HOW CAN I ANALYZE AN OPPONENT?

A poker game is the perfect place to practice reading body language. All the players at the table are trying to hide how good or bad their respective cards are. But Joe Navarro knows that all of them are constantly transmitting information through their body language. How do opponents react when a new card is turned up? Do they briefly stop breathing? Do their pupils expand or contract? “Sitting across the table from a poker player is like sitting across from a spy,” says Navarro. “In both cases you can observe involuntary reactions that they are trying to hide as best they can—but they can’t.”

The players’ respective postures reveal how nervous they are.

The positioning of the hands relative to the chips can indicate how risk-tolerant a player is.

How do you hold your cards? Players who hold their cards close to their body are signaling that they’re serious.