Online Tells

To someone who’s never played online poker it may seem rather impossible that there would be tells.  True, not seeing the other players is a disadvantage of sorts, but online poker rooms bring new elements to the game and new tells that can be read.  Continue on to learn what to look for while you’re playing.

            The how fast or slow other players are making decisions in poker betting rounds is called the pace of play and can give you a lot of information.  Just like in a casino game of poker, if a player is making a quick decision when it’s their turn to act odds are they don’t have a strong hand.  However, if a player is taking a little more time they most likely have a good hand and are considering how to best use it. 

When taking notes you should write down a player’s overall pace and make a special note if the cards are shown.  Jot down what the cards were and if the cards affected how quickly they normally make decisions.  Next time you recognize the pattern in their pace you’ll have a better idea of what’s in their hand. 

Also, realize that other players will attempt to read you in the same way.  By keeping your pace consistent no matter what you’re dealt you’ll take that tell away from them. 

            This brings us to the next tell, online auto play buttons.  First and foremost never use this option yourself unless you have to step away from the computer and just can’t bear to sit out a game.  Auto plays allow players to choose an automatic response that will be made when the action comes around to them in betting rounds. 

Some auto plays options are check all, raise all and call.  But by having this automatic response you’re giving your hand away.  Auto plays are easy to recognize.  If another player’s decision is lightening fast and the same each time regardless of what others are doing they are most likely using the auto plays.  And its only common sense that if they are just calling everything they don’t have a made hand and wanting to see the next card as cheaply as possible. 

Likewise if they are automatically raising everything no matter what you can assume they probably have a strong hand.  It is possible they might be using the auto plays to bluff and a quick look at your notes will tell you how likely this is based on the type of player they are.

            The chat option was put in place so that players had a way to communicate and connect with one another as they would at a casino game.  This is done by typing messages both during a game and when you’re in the poker room.  And just like in a casino what players are saying and how they’re saying it is a tell.  If a player is a chatty Cathy while playing they most likely aren’t focused on the game which is a good thing for you. 

But when they clam up you can bet they probably have gotten some good cards and now have something to pay attention to.  The reverse can also be true, if a player that never chats all of a sudden gets on and starts trying to move the game along quickly or becomes very outwardly confident in their hand they could have a good one or they could be bluffing.  Your notes will give you an indication of which is most likely but either way they’re trying to get the game over so they can get at the pot and. 

Also look for players who are on tilt and expressing it in the chat box.  They are usually easy to recognize by their emotional state, although they could be faking the tilt to make you think they’re not playing their best.  Again use your notes to study what previously happened to see if this is likely, and also what it was that put them in that state of mind.

            Many players don’t realize how they enter the game can be the first tell they give their opponents.  When playing poker online you can enter the game right away and pay a dead big blind bet, or you can skip the cost of the additional bet by waiting to sit down at a poker table until the big blind comes around to your seat. 

There’s another benefit to waiting, you can study how everyone else is playing while you don’t have the cards distracting you.  If a player gets right in the game they’re losing this opportunity because of their impatience and are likely to be impatient playing as well.  Impatient players tend to concentrate less and be more loose in their playing style.  Watch how they play the first couple of hands to see if this holds true.

            Because you can’t watch your opponents playing poker online you have pay more attention to decisions they make and how they make them.  How often a player sees the flop will be your best indicator as to whether they are a loose player or a tight player which you need to know.  If a player is seeing more than a third of the flops then they are a loose player that’s intent on being in the game no matter what they’re dealt. 

Whereas a stronger, tight player is only going to play every fourth or fifth hand so as not to waste their stack on a long shot.  In your notes record how many times they fold before the flop to give yourself a good idea as to what kind of player they are and what to expect from them.

 

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