Speed Tells

I'm a mathematical guy, and as such, I'm usually not interested in the more touchy-feely aspects of poker. I cringe when I hear someone gloat about knowing another person's hand (after they see it, of course). I hate all the post hoc psychological explanations used to explain big decisions. It probably won't surprise you to learn, then, that I don't really obsess about looking for tells. Most decent players do not have reliable tells, in general. However, there is one tell that I do think is worth discussing: the speed tell.

When someone is first to act in a betting round and checks immediately, that is a very good indicator that their mindset in the previous round was "I hope I catch something." These people will nearly always fold to a bet, especially on the flop. This comes up reasonably often for me, because I open raise preflop in late position a lot. When one of the blinds calls me and then checks the flop instantly, that's like an alarm bell telling me that a continuation bet is likely to work.

You'll occasionally see people insta-check intending to check raise, or insta-check and then call. Make a note of these players, they're unusual.

The speed tell is the only one that I've found to be reliable and pretty consistent across players. I notice it more online, but there are certainly live players guilty of it too. Watch for it especially in the "check to the raiser" types of situations. If you frequently raise preflop with non-premium hands, picking up on this tell will do wonders for your bankroll.