On Line Texas Holdem Poker

Poker's the Art of Talking with Daniel Negreanu

Question: What kind of tells do you get by talking?

Answer: When you talk to somebody and they reply, you can tell how comfortable they are by the way they say it. You can ask them a question and if they seem to spurt gibberish back at you that's usually a sign that they are uncomfortable and they might be bluffing. With people who like to talk a lot and then all of a sudden they have nothing to say, that's usually a tell one way or the other. And generally, with some of the things that people say you can get a sense of whether or not they want you to call or fold.

Question: What about the pros who like to talk a lot… do you banter with them and get the same tells off them?

Answer: Yeah, it's harder to do with pros because they are more calculated with what they say, but even so, when I talk I give away stuff sometimes. It just goes with the territory. Some pros I don't mind, but some are just so loud. I can take Mike Matusow, but only in small doses!

Question: What do you do if they won't talk back?

Answer: I plug away a little bit. I'll get more comfortable and might make it look like I'm going to fold to see if he's going to do something with his body. Not everyone is going to say something, but even with those who don't say anything, there are still things I can find.

Question: If someone talks with you as opposed to being silent, what does that mean?

Answer: It all depends on the player's personality, so you have to match their personal personality with why they would be talking. If it is a naturally talkative person that wouldn't be bizarre but, if it is a really quiet person and all of a sudden he starts talking, you have to gauge whether or not, based on what he's saying, is that a sign of him trying to talk you out of it or is this guy all of a sudden extremely comfortable because he has a hand. Every player is different, but generally speaking based on the tone and what they say, you can get something from it.

Question: What do you do if there is a player saying something like: "You should fold. I have you beat"? Answer: Have you ever been in a situation with someone and he tells you something and you look in his eyes and you are like, "Yeah I believe that person." It's very difficult for some people to fake that. It's like "Did you cheat on me?" (wide scared eyes). "No really, I didn't!" and you can so tell they are lying. But when someone says genuinely, "No, I really didn't," you can tell they are being honest. When people are doing that you just have to gauge how honest they are. Plus, you look at past hands and situations, like some players tell the truth like 90 percent of the time or more, where other players lie a lot more. You just have to know whom you are dealing with.

Question: Are people who are obnoxious at the table obnoxious away from it?

Answer: Yes, sometimes. A lot of people say at the poker table your true colors come out and who you really are comes out at the poker table.

Question: How much of the trash talk is an act to gain an edge, and how much is just how people really are?

Answer: I think for the most part what you see is what you get. I think when the TV cameras come around people start to get a lot more talkative sometimes because they think they could be cool and say something funny, which ends up being not funny. But for the most part, talkative people are talkative people.