Real life poker tells #3, preparing for battle

There is a general category of poker tells called "preparing for battle". There are a few different tells that all mean the same thing, we will go over these below. But first, knowing the motivation for preparing for battle can help you know when the other player has a strong hand.

Preparing for battle simply means you are getting ready to seriously play your hand, and that your tells or group of tells indicate this. So, pre-flop preparing for battle includes any tell that means you are getting ready to play the hand, shifting your seat position from relaxed to attentive, moving or leaning your body closer to the table, looking at your opponents around the table carefully before making a bet.

Post flop, the signs may be even more obvious as more of the hand has been revealled. If a soldier is preparing to charge, they would typically inhale, their shoulders would raise, and they would lean in. The same happens post flop if a player has a hand they are definitely interested in continuing to play, that is, most likely, their hand has either hit big or has significantly improved.
So, if player shows the following tells, they are preparing for battle, getting ready to play their hand in a serious way:

1. Big inhale when the flop hits.
2. Moving from a slouch to a more attentive position at the table.
3. Looking over other players and chip stacks carefully before making a move.
4. Looking at the players they feel are their competition in the current pot and looking down at them with their chin and nose up. This tell is also sometimes combined with the inhale. It means I think I have you beat and am now planning a chip extraction strategy. (the opposite to this tell is lowering their head and looking down when the flop hits, this indicates lack of interest in the flop or hand).
5. Placing hands or arms on the table when they were formerly at the players side, on their lap.

Generally, any tell that shows an increased level of interest in the hand than the players baseline behaviour is one that falls into the preparing for battle category. This can generally indicate strength to you, and you can adjust your game accordingly.