LOOKING AT YOU!

A CLASSIC "WAITING FOR ACTION" TELL OF WEAKNESS

“Looking at you” is one of the most misunderstood poker tells — a subtle behavior where a player stares directly at you while you decide whether to check, bet, or fold. This “looking at you” poker tell often signals weakness, but it’s frequently misread or overlooked at the table.

Poker tells are the subtle, often subconscious, behaviors players exhibit at the table. They’re not magic, and they don’t offer certainty — but when observed correctly, they can provide valuable insight into what an opponent is feeling or thinking.

This behavior falls into what expert Zachary Elwood calls the “Waiting-for-Action” category — a group of tells that occur while one player is waiting for another to make a decision. These tells are different from those shown while betting or after betting, and they can reveal how comfortable (or uncomfortable) a player feels about your possible action.

We’ll break down why this particular tell often signals weakness, how to recognize when it’s reliable, and why, despite being commonly taught, it’s still frequently misread at the table.

LOOKING AT YOUR POKER TELL - A CLASSIC TELL OF WEAKNESS

Of all the visual tells in poker, the stare — a player “looking at you” when it’s your turn to act — is one of the most common and misunderstood poker tells. In many cases, it’s not a sign of strength. In fact, quite the opposite.

This tell is most often associated with waiting-for-action behavior, which means that a player is now waiting for you to act. If they’re looking directly at you while you make your decision, you might be seeing a subconscious sign of weakness.

🎯 Note: This category of tells is based on the groundbreaking work of Zachary Elwood, author of Reading Poker Tells. Much of what’s presented here draws from his framework, which we highly recommend exploring in detail.

WHY EYE CONTACT OFTEN SIGNALS WEAKNESS

INSTINCT TO MONITOR THREATS

DEFENSIVE POSTURE

HUNTING FOR CLUES

Just like in nature, animals keep their eyes on a predator to monitor danger. Humans do it too — and poker is no different. A player with a weak hand may watch you closely because, in their mind, you’re the threat.

Sometimes the look isn’t just watchful — it’s confrontational. It’s as if they’re silently saying, “I see you. Don’t get any ideas.” But underneath that defensive act is a hand that doesn’t want action.

Players with marginal or weak hands often feel the need to gather extra info before deciding what to do. They watch opponents closely — even if they don’t fully understand what they’re looking for. Bad players may overact the part, while good players may be actively analyzing.

MULTI-WAY POT EXAMPLE: WHO'S LOOKING AT YOU?

Let’s say you’re on the button in a $1/$2 no-limit Hold’em game with 3♠ 2♠. Three players limp, and a loose-aggressive player makes a standard raise. You’re thinking about making a play.

You pause for a few seconds, glance around the table — and notice everyone is watching you. That’s good news. Players staring at you, waiting for your action, are often doing so with marginal hands. The fear of aggression is real.

But now let’s imagine a different scenario. You glance over and see one player staring down at the table, another seemingly ignoring the action, and the original raiser has his eyes glued to his phone. Now that’s concerning. These players might be comfortable and holding stronger hands.

You don’t always need to stare back to read this tell. Often, you can pick it up just by using your peripheral vision. Scan the table casually before making your move. The key is recognizing how many players are tuned in to your action and how they’re tuned in.

WHEN THE "LOOKING AT YOU POKER TELL" IS MOST RELIABLE

SOME PLAYERS ALWAYS STARE - SO WHAT THEN?

Like all tells, correlation is everything. You’ll want to have seen this pattern with a player more than once before trusting it fully. But this particular behavior — looking directly at you while waiting — is so common among weak and recreational players that it can often be used even without a long history.

That said, use caution. Against tougher opponents, this tell becomes less reliable.

Every now and then, you’ll run into players who always look at you, regardless of their hand strength. In these cases, their general gaze doesn’t help — but their expression and eye tension might.

Are their eyes soft or wide? Are they relaxed or rigid? Over time, you’ll start to notice patterns.

REAL HAND EXAMPLE: "lOOKING AT YOU pOKER TELL"

A few nights ago, I was playing a $1/$3 no-cap cash game at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. Now, if you’ve ever played there, you know these games play closer to $2/$5 anywhere else—especially since there’s no cap on buy-ins. The stacks were all deep, hovering around $1,000 or more.

I’m UTG and look down at K♥ Q♥. Normally, I’d raise or fold here, but I chose to limp for two reasons:

The player in Seat 7—I’m in seat one—has been raising far too frequently for it to be profitable long term.
I noticed the two players, seat 4 and seat 6 , already reaching for chips, meaning they were interested in their hands. Knowing both of these players, I knew that they would also be likely to call any raise, especially from Seat 7.

Sure enough, Seat 7 bumps it to $20, I think for a moment, then call, as does seat 4 and 6. We go four ways to the flop.

The flop comes: K♠ 7♦ 3♣. I’ve paired my King.

But what stood out immediately was that Seat 7 locked his eyes onto me the moment it was my turn. He was dialed in—watching everything I did. This was a textbook “looking at you” situation. Based on past play, I suspected this meant weakness.

I lead out for $45 into a $90 pot. Seat 4 and 6 both fold, without thought, but Seat 7 thinks for a few seconds before making the call and hesitantly puts the chips into the pot, still looking at the me, and then the board cards. I didn’t love that, but nothing seemed too out of line—yet.

WHEN A TELL "FLIPS" MID-HAND

Then comes the turn: T♠. And everything changes.

Suddenly, Seat 7 immediately turns his head away from the table and starts staring off at the TV on the far wall. I’ve played with this guy a lot, and I knew exactly what it meant. Earlier, he was sharp and focused. But now—right after the Ten hits—he disengages and looks completely uninterested. He wanted me to bet, again.

I know that move. I’ve seen it before.

It screamed, “I just hit my hand and don’t want to scare you off.”

I check. He bets $125 into $170, and I don’t hesitate—I fold.

Now, I didn’t see his cards, and he didn’t show. But based on his behavior and our history, I’m highly confident he turned a set of Tens or top two pair. Top two pair is most likely, as that is why he “hesitated” before calling my flop bet, he considered raising, but thought he was “out-kicked”, so just called instead. He’s not the type of player to bet into me in this situation unless he believes he’s far ahead. He also knows my tendencies—he knew that when I bet the flop, I likely had top pair with a decent kicker. His shift in demeanor after the turn, combined with the sizing and timing, left little doubt in my mind.

This hand is also a preview of the “Looking Away from You” tell—a classic indicator of strength, which we’ll explore in its own article soon.

FINAL THOUGHTS: KEEP WATCHING THE WATCHERS

The ‘Looking at You’ Poker Tell may seem subtle—but when you’re attuned to it, it’s often a glaring spotlight of weakness. It’s one of the most powerful waiting-for-action tells in live poker, especially at lower stakes.

Still, context is everything. Use this tell in combination with prior reads, game dynamics, and player tendencies. And remember: it’s not what they want you to think—it’s what they want you not to do that gives them away.

🧠 Acknowledgment: Much of the structure and philosophy in this article is adapted from the work of Zachary Elwood, the world’s leading expert on poker tells. His book Reading Poker Tells is required reading for serious players, and we highly recommend it to anyone looking to level up their live game.

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