Poker strategy has changed dramatically over the past decade. Modern players now spend countless hours studying solvers, balanced ranges, GTO strategy and technically precise decision-making.
But according to Nacho Cuesta, founder of Master Poker Tells, one major part of live poker is still being overlooked: human behavior.
Cuesta believes that while solvers have improved the technical side of poker, they have also created a blind spot. Live poker is still played face-to-face, under pressure, by people who cannot fully control every movement, reaction or timing pattern at the table.
For Cuesta, that means poker tells are not disappearing. In fact, he believes they are becoming more valuable.
A More Structured Approach to Poker Tells
Cuesta has spent the past five years developing a structured system for reading live poker tells. Instead of treating tells as vague table stories or old-school poker myths, he has tried to organize them into clear categories.
His system includes areas such as eye movement, betting actions, verbal behavior, body language, checking patterns and all-in situations.
He says one of the biggest problems with traditional tells education is the lack of structure. Many players have heard simple ideas like “a player staring at you is weak” or “using small chips for a big bet means bluff,” but Cuesta argues that these shortcuts are often misleading.
According to him, tells only become useful when they are understood in context and combined with other signals.
Microtells and Macrotells
A major part of Cuesta’s method is the difference between what he calls microtells and macrotells.
Macrotells are stronger signals that may have a major impact when they appear. Microtells, on the other hand, are lower-weight signals that may not mean much on their own.
However, Cuesta says that a group of microtells pointing in the same direction can often be more powerful than one obvious tell. This is where he believes many players make mistakes: they look for one dramatic clue instead of building a picture from multiple pieces of information.
In his view, one tell is often just noise. Several aligned tells can become real information.
Why Tells Are Still Relevant
Some modern poker players are skeptical of tells. Because the game has become more analytical, many believe that physical reads are outdated or unreliable.
Cuesta disagrees. He says the real issue is that much of the poker tells content players have seen is poor quality, oversimplified or untested.
He argues that humans naturally leak information when making difficult decisions under pressure. Even strong players can reveal something through timing, eye behavior, posture, speech, breathing or betting execution.
The more complex the decision, the more mental energy a player uses. That, according to Cuesta, makes it harder to control unconscious behavior.
Solver Poker Creates Cognitive Pressure
One of Cuesta’s most interesting points is that solver-based poker may actually make tells more important, not less.
Modern players are thinking about ranges, bet sizing, ICM pressure, blockers, frequencies and opponent tendencies. All of that creates cognitive overload.
Cuesta believes that when a player’s mind is busy processing complex strategy, they have less control over small physical and behavioral signals. This is where trained opponents can gain an edge.
As he puts it, many players now study similar ranges and similar strategies, but very few study human behavior properly.
Common Tell Misconceptions
Cuesta also warns against relying on common poker tell clichés.
For example, he says the idea that using small chips for a big bet always indicates a bluff is too simplistic. It could mean weakness, but it could also mean strength, depending on the player’s habits and whether the action is unusual for them.
He also challenges the popular belief that staring at an opponent automatically means weakness. Instead, he says players should look more closely at details such as blink frequency, eyelid tension, eyebrow position and gaze stability.
A calm, stable, low-blink stare may often indicate strength rather than weakness.
Tells Are About Patterns, Not Shortcuts
Cuesta’s main message is that poker tells should not be used as magic answers. They are not shortcuts that allow players to make perfect decisions from one movement or one glance.
Instead, he believes tells should be treated as part of a wider decision-making system. The goal is to combine behavior, timing, betting patterns and strategic context to narrow an opponent’s range.
That makes tells especially useful in live poker, where players have access to information that simply does not exist online.
Human Behavior Remains a Poker Edge
As poker becomes more solver-driven, many players are searching for smaller edges. Cuesta believes live tells can still provide one of those edges, especially because so few players study them seriously.
Technical poker knowledge remains essential, but in live games, players are still sitting across from human opponents. Those opponents feel pressure, make mistakes, react emotionally and reveal information in subtle ways.
For that reason, Cuesta argues that poker tells are not fading from the game. They are becoming a more valuable skill for players willing to study them properly.
