1. What this chapter is about
This chapter explains how to pull information from:
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What players say
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How they say it
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When they say it
It’s not about exact phrases so much as intent and pattern: Why is this person saying this, right now, in this spot?
2. Disclaimers: “I’m only doing this because…”
A big theme: when players explain away their action, their real strength is often the opposite of what they’re selling.
Examples in spirit:
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Short stack shoves and says something like “Well, I don’t have many chips, I’ve got no choice.”
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Trying to frame the shove as forced by stack size → often actually strong.
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In a multi-way pot, last-to-act player says “Everyone checked? Okay, I’ll bet.”
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Pretends to bet only because others checked → usually has a real hand.
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Someone complains about all the raising, then re-raises while grumbling about it.
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Acting like emotion is driving the raise → often hiding real strength.
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Overall point: when someone attaches a story to their action (“I’m doing this because X…”), treat that story as cover, not truth.
3. Information from players who folded
People who are out of the hand often leak real info:
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They shake their head, sigh, or whisper to a neighbor after a certain flop.
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You might catch “I folded a Jack” or something similar.
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This can help you remove certain card combos from the remaining players’ ranges.
More common in low/mid-stakes cash games than tournaments (where talking about live hands is often restricted).
4. Liars, truth-tellers, and how people mislead
People don’t like outright lying
Elwood leans on psychological research: many people feel physical discomfort when telling a direct lie, especially if they might be exposed.
Applied to poker:
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During a hand, when cards might still be shown, many players avoid clear, provable lies.
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After the hand is mucked and can’t be verified, people are freer to lie.
Verbal trickery instead of pure lies
Most “talkers” prefer to mislead without technically lying, with phrases like:
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“I’ve got a good hand.”
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“I’ve got it.”
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Downplaying or slightly misdescribing strength (“I’ve just got a pair of queens” when it’s actually top set).
They aim to:
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Influence your decision
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Avoid the inner discomfort of lying
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Protect their image as “not a liar”
The Jamie Gold example shows someone using true but incomplete statements (e.g., emphasizing “King high”) to steer an opponent toward a wrong conclusion.
Key skill: logic-check what they said.
If you combine:
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“This person doesn’t want to outright lie,” with
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“This spot is unlikely for them to reveal real weakness,”
…you can sometimes deduce the exact category of hand they’re holding.
5. When people actually tell the truth
Some players genuinely tell you their hand:
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Because they want you to fold (protecting a vulnerable but strong hand).
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Because they want you to call (they don’t think you’ll believe them or they love the showmanship).
You’re more likely to believe them when:
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The description is specific (“overpair”, “set”, specific rank).
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Their line makes sense with that hand.
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They have a logical reason to reveal strength (e.g., all-in already, want a fold, or they’re relaxed and showy).
You’re less likely to believe them when:
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The statement is vague (“I’ve got you beat” / “I’ve got a hand”).
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You can’t find a good reason they’d genuinely reveal strength here.
But note: even when it seems weird for them to tell the truth, many players still prefer not to lie, so you should never auto-discount straightforward claims.
6. Patterns in habitual liars
A small subgroup lies freely and often about their hand during play.
They usually lie in predictable ways, such as:
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Telling believable lies when their story fits standard pre-flop action (e.g., “I have top pair / top kicker” after raising pre-flop on a standard board).
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Telling the truth about weird or disguised strong hands (e.g., weird straight or disguised hand) because no one believes them anyway.
For these players:
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You need to map their patterns, not just a single statement.
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Often the best move is to focus less on their words and more on strategy, betting, and other physical tells if their chatter is too noisy.
7. Expressing fear of a bigger hand
A surprisingly useful tell:
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Player has a strong but beatable hand.
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While thinking or acting, they verbally worry about a slightly stronger, very plausible hand (“You must have X…”).
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Then they still bet big or shove.
This often means:
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The player actually holds the hand just below what they name.
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They’re strong and relaxed enough to talk.
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Mentioning the stronger hand also gives them a story later: “I knew you had it, but what could I do?”
If they were weak, they usually wouldn’t feel relaxed enough to voice concerns at all.
8. Complaining less
Chronic complainers give away strength when their tone suddenly flips:
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They’ve been whining about bad luck and running cold for a long stretch.
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In a hand, they suddenly appear calmer, friendlier, or more cheerful.
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That demeanor shift often means: they finally hit something big.
So a “tilty grump” who’s suddenly in good spirits mid-hand is someone you should be cautious about paying off.
9. How much should you try to track?
Elwood closes with some meta-advice:
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You cannot track every possible tell; trying to watch everything is exhausting and counterproductive.
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Your primary focus must stay on fundamentals:
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Ranges
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Position
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Bet sizing
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Opponents’ strategic tendencies
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Tells are added value, something you pick up:
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In downtime
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When decisions are close
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Against players you’ve already watched for a while
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You’ll naturally gravitate toward what fits your personality:
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Some prefer subtle glances and peripheral vision.
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Others are comfortable with direct staring and conversation.
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Some focus on eyes; others on posture, hands, or speech.
The book’s verbal examples are meant as templates, not rigid rules: real people will display variations, opposites, or nothing at all. Your job is to:
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Learn the common patterns,
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Correlate them to specific individuals, and
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Use them as an extra piece of the puzzle—never as a standalone reason to make a big decision.