Tells

A tell is an involuntary action that provides an indication of what someone's hand may hold or if they are bluffing while they bet.

In Poker Night 2, the frequency of tells from a given player will increase if you have ordered them a drink during that tournament.

Poker Night at the Inventory

Heavy's Tells

• When Heavy checks his cards and nods, he has a good hand.
• When the Heavy slams his fist onto the table, he has a bad hand.
• The Heavy may have a bad hand near the end of the tournament, if he does he will be shocked, make an angry expression and put the bottom side of the cards back.
• If the Heavy stretches/cracks his neck after betting, he is bluffing.
• If the Heavy runs his finger under his nose near the end of the tournament, he has an amazing hand.
• He sometimes adjusts his belt when he has a decent hand.

Max's Tells

• If Max's left hand quivers while betting he is bluffing.
• If Max's right hand quivers while betting, then he has a good hand.
• If Max slaps his hand against his head when the flop is dealt, he has a bad hand.
• If Max stands on his chair & does a gesture (not talking about beating someone like a piñata), then he has a good hand.
• If Max begins to shake his head after the cards are dealt, he has a subpar hand.
• If Max starts to check a lot, he has a bad hand.

Strong Bad's Tells

• If Strong Bad repeatedly bangs his head against the table, then he (obviously) has a bad hand.
• If Strong Bad throws his arms up in celebration and looks at the other players, he has a very good hand.
• If Strong Bad shows only the bottom half of his eyes (pictured above), he has a good hand.
• If Strong Bad shows only the top half of his eyes, he is bluffing. (not sure if this is 100% - twice in a row he's been showing this tell, only to have a flush in the river)
• If Strong Bad lightly taps his fist on the edge of the table after raising, he is bluffing (easy to notice)

Tycho's Tells

• When Tycho gets a bad hand he may shake his head slightly. (It is difficult to notice.)
• If Tycho has a hand that is likely to win near the end of the round, he may check his hole cards, smile in celebration then look off innocently putting his cards back.
• Tycho may have a good hand if he slides his hand over his face, TBA.
• If Tycho slaps himself in his face he has a bad hand.
• When Tycho begins to check a lot more often than what one would consider normal, he has a bad hand.
• If Tycho gets an evil look on his face and his eyes start glowing red (You will be able to notice it), he has an amazing hand.
• If Tycho smiles awkwardly before betting/raising (brief and hard to notice; it also happens rarely, but somewhat more often while dueling), he will attempt to bluff.
• If Tycho has a worried look before or after he bets, he either really is bluffing, or is attempting to fake a bluff, ie. he is tying to mislead others that he has a bad hand, while he actually has a hand that has a fairly high chance of winning.

Poker Night 2

Serving drinks will increase the number of tells, so it is advisable to buy drinks for every character before beginning, unless you do not have enough Inventory Tokens. In that case, prioritise.

In a more realistic fashion, the tells in Poker Night 2 typically display the general mood of the character rather than a specific situation: if Brock shows anger, it could be in response to his cards, or displeasure with another character's fold or raise.

Furthermore, characters display much more uncertainity this time around. A raise that follows a long period of indecisiveness is usually less threatening than an immediate one. It may also indicate if a player is on the edge of being forced into folding.

Brock's Tells

• Brock will scratch behind his head if he is happy, yet deep in thought. Since Brock is aggressive, this is usually followed by a raise.
• He'll slam his hand into the table and give a crazy stink eye if he either has a bad hand (high-card hand) or frustrated of staying/finishing one card short of a sequencial/same suit hand.
• After being dealt, Brock may have an extremely big grin on his face. This usually means he has a good hand.
• At times Brock may play with his chips when he is about to make a big bet.
• Brock may sometimes briefly, lightly tap the table with the knuckles/fingers of his right hand when being dealt; this tell is ambiguous but it often signifies he's thinking or means a mediocre hand.
• At times Brock will furrow his brow and check in an intimidating tone when unhappy. If he does this on the flop though, he's probably hiding a killer hand. However, if he does this on the turn and/or river, he's most likely got a bad hand.
• Brock will lay down on his hand if he is uncertain about his hand
• When Brock says, "I will not fear, fear is the mind-killer" as he plays with his chips, it's a sign that he's in over his head. Due to Brock being Brock, this will still likely result in a Bluff.
• Brock will whisper when he has a bad hand.
• Brock cracking his knuckles means he has a good hand.
• Brock will occasionally mumble a tune (bum bum buh buh something) I've only seen him do this with midrange hands (needs confirmation)

Claptrap's Tells

• If Claptrap's central 'eyebrow' flap pops up in surprise when he is dealt in, he has a bad hand. He may try to cover up in these situations by bluffing.
• If Claptrap slumps forward when he is dealt in, he is unhappy.
• When Claptrap tilts forward and his antenna droops, he is very unhappy. 
• If Claptrap grabs his eye and twists it, he is deep in thought, usually with a good hand. 
• If Claptrap's "ears" flap excitedly/surprisedly, he probably has either a good hand or a bad hand respectively.
• If Claptrap hums "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" he is in over his head.

Ash's Tells

• Ash may occasionally pick his teeth, which is a sign that he is unsure, but pleased with his hand. It also may indicate that he's one card short of a sequencial/same suit hand. 
• When Ash brings both hands to his head while leaning back and then slams the table with one hand, this means he's displeased, might have a bad hand (high-card hand) and might try to bluff. Either this or it indicates disappointment and/or frustration of remaining one card short of a sequencial/same suit hand.
• Ash may wiggle his fingers on his right hand either when dealt in or while generally thinking before betting. When he does this while thinking and just before betting, it is an ambiguous tell but it either signifies a good hand or a bluff. It may also mean that he's willing to push you with a risky big bet over a mediocre one-pair hand.
• If Ash looks to the right nervously, he's possibly bluffing.
• If Ash grins and clenches his fist when he is dealt in, he has a great hand.
• If Ash clenches his fist and grimaces, he is displeased.
• When Ash grabs his chin in thought, he is deep in thought. Due to his behavior, this typically means a bluff is to follow. However, he also does this when he's at an even probability during a showdown.
• If Ash makes a slashing motion with his right hand, he has a good hand.
• If Ash goes all in, he typically has a good hand. However, in most instances, he will go straight all in over a mere one pair hand which is a mediocre hand at best so it is also likely that he's bluffing and/or encouraging the other players to fold. Either way, he's making a huge risk. He will even go straight all in or make aggressive bets on the flop if he has a good hand; he may hide his killer hand, other instances he may not.
• If Ash leans back slightly on his seatback, sits up and slowly nods with a smarmy facial expression right before betting, he's probably got a very good hand and is VERY certain of it.
• If Ash hangs his head down with a worried facial expression right before betting, he's very uncertain (with a high-card) and is possibly bluffing; either way, he's taking a big risk here.

Sam's Tells

• If Sam growls when he is dealt in (quite obvious), he is deep in thought, which in Sam's case, typically indicates an excellent hand. Expect aggressive playing.
• Sam droops his head down on the table when very displeased. This almost always indicates a terrible hand (high-card hand), but also occurs when facing 0% or otherwise miniscule odds in a showdown. It also may indicate disappointment of falling short of a sequencial/same suit hand.
• Sam will furrow his brow when unhappy or aggressive.
• Sam's hat will pop off his head in surprise when he has either a great or very poor hand.
• Sam will tug at his collar if he's bluffing.
• Sam will yell out "Yes!" after being delt when he has a good hand.
• Sam will straighten his tie when he has a good hand before tossing in chips.
• Sam will adjust his hat before making a large bet when he has a good hand.
• When Sam does a big smile while betting or raising, he is either pleased or bluffing. Either way, he will be more resistant to another's bluff.
• When Sam starts to say his moves like "Call?" or like "I think I'll bet..." and makes an unsure face when he says it he probably has a bad hand.
• When Sam flips one of his chips in the air like a coin, he is very unsure.
• Sam will often frown his right eyebrow when unsure of himself. 
• Sam's betting is his biggest tell. If he has a good hand, he'll bet aggressively and isn't shy about going all-in. If it comes down to it, try to take him on when you have an amazing hand of your own, or fold if he gets into a betting war with other characters.
• If Sam has a big bet to call, Max will usually say something about hamdingers. However, if Max also says "You gonna call that?" - whenever Sam goes all-in while calling - then Sam usually has a very good hand.