You can ask anything you want, but most of the time, you'll just get crickets. Most people prefer not to engage in conversation while in a hand, so as to not inadvertently give you any information that might reveal the strength or weakness of their hand.
A really good one is to ask for a chip count and see how they react. If they're dumb enough to do it themselves instead of letting the dealer do it, they're going to give off a ton of info in how they speak and move.
A good thing to do when you first sit down is start small talk. Try to get to know some things about them and then you can figure out how risk-adverse they are. For example, a guy that does motocross is typically going to be more aggressive than an accountant.
Start taking your way through the hand with them if you're stuck. Negreanu does a great job drawing info by analyzing a hand and watching for reaction as he goes.
If you're worrying about asking questions to get a read, you weren't paying attention to anything else that was happening in the hand or previous action at the table.
It's a game of incomplete info and you need to start compiling it the second you sit down. If you're centering your focus on what is happening in that moment, you'll never get the read you need.
What do you have...blahhh
You can ask anything you want, but most of the time, you'll just get crickets. Most people prefer not to engage in conversation while in a hand, so as to not inadvertently give you any information that might reveal the strength or weakness of their hand.
A really good one is to ask for a chip count and see how they react. If they're dumb enough to do it themselves instead of letting the dealer do it, they're going to give off a ton of info in how they speak and move.
A good thing to do when you first sit down is start small talk. Try to get to know some things about them and then you can figure out how risk-adverse they are. For example, a guy that does motocross is typically going to be more aggressive than an accountant.
Start taking your way through the hand with them if you're stuck. Negreanu does a great job drawing info by analyzing a hand and watching for reaction as he goes.
If you're worrying about asking questions to get a read, you weren't paying attention to anything else that was happening in the hand or previous action at the table.
It's a game of incomplete info and you need to start compiling it the second you sit down. If you're centering your focus on what is happening in that moment, you'll never get the read you need.