The Nonverbals of Home Games
Many people approach me and ask if one can determine a difference in the tells nonverbals) of a home game versus the tells a player will encounter at a major poker venue. This is a valid question, especially when I contrast it with the often repeated comment made at the WSOP Academy: "Joe, I just can’t read the guys in my home game.” So how do we reconcile this? Well, the answer is both psychological and social, so let’s take a closer look. Then the next time you sit down at a friend's house, you will have the right information to make your decisions.
Many of you play poker with friends on a regular basis for social reasons. It’s not about making money. It’s fun to get together and hang out with those who make us laugh. The home game is a place where we can speak our minds with people we enjoy while playing poker at the same time. I play in home games three times a month because of my travel schedule (yes, I am playing more these days!). For the most part, this group of guys gets together to socialize. Our hefty buy-in, and please don’t laugh, is $10.00.
For the price of one hamburger in Vegas, we sit around for four hours, tell stories, fi gure out which auto shop is best, and analyze the ways to fi x the political issues of the world. We usually have the television on, the dogs visit us for handouts, and cell phones go off intermittently. It’s a casual game where the money is secondary, but the game is still exciting and challenging. We’ve been playing together for years and know each others’ betting patterns and idiosyncrasies. You would think that since we all know each other so well, being perceptive of our tells at the table would be easy, right? Not so fast, I say.
As you know from previous articles and my book Read ‘em and Reap, nonverbals are very accurate at telling us what a person is thinking, feeling, or intending. True, all behavior is governed by the brain; but the brain is often processing so much information that it is diffi cult to read — which brings us back to the home game and what is on the mind of the players.
Home games vary probably as much as the weather. Every game is different and the participants change as often as the winds. Around the table you’ll fi nd different characters in different moods and different states of mental focus. Understanding the focus of a player is extremely important since many of those in a home game are playing at the end of a work day. While those players are probably exhausted, others may have their minds occupied by thoughts other than winning an eighty dollar pot. In a bigger home game such as those that I am familiar with in LA, the buy-in is several thousand dollars and the types of players fall into the same categories.
No matter what the stakes, the issue is not whether or not it’s a home game, but one of sociology and psychology. The temperament of the players and their intentions will drive their behaviors. If they are focused, interested, and competitive, they will have the same behaviors as players playing in a high stakes game in Las Vegas. Remember that stress levels will not be the same in every game since you can’t compare $30,000 on the line in one hand versus one in which the pot barely reaches $30. Some of the limbic reactions may not be as visibly noticeable, but they should be there nonetheless.
When players are watching TV, chitchatting, getting up, changing channels, playing with dogs, or answering phones, don’t be surprised if you have a hard time reading their tells. It’s not easy. Their tells will refl ect their thoughts whenever they are engaged with the game, but if they aren’t focused, you might be looking for something that simply isn’t there. However, here’s the interesting part: If the players are focused and intent on playing the game earnestly, their tells will be the same as you’ll usually see in any casino. The amount of money or stress of the game truly doesn’t matter. What matters is the focus and determination during any given session. If the players are enthralled with the game, you’ll be able to use the typical methods of deciphering nonverbals to get an edge.
We have run experiments in which we have taken two groups to analyze the effect of money on a game. The first group was playing for real money while the second was playing for pride and the title of being ranked the best player at the table. What we found was that money did not matter! The only thing that mattered was the psychology of the players. It was their determination to win that guided this study. It was irrelevant whether they were winning money or prestige. It was the emotional attachment to winning that was the true variable. Our fi ndings showed that limbic reactions were the same in both games. Additionally, many of the behaviors or tells were consistent with typical high stakes play. What this study demonstrated was that focus, intentions, and interest are more important than location or the amount of money involved.
In both situations, we saw people pursing their lips when they did not like the fl op. We saw neck touching when they were marginal or weak. We noticed players tucked in their chins when they were worried and furrowed their eyebrows when concerned. Their faces and bodies were refl ecting what their minds were processing in relation to the game itself, not the value of the chips on the table. Everything aside, it was hand values that dominated their reactions.
The best question to ask yourself the next time you’re involved in a hand should be “Where is this person’s mind?” That’s what’s important. Whether at your kitchen table or in a local casino, the focus of your opponents should tell you the entire story. How badly do they want to win? If your home game foes are playing merely to socialize, you shouldn’t expect to see signifi cant tells. After all, they are indifferent to what is going on at the table. However, if the game is playing for dimes, but fi lled with players who are focused and intent on winning, expect to see signifi cant tells. Remember, the venue — home game vs. poker room — only provides the environment; the tells refl ect what is in the head.
