mouths expressed anger, disgust, and happiness in real time by clenching, pursing of the lips, and smiling. We still have these same behaviors and, in spite of our prolifi c use of speech, we still principally communicate what we think and feel through our mouths.
A GLANCE BACK TO LAST MONTH
When we are tense or upset, our mouths refl ect our feelings by also becoming tense. In creating that tension, the skin around the mouth will tighten and the muscles near the jaw will become more pronounced. The jaw muscles may in fact throb and the lips will begin to tighten and compress. The greater the tension or distress we’re under, the greater the compression of the lips. Eventually, they will disappear. While analyzing their opponent’s holdings, poker players with marginal (and especially with weak hands) can be seen to compress their lips. When they have solid holdings, this doesn’t happen. In fact, it is rare to see those who have the nuts compress their lips, unless of course they have read my writings and are faking weak.
Lip pursing, as I’ve stated in this series and in the book Read ‘Em and Reap, is a very ancient behavior that we have to show our dislike of something. As children we purse our lips to keep out food being forced upon us. As adults we use the same behavior, but not as pronounced, to indicate our disagreement with, or dislike of, a situation (including our cards). Brandon Rosen from Post Oak Productions and I watched a table of poker players and we could tell just from the lip pursing how often someone had a weak or marginal hand and would eventually fold. Our accuracy exceeded 92 percent. That is an astounding percentage, but not surprising to those of us who study nonverbals (tells). For fi ve to six million years we have used this evolutionary means to reject food and also to keep out that which can hurt us.
LIP TOUCHING
When we’re in a stressful situation, one might notice quivering lips or a profuse sweating in the area around our lips. We might also pull on our lips or touch them to pacify ourselves. Sometimes we see players playing with their philtrum (yes, you can share this one with the kids), that little area with ridges between the upper lip and the nose. Men, mostly, play with this and do so when they are pensive or weak.
EXCESSIVE YAWNING
When we are tense or under stress, such as when looking at a rag hand and seeing our bankroll getting smaller by the minute, our mouths will become dry. Some people will naturally drink water at the table. Others, however, do something peculiar. I fi rst noticed when I was a young FBI agent about thirty years ago that, during interviews or arrests, the suspect would begin to yawn. I looked further into this and found a possible cause that applies directly to poker.
I have seen poker players go all in and then begin to yawn as though feigning disinterest or being nonchalant. Why would someone begin to yawn repeatedly when under stress? Interestingly, because when we force a yawn, pressure is put on our salivary glands, especially the ones near the jaw, causing them to release saliva in copious amounts and thus wet our increasingly parched mouths. We’re nervous and our body is reacting to pacify. So, the next time you see someone go all in and then start to yawn, ask yourself, “Is this guy trying to undo stress by relieving a very dry mouth or was he up too late partying the night before?” Likewise, if this is something that you do when under stress, as I tell students at the WSOP Academy Camps, “Knock it off!”
TONGUE DISPLAYS
Numerous tongue signals can provide us with valuable insights into a person’s thoughts or moods. Remember, when we’re stressed, our mouths and lips dry up. As a result, players under stress will lick their lips to moisten them during times of discomfort. During those moments, we tend to rub our tongues back and forth across our lips, to pacify and calm ourselves. We may stick out the tongue (usually to the side) as we focus carefully on a task (for example, when basketball great Michael Jordan goes up for a lay-up) or we may poke out our tongue to antagonize someone we dislike or to show disgust, as children do.
When an individual displays other mouth cues associated with stress, such as lip biting, mouth touching, lip licking or object biting, it further bolsters a careful observer’s belief that the person is insecure. Additionally, if people touch and/or lick their lips while pondering their options, particularly when they take an unusual amount of time, these are signs of insecurity. Insecurity is a sign of weakness and weakness should clue you in on how to optimally play a hand.
Watch for players who begin to chew gum excessively or who chew on their tongues while playing. In a non-poker related example, you’ll often see those under oath testifying in court or those at news conferences chewing rapidly. It is a sign that the person is struggling with something and needs to pacify by moving his mouth and tongue. Players forget how visible this is and how professionals will take note of changes in chewing behaviors. Conversely, I have seen players get a monster hand and, to pacify their excitement, they will begin to chew more quickly. Either way, excessive chewing is a pacifi er – it just depends on the individual player’s reaction to stress or excitement. As usual, put everything into context and try to get a “norm” (establish normal behavior) on the player.
Then there are the talkers – those who calm themselves during stressful moments by talking to others. From quiet times to an increase of talking and engaging of others, players are doing what they can to avoid focusing on the stressful stimulus. Again this is a behavior of the mouth. Talking can be very pacifying, which is why some people do it for hours on the phone. It’s not so much what is said but rather that the act of speech itself can pacify us, which is why – and this is a secret – some of you talk to yourself when alone.
THE TONGUE JUT
Tongue-jutting behavior is a gesture used by people who think they have gotten away with something or are “caught” doing something. I have seen this behavior in fl ea markets both in the United States and in Russia, among street vendors in Lower Manhattan, at poker tables in Las Vegas, and in business meetings. In each case, the person made the gesture – tongue between the teeth without touching the lips – at the conclusion of some sort of a deal or as a fi - nal nonverbal statement. This behavior has several meanings – depending on specifi c situations – but is usually associated with one of these: I got caught (taking candy from a drawer), gleeful excitement (look at what I just did, Mom), I got away with something (and I didn’t get caught), I did something foolish, or I am naughty. At the poker table, watch people showing a tongue jut when they get you to commit to the pot and they have the nuts. It shows up all the time. I have also seen players who make big laydowns perform the same action. Are you ready to trust your eyes yet? Focus on the mouths of your opponents when you’re in action, but also be aware that your mouth is being looked at for tells. Calm the quivering lips, lip licking, chewing, and tongue jutting. Just be aware of what you are giving away. Try covering your mouth as you deliberate on your cards and before taking any action. You may fi nd that this is one area where your lips can sink a ship.
