Talking At The Poker Table - Table Chatter Tips

June 23rd, 2009

If you watch poker on TV, you probably regard table chatter as an integral part of the game. Professional players seem to joke and discuss various things at the table all the time. Copying them however may not be a good idea for a beginner.

If you pay close attention to the table chatter professional players engage in, you’ll see that sometimes even these battle hardened veterans commit mistakes and give away free information. Because poker is a game based on partial information, the biggest edge that you can possibly secure at the green felt is to have more information on your opponent (his hand, his tactics and his strategy-approach as well as his style of play) than he has on you. In conclusion, giving away free information through table chatter is like selling weapons to your enemies: not a good idea.

When at a live table, try to talk as little as you possibly can. The more you talk – even if you talk about unrelated things – the better the odds that you’ll give away free information. This is exactly why it’s a common practice on the part of good players to get you talking. They don’t really care much about what you’re telling them, their initial goal is just to get you to talk to them. They may ask you about how many chips you have left, about whether or not you’re going to show your pocket hand if they fold or pretty much anything – often things unrelated to the game you’re playing. Don’t fall for the “how many chips?” trap. A good player knows exactly how many chips you have, pretty much all the time. Just watch Daniel Negreanu in action. He’s famous for the accurate reads he makes on his opponents. Just try to observe how he talks to his opponents and how he tries to make them talk to him. This is what poker experts call “fishing for information”.

The main problem with talking at the poker table is that you do not actually give away information through what you say. You offer information through how you say things. A professional player like Daniel Negreanu is an expert in reading people based on their various reactions and sometimes on things they themselves could not put a finger on. As soon as you begin to talk, your breathing rate, the pauses you make, your inflection, they’re all information sources for your skilled opponents. To these guys you’re like a book, a closed book which opens up as soon as you begin to talk.

Table chatter is a delicate issue because just as you can give away information through it, you can also use it to fish for information yourself. If you’re a beginner though or a live table first-timer, the benefits that you’ll reap off your table talk are not likely to outweigh the costs. In such cases, it’s best to do the only thing that guarantees you won’t commit a mistake: keep your mouth shut.

You have the right to remain silent at the poker table and nobody can actually force you to talk to him/her. Don’t answer questions when you have better hands and your mood is upbeat and ignore them when you’re grouchy. People will catch on to that. Of course, that is not to say that you shouldn’t talk to people at all, when you’re at a live event. As long is it doesn’t occur during a hand and it’s not poker related, you can answer any question and chat to anyone you wish. Keep silent and you’ll definitely improve your live game leaps and bounds. Go fishing for information only if you’re fairly certain you’re not getting into something way above your skill level.

Online table chatter is a less sensitive issue though it too can offer information to your opponents. Don’t forget to sign up for a rakeback deal like the full tilt rakeback or the ongame rakeback if you play online. Rakeback will offer you an excellent edge online, one that will significantly contribute to the improvement of your overall performance.

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Beginner Poker Tips