The "quick sip"?

[ZenBlender]

Here's something I notice frequently while playing in a bar. Someone bets (usually a pretty substantial bet) and then almost immediately takes a drink from his beer. The drinking of the beer happens so soon after the bet that it seems like just another step in the betting process.

I am convinced this is a tell, but I'm not sure you can make any generalizations about it. Perhaps it is consistant for a given person, but different for each person.

My feeling is that psychologically, people often use a drink or a cigarette, or maybe even sunglasses, in a social situation to serve as something to hide behind. i.e. They put out the bet, but they aren't mentally optimistic about it, so they need something to hide behind and hope for a fold. The other thought that supports this as a bluff is that the person might be subconsciously realizing they need to finish the beer soon because they'll be going home.

I haven't had a good chance to verify this, but I was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on this, or if anyone has noticed a pattern? Thanks!

[arras]

I usually take a drink or scratch my neck when I've made a bet and I like my hand, but I am trying my hardest to fix that.

[Fat Tony]

this COULD be a tell, but it could also be that people take a drink because they have time to do so before the action is on them again.

[ZenBlender]

I don't think so. I'm talking about someone going for a swig IMMEDIATELY after the bet, i.e. in basically the same motion. Yesterday I witnessed someone doing this. He went all-in, immediately took a drink, and I was right -- when he was called he looked disappointed and turned over his cards, which I can't remember exactly, but it was a weak hand. In this case the tell held true -- immediate drink from the beer after big bet = bluff!

[socctty]

I am pretty sure that I do this. I think it might be because there's so much on the line that the player needs something to calm them, much like a drag from a cigarette.

But I drink pretty quickly... in a bar, if I'm not talking to someone, I'm probably taking a drink.

[lwestatbus]

Wow, Soccty dredged deep into the archives for a thread to make his first post. Welcome to the forum (if you haven't been welcomed elsewhere)!!

I find myself taking a quick drink because I'm an alcoholic lush. Also, in order to disguise any tells that may be associated with drinking immediately after a bet I try to disguise these potential tell-sips by taking frequent sips at other times. These include when I check or fold, when the player to my left bets, checks, or folds, when the player to his left does the same, when the dealer shuffles, etc.

I think that this approach is working well at supressing tells. However I never drink when playing in live casinos so the only thing I know for sure is that nobody has ever detected a tell from my drinking patterns when playing online.

Welcome again.