Zach Elwood here. I'm currently working on a new poker tells book. It will be the third and final part of the trilogy that started with Reading Poker Tells and Verbal Poker Tells (and I'm also quite confident it will be the last book I write.)

This book will be called something like Reading Poker Tells: Practical Applications. Here's the pre-order page for it.

The major difference with this book is that it will be very focused on the practical side of using tells. It will attempt to answer questions like: What are experienced players thinking about when they take opponent behavior/tells into account? What are the factors we should be paying attention to (and what are the factors we should be ignoring)? When a good read happens, what were the factors that went into it?

I'm using a lot of hands I've played from cash games between $1-2 and $5-10 NLHE, and some mid-stakes ($100-$1,500 buy-in) tournaments. I'm using hands from televised cash game shows and tournaments. And I've got a few well-known players who will be contributing hand histories.

I'm also putting out a general "casting call" for interesting poker hands to the general public (that's you). I'm looking for interesting hands where an opponent's behavior/tells played a role in your decision-making process, and changed a decision away from what it would otherwise have been.

If you send me a hand history and I put it in my new book, I will send you $100 (via Paypal or a check if you prefer), and you'll get a paperback copy and ebook file bundle of the book. And of course your name will be in the book (as long as you're okay with that). My email is info ( at ) readingpokertells.com.

Some factors that will make me more likely to use your hand history:

• Detail. As many aspects of the hand should be documented as possible. This includes technical details like position, bet size, and game format. It also includes insight into your decision-making process. What were you thinking about? Why did you make your decision? Was it based on past events in the game or with the player in question? If the hand is not very detailed, I will likely not read it all the way through.
  
• Logic. I'm looking for logical explanations of why you played the hand the way that you did. Walk me through every step of the process, not just the tells part, but the strategic approach you took.
  
• The behavior actually changed your decision. I am interested in situations where an opponent's behavior changed your decision. Even if your opponent had a very meaningful tell, if it led you to make the same decision you would have made without the behavior, then I'm less likely to be interested in using the hand. (That said, if you think it's very interesting behavior no matter what happened, it's still possible I'd be interested so send it along.)
  
• Interesting behavior. At this point I have a lot of hand histories in the rough draft of the book and am almost done, so most of the fairly common ones are accounted for. I'm looking for some that might be more out-of-the-way and rare.

If you decide to send me a hand history, please include your name, a synopsis of your playing history/experience, how often you play, whether you are a professional or semi-professional player, where the hand took place, and any other pertinent details you want to include.

Okay, thanks for your time.

Zachary Elwood

Live MTT @ Tulalip in Seattle. Pro Bounty I think it was an $1100 entry and pre-black Friday all of them were FULL TILT sponsored I believe.... Matt Affleck and Tyler Patterson were several of the 6-7 pro's all worth $200 and a signed Poster. 2-day event and we are down to the last few levels of day 1. Tyler is moved to my table and goes on a huge heater.... cracking AA with AKdd and another huge pot to take a chip lead over the table (and me current table captn!) in just his first few hands now Tyler starts to run us over for a few rotations. Any defenders were being smashed by his C-bets and his heater continues for a while until......... Action folds to his button and my BB. He raises bigger than normal and the small Blind folds. I look at AQ suited. I decide to call and not re-raise as I'm out of position and he has me covered by just enough chips. Flop is KQx rainbow. I check and Tyler bets about the pot. I call. Turn is another K. In an effort to control the size of the pot and size of the bet I'll be facing on the turn, I bet out smaller than he would have bet thinking he is gonna make a huge bet here I cant call..... My plan fails miserably as he snap shoves all in. I go in the tank and after a min I decide Im probably beat. 200+bb pot late on Day 1 gaaaaack!!!!!!. This is a crazy spot Im in here and I think for another minute. By now the Floor and others have gathered around the table. I'm about to fold when I stop tanking to ask the dealer to "spread the pot" while never taking my eyes off Tyler. He gulps hard and shifts in his seat so I call and he mucks face down real quick. The gulp and the shifting of his weight made my decision

Great story. Especially the part where villain mucks on the turn when called.

Feel free to use any of the ones from my blog- happy to help or provide any extra details where I can.

Hey Zach, I've read your 1st book and it's great (big fan of your work) it's helped me out lots of times.

This example in particular is from 2 or 3 years ago @ 1/3. At this time I had the leak of "isoing" too many hands in position, because I read somewhere that's what I was supposed to do. So this time I pick up T9s in late position with 2 limpers in early position. I raise, 1 person calls in the blind, and one of the limpers calls (normally pretty snug guy). Flop was QT3r and snug guy bets into me, at this point I'm thinking he either has a monster or a straight draw like KJ or J9s. QQ and TT are unlikely since he limped behind a loose player. Turn was a brick 7 or lower he bet and I called again. River was another brick and he bets again. Now I really try to pick up a tell on him. I notice he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. I call and he flips up KJo.

My 'best' (extreme) call ever so far for me!! And I can't imagine making one 'worse' ever. It sort of fits into a 'theme' from this year's WSOP ME as well ...

Live 1/2 day game in a charity card room. Basically all regs with deep history between players. Game plays like 1/3 or 2/5 with 50-300 BI but most stacks are typically 4-500 shortly into the game.

This hand occurred after about an hour of play by B. B was on 3rd BI and bought in short, $100, and had run it up to around $400. B has a history of loose play from blinds and in late position, especially when on the B.

UTG is not so much a reg but after over 2 hours of play had shown to be very ABC both Pre and Post-Flop. He was sitting with around $300.

Hero ($750) was MP and is known for loose aggressive play ... and making plays for pots. Hero definitely made UTG nervous when in a hand together.

UTG opens to $12 ... 2 callers, Hero calls with 89, call and B flats. Blinds fold. Pot is $75.

Flop is 56Q ... UTG goes to grab $45 in chips, pauses, looks at who is in the hand and decides to bet $25 instead. I put him squarely on Qx and is undecided between checking, not wanting to give a free card but I don't want to bloat the pot and thinking he has the best 'present' hand so he needs value. Fold, Fold. Hero decides he can steal pot from UTG if everyone else folds and/or can get paid off big time if the gutter comes through ..and calls. Fold. Now B looks at Hero, looks at UTG and rechecks cards. Pauses and then decides to raise to $65.

UTG moves in seat and probably rolled his eyes, checks his cards and calls fairly quick. Hero leaves UTG on Qx and decides B is on a flush/straight draw or small 1-pair hand like 5x/6x, 78 or 34 or 47 .. something similar. Hero is now stuck but is getting $40 into $230 with very good implied odds. Hero calls ... Pot is $270.

Turn is K ... UTG is not happy, showed a frowning-pursed-lip action and makes a very slow check. Hero is happy to check to B after a brief pause with plans to bet River if check through to him again. B pulls out some chips to make a bet, maybe $85 but then stops to check cards again and look at the pot, other player stacks and then his stack. Hero is convinced B wants to bet but is in 'scared money mode' since he doesn't want to lose what he ran up on the 3rd BI. B gives the 'frustrated' checking sign and promptly puts both hands up to his ears for the River.

River is 5 ... UTG checks fairly quick but this time really looks to see what Hero is going to do. Hero now feels that UTG will check/call here and decides to see if B will bluff at pot. B looks crushed (that his draw missed) but sees the opportunity for a steal. Once again checks his cards and cuts out 55 for a bet, but this time with very shaky hands and has trouble getting the chips into the stacks to push them out. Pauses again and then pushes the chips out. Hero notes that B has always lifted 'too many' chips out into the betting area with a verbal bet and this time has pushed them out silently.

UTG really doesn't like the bet, looks over at Hero and folds with another frown. Hero now sits up in his chair. B is back into the hands on ears mode but is now staring at the board and his leg is definitely 'bobbing'. Hero is ready to fold to the 5x hand that just hit the River, but B is not giving off any signs of an improved hand that he is value betting. Hero considers raising since he really doesn't have much showdown value, but history with B indicates he will probably call.

Hero looks at B and says "I would raise you here but you might have a 5. Show me 78 ... I call." B's head falls to rail and he says, "You got me .. You're right." and flips over 78

Hero says, "I was really hoping you would muck there." .. and turns over the 98 followed by a few "WTFs" and so forth!!

Someone at the table blurts out "9-high like a Boss" which had never crossed Hero's mind during the process.

There are a few poker errors here for sure ..
1) Hero should've double barreled Turn and River if he wanted to 'play' the King. But B is never folding Turn and may call light on some Rivers as well.
2) Hero should've raised the River with no showdown value since putting B on such a small range of hands is not the best and introducing even the smallest amount of fold equity is probably 'more' correct.

From a tell standpoint there are major physical and betting tells by both UTG and B that allow Hero to be .. a hero .. in this spot. Some might say getting almost 6 to 1 to call is plenty good here. But with 9-high? GL