Playing poker is not only a lot of fun, but it is also an exciting way to earn extra cash. However, when you start to lose continuously, the fun gets out of the game. To avoid this, you need to learn how to read your opponents. When you say “read”, it means that the opponents sent out messages through their behavior and body language while playing the game and you have to interpret these signals so you can win the game.

Be observant enough to locate the “tells”. In poker, a ‘tell’ is the physical reaction, habit or behavior of a person that gives his or her opponents information about their present hand. If you’re in a casino, you can watch a set of players from a distance, but don’t look at their cards and observe their gestures, eye movements, twitches and other behavior they unconsciously make while they’re playing. Come closer to the table and observe if there are evidences of tells on some of the players you’re watching. You can start playing with them and continue to observe their movements and tells until you are sure if these gestures represent good or bad poker hands. Use these observations to your advantage.

Acting is an important part of poker. When you lead your opponents to believe you have a weak hand when in fact you have a strong one, and vice versa, you are using common game assumptions to your advantage. When professional poker players use this, they reverse these assumptions to bluff other players.

When observing players, spot any changes in their behavior or any kind of giveaways. Some quiet players start to talk when they have a bad hand, while others may start to hold their cards protectively when they receive a good hand. Giveaways like a red face, shaking, deep breathing and jittery gestures usually mean a player has a good hand and is unconsciously “giving away” that he has. Of course, always be aware of your own gestures and behavior so you would not send out giveaways to your opponents.

Reading your opponents is one of the best ways to win poker, but remember to enjoy the game every time and never spend money you’re going to miss if you lose.