Watch Your Opponents
One tactic that good players employ is never watch the cards hit the table. This style of play is not an easy way to play poker, and you must have a solid knowledge of the game before implementing it. If you are capable of adding this skill you will open windows of information that you’ve been missing to this point in your poker game.
Choosing to watch your opponents instead of the cards falling will immediately provide you with tell information. It won’t give you tell information about all of your opponents, but it will provide you with all the available tells that are out there. Most players can’t help but look at the flop, some will tell you whether they hit or missed if you’re watching them at the moment the card hits the board. If you’re watching the cards you will never receive this free information.
If you watch the players you will see all sorts of different things. The opponents that miss will often show disinterest or maybe one opponent is scanning the table for possible action (a sure sign of a player looking to get involved). It will take time but after awhile you begin to develop a feel and recognition for the body language of the tables.
Try the method and you’ll see. It’s not any easy thing to do well, but once you do you’ll look differently at every opponent who doesn’t employ it. Don’t celebrate too much, skilled players will pose and bait you if they realize you’re watching. That’s how you know where the sharks are sitting. When the flop comes they’re staring back at you.