Poker For Dummies

by Richard D. Harroch

Hands that shake is not an act. There’s a homespun theory that goes with this one. The theory says that if you see someone suddenly start trembling when making a wager, that’s a signal that this bettor is nervous about the bet and is probably bluffing. That theory is just plain backwards. If ever a tell were almost 100 percent reliable, it’s this one. Few players act in an effort to show nervousness, and genuine shaking is hard to fake. What most likely is happening is this: Your opponent has made a very strong hand. The hand is, in fact, unbeatable or almost unbeatable. What you’re seeing is a release of tension following the suspense of waiting to see what will happen. Some players are always nervous; they will shake whether or not they’ve made a big hand. The tell that I’m talking about is sudden shaking. I’m talking about a player who was previously steady but is just now starting to shake. This behavior is especially suspicious if the player seems to be trying to control the shaking, but can’t. This sudden shaking isn’t a bluff, because players who bluff tend to bolster themselves. They force themselves to be unnaturally steady, and they hardly move. They tend to realize instinctively that anything they do might look suspicious to an opponent and trigger what we term the calling reflex.