A person talking during a hand that they’re involved in might be giving away information without realizing it. Here are a few things to consider regarding discussion during a poker hand:
When someone says “I’ll show you my hand if you fold,” it’s usually because they want you to fold. Consider the player though. Does he seem like a complete square, or does he seem savvy enough to run some mindgame on you? If it’s the former and he makes this statement, he is probably in a state of despartation hoping that you will fold.
Talking during a hand about the hand is actually a violation of tournament rules in most places. The poker world can thank 2006 World Champion Jamie Gold for this. En route to victory, Gold regularly tipped off players about his hand hoping to induce them into doing what he wanted. Here is an example of a dialogue that is no longer considered appropriate at the poker table:
Player 1: “I can beat a small pocket pair.”
Player 2: “Well I don’t have one of those.”
Player 1: “So it sounds like we’re racing then, huh?”
Player 2: “Yup… you sure you want to do that for all of your chips?”
This type of beat-around-the-bush style of conversation is not only unacceptable, but it’s also just downright pathetic. Play the game and don’t try to get someone to hold your hand before you make a big decision. After all, poker is gambling.
When you are faced with a tough decision, it can be advantageous to ask the player, “will you show if I fold?” Most often, the player will remain motionless. However, sometimes they’ll eagerly take you up on your offer and say, “yea, I’ll show.” If they say this, I would be inclined to think they want me to fold and are willing to comply with any request I have in order to make that happen.
An additional way of attempting to extract information out of a player during a hand is to ask them how many chips they have remaining. If they are calm, collected and confident in responding to your question, it probably means one of two things. A.) they’re a “regular” and no longer get nervous about the proceedings at the table or B.) they have a strong hand and are more than happy to give you whatever information you might require in order to put all of your chips into the pot.
However, if a player is very uncertain and seemingly in a state of incapability after this request, it could mean that they’re so overwhelmed with the possibility of busting out of the tournament that they cannot even count their chips properly. This could be the small bit of information you need to choose to put the rest of your chips into the pot.