Reading other players at the table means being able to have information about your opponents and then make educated guesses, which helps to win many pots. Different players have different tells, which you can judge by the way they act, bet or behave at the table. But you have to be careful in reading your opponents. Make sure to keep your ears and eyes open at all times. You should play other’s cards at the table and not just yours. Having bad cards does not mean that you are out of the hand, because you can bluff players who are tight and fold quickly after a big raise from others. Practice the following steps to improve your ability to read your opponents and make good decisions:

1.Categorize Your Opponents at the Table
Although there is no perfect short-cut to hand reading, the categorization of players at the table can help you a lot. Find out how tight or loose they are or how passive or aggressive they are at the given table. Also, check out if they are constantly betting and raising, or just checking and calling. Consider their experience and thinking level. All this will help you make better decisions and win more hands.

2.Consider Betting Patterns & Positions
As a poker player, you should know what your opponents are doing. You should take notes on their betting patterns in common situations. Watch out what they do pre-flop. Do they limp marginal hands and raise strong hands? Do they often check and feld if they miss the flop after raising? Do they steal blinds in late positions?How often do they 3-bet? Do they seem to steal blinds from under the gun ? Do they check and call? Do they check-raise? Do they semi-bluff or bluff several times?How do they play their big hands? Do they bet hard? Do they slow play? The answers to all these questions will help you to make superior decisions and win so many hand from your opponents at the table.

3.Have Evidence Before You Go for the Kill
Whenever you go for the kill in a hand, make sure you have evidence in place before making such a bold move. A prompt check or a delay followed by a check often shows weakness. On the other hand, a delay followed by a bet indicates strength. A sudden big bet on the river card by a tight player after a bit of thinking is a sign of an excellent hand. Loose-aggressive players should be handled with a bit caution, as they are likely to often make the same moves to scare off their opponents at the table.

4.Keep Your Ears Open to Read Poker Tells
If you keep your ears open amidsts the tinkling of chips and loud music, you will be able to hear something else, which is often a sigh or a slight sound of disappointment. This is a tell, which often means that your opponent has a strong hand and is trying to quietly indicate otherwise. He/she might go extra mile, saying “bet” or “call” sadly. So, always keep your ears open to avoid being trapped.

5.Watch Other Players, Not just your Cards
Take time to read your opponents through some hands to make better decisions. When the flop hits, look at the other players reactions to the flop. If you a player quickly turns his/her attention after the flop, it means he/she is often holding a strong hand. When a player stares at you, it means they are probably acting to scare off you. Such players might call, but the raise is unlikely in that case.

Poker tells that indicate a player has a strong hand may include shaking hand, full relaxed speech, eyes open and not blinking, nose flaring, rapid breathing, glancing at chip stacks, impatient & wants to bet, etc. On the other hand, poker tells that show a weak hand may be fake smile, nail biting, hand over eyes, eyes blinking, lip biting, breathing through mouth, holding breath, broken speech, etc.