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A very clever Soviet satire is written about a con artist set out to win a bunch of money from a small town chess club. He convinces the avid members that he is a traveling master of the game and wishes to organize a tournament for the assembled group. He, of course, charges an entrance fee from all the players and proceeds to play “twelve identical matches” without a clue as to what he is doing. This is the second chess match he has ever played, but he manages to place the pieces somewhat correctly and makes his moves to the awe of those surrounding the board. Like lots of folks when in the presence of greatness, they read a lot into the moves and pay close attention. Soon after beginning the games, he loses all of them but still keeps his sense of humor. The town is utterly amazed, but by then he has had the required time to run off with the entry fees. So, our traveling maestro may be a lousy player, but he is a winning one.

The novel is The Twelve Chairs of which there are both English translations and film adaptation DVDs actually available from Amazon.com. The first film adaptation of the book was actually a Mel Brooks comedy, which is a loose adaptation, recommended only for Brooks fans. The best Russian adaptation is the 1976 mini-series by Mark Zaharov, one of the greatest Russian directors of all time, though he may not sound as familiar as Tarkovsky.

The point is that the definition of a good player, in poker or otherwise, depends on what that player’s purpose is. As far the fictional con artist was concerned, he was an effective player since his strategy precisely achieved his goals – quick money. It is a subtler point, however, that he was a good player also because he knew he couldn’t play solid chess for more than the first five or so moves and because he prepared an escape route.

A large group of poker players in this world are in denial as to their true poker prowess. Egos can be very large in this game of bullying and risk taking. They have never understood the delightful complexity of the game and spend no time in educating themselves as to its nuances and the skill required to play it successfully. The fun of the game is its very complexity, and that it takes a lifetime to really learn it well, and even then new insights remain to be discovered. The player that understands this will have a profitable career at the poker table.

Some players play the game by rote and come out winners in the long run. They do not see the game as an ever-enlightening process of learning and growing. But they do win and if that is their purpose for playing the game, then they are good poker players.

For those players to whom poker is an art, the above types are not true poker players, not really bad, just not real. They are in the clubs but are not the stars. The good player is looking for growth and more and more insight to improve his already good game. He or she understands that the game is a complicated mix of skill, theater, and perception. They know their weaknesses and work hard on improving their good points while lessening their bad ones.

The author of this article plays online poker and gets Rakeback at Interpoker where they offer the highest Interpoker Rakeback.

Those serious, arrogant poker professionals gathered around the table in big shades and hooded sweatshirts are out for blood. They are not attracting amiable amateurs, they are attracting expert players who are the only ones who are not intimidated by their demeanor. This may be good for TV’s World of Poker, but certainly not for the good players who want to pick up a few bucks.

For the amateur will, for the most part, prefer a table where he thinks he can have a good time, whether he wins or looses. For him the game is not a way of making a living, but quality time. The sociable, successful businessman happy to get out of the office or to have a bit of fun before the foreign meeting, the brilliant computer scientist who likes once in a while to play a real game as opposed to online poker: these people, cruising around the room, are looking for a table where players are relaxed and friendly. They will listen for laughter and scan smiles before they at all try to observe the players’ actual poker skills, and will finally go for those tables where people seem to enjoy themselves.

To the players who want to constantly earn an actual income at the table, these guys are a godsend. An individual player will probably not lose a lot, but will do so consistently. If the pro wants some dough he has come to the right place. These good ol’ boys seeking fun will stay longer, place riskier bets and lose more when they are having fun.

At a table where nobody initiates any human contact and there is no way to see what the opponents look like behind their cases of armor nothing keeps the amateur to leave as soon as they lose once, never to return.

The amateur is seeking the opposite of the above. He wants good conversation, friendly company, and a table where the players compliment each other on good play. This table engenders a feeling of warm fuzziness and trust for the amateur and will suck him right in. They will return to this table again and happily lose money to you. Remember they are seeking entertainment not an income.

Keep your weaker opponents in a good mood and you will keep up their good hopes, believing that luck may still take their side. Good time and occasional “luck” may turn them into regular players and into regular income and attract still more amateurs. But a show of cold indifference will only make them disgusted with themselves or the table or both.

This gregarious, relaxed persona is not necessarily born to the expert players. They learn it along with the skills and techniques of the game and practice, practice, practice. This allows them to manipulate situations to their advantage while projecting a very positive and entertaining experience for the little fishies that took their bait. And, the fishies will thank them for providing them with such an entertaining time at the table.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Paradise Rakeback and Fortune Poker Rakeback.

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Chip Tells

The amount of force a player uses in moving their chips to the pot can be an obvious tell (subconscious action). If the player spikes their chips (slamming down a stack past the bet line), they are more likely to have a weak hand.

Be aware that fumbling of the chips may betray inexperience at a brick and mortar casino, and not betray the fact that the player has considerable experience online. Televised poker tournaments that draw their players from online qualifiers, such as Fox Sports Net tournaments sponsored by major online poker sites, can make this very apparent with some players.

When a player makes a call or raise and they place their chips closer to themselves, they often have a strong hand. They are often subconsciously keeping their chips within easy reach to rake them back when they win. A player who uses a lot of force in tossing in the chips toward the pot, or flings them away, often has a marginal hand, because this tossing away of the chips can be because they feel they have already lost the hand and the chips as well.

Players with several denominations of chips in front of them can often give away their hand by which chips they use when betting. If they place their smaller denomination chips in the pot, subconsciously giving away their small chips and keeping their big chips for themselves, they are unsure they have the best hand. If they bet with the high denomination chips, they are not expecting to lose them. A player making a move for their chips out of turn is normally indicating that the most recent community card is an improvement.

How players maintain their chip stacks may give an insight into their style of play. Neat, organized chip stacks are often the earmark of a tight-aggressive player. Loose-aggressive players often have sloppy, irregular chip stacks. How a player cuts out the chips can also give insight into the strength of the hand. Cutting out chips is when a player separates the chips from the stack before placing them in the pot to see how many chips will remain after the bet. It is similar to the way a cowboy would cut out a calf from the herd for branding.

This is the key place to look for chip tells. A player who is unsure of the amount of chips needed for a call, or who is having trouble counting out the correct number of chips, is often unsure of the strength of his/her hand. A player counting and recounting chips may also be unsure of his/her hand’s strength. Unfortunately, playing with chip stacks is where most players go Hollywood (acting at the table, normally with a reverse tell.), so realize that the player may be using a reverse tell to fool you and the other players.

Card Tells

When a player looks at their hole cards can be a tell on their experience level. Instead of watching the other players look at their cards, many inexperienced players look at their own cards as soon as they receive them By not waiting until it is their turn to play they miss viewing possible tells other players may exhibit.

While the dealer places the community cards on the table, you should watch how other players still in the hand react. Their eyes may look to their chips, a look of pleasure may pass fleetingly over their face, or a look of disgust may show they did not hit the card they needed.

Watch for the player who rechecks their hole cards if the flop falls with several cards of the same suit. They may remember the rank of the cards, but be unsure of the suits, and be checking to see if they are on a flush draw. The same tell is possible if the flop cards are connected, since they are verifying their straight draw. Be wary of any strong bets after these tells.

Betting Tells

How quickly a player bets is often indicative of the hand they have. A fast call or raise normally signifies strength, while taking too much time can be a sign of indecision. Make sure you observe the player’s actions for a while to determine the normal speed they play their hands. Be prepared for the false tell, though, as this is an excellent place for an opponent to think long and act weak while holding a premium starting hand.

By noticing a player who always raises with large pocket pairs, you can avoid a confrontation when you hold a marginal hand. If you notice a player with a tendency to continue to bet after a pre-flop raise, then you can safely check to them when you have a big hand, knowing you can get a check raise out of them.

It is important to follow the betting patterns of your opponents through each street. Follow all hands to the river to see what they have bet and how strong their hand actually was. This information becomes invaluable the longer you play with a particular opponent, as you will be able to correlate their betting with their hole cards.

About the author: Daniel L. Cox is the editor of Poker Insider Magazine, an e-zine dedicated to poker. He is also the award-winning author of “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em: How to Play Low-limit Ring Games and Small Buy-in Tournaments” and four upcoming books on poker. He can be found on Twitter at PokerInsiderMag, where he gives you a daily poker quote.