Hand movements can help catch gamblers' bluff

A new study has found that the bet-placing hand and arm movements of poker players are enough to give away the value of the cards they are holding.

According to the research, which was conducted at USA's Tufts University, hand gestures of players, who are on the verge of winning the game, are more smoother as compared to those with poor cards, and observers can make a correct judgement in just 2 seconds, the Independent reported.

The researchers said that even though professional players may be able to regulate their facial expressions, their arm movements could betray the quality of their poker, so players' intentions may be visible from their actions while moving poker chips to place bets.

In the study, which was cut down in three separate parts, scientists asked men and women to view 20 two-second-long video clips of professional poker players and rate the hand they were holding based on views of the face or the arms.

The results of the study showed that judgements based on players' faces were poorer than casual guesses.