Simple Online Poker Tells
Until you become a consistent winning online poker player, your
main concern should be developing a strong set of starting hand
standards and learning how to play those cards properly.
However, once you reach the next level of your poker game you
should begin to look beyond your own cards and try to find
additional methods of extracting the most profit out of your
opponents. Of course, you won't have the advantage of picking up
physical tells when playing on the internet, but there are a few
simple online poker tells that you can pick up on if you know
what to look for. You can also give off tells to confuse
observant opponents.
The first, and most obvious, online poker tell is the use of
pre-selected actions in the poker software. These usually exist
in the form of "check/fold", "check any", "call any",
"call/raise any", and "raise any". Some software has more
options than others but the check/fold button is pretty
universal. Watch for players that use this - especially out of
the big blind. You'll know when a player uses it by seeing an
instant check when it gets to their turn. This usually indicates
a very weak hand.
Since the big blind had to put it money regardless of his hand,
he'll usually be holding trash. If you see an instant check
preflop and a quick check on the flop, go ahead and bet out
regardless of the board. Much more often than not you'll pick up
the small pot right there. This works especially well when
there's a face card on the board. Of course, you can manipulate
this by occasionally clicking the "check any" from the big blind
when you have a strong hand. Your opponents will believe that
you clicked "check/fold" and you can set them up for a
check-raise on the flop.
On the other hand, you might occasionally see someone put in an
immediate raise. This happens most often in limit hold'em, and
you should be wary when you see this at your table as it usually
indicates a strong hand. This can be also be used as a bluff if
you don't overdo it. Some of your opponents are also savvy
enough to use this as a bluff so think about fighting back if
you see this move from a frequent bluffer.
Another important tell in online poker is the time it takes for
your opponent to take an action. If your opponent always acts
quickly on his turn and then suddenly hesitates when you bet
into him he's giving you a huge tell. He's letting you know that
he doesn't have a simple decision. Use this information along
with any notes you have taken on the player to help you make a
decision. A long pause and then a check usually indicates
weakness whereas a long pause and then a bet/raise usually
indicates strength. My favorite way to manipulate this is by
hesitating and then just calling when I'm in position on the
flop or turn. This conveys that I'm probably on a draw and
usually elicits another bet when they think that I missed or
still drawing. At this point, you can throw in a raise. Of
course, you should realize that better opponents will also do
the same thing.
You can also find out if your opponents are playing at multiple
tables. If your particular poker room software doesn't have a
Find Player feature, just look around at tables of similar
limits. If you find them at 3 or 4 other games, this can affect
your strategy. Multi-table players are usually a bit more
distracted and don't have time to make sophisticated plays. They
usually play more of a straightforward game so you can get a
fairly quick read on their style. Remember to take notes and try
playing more aggressively against them to take advantage of
their distraction.
The chat box may also give you insights on your opponents. If a
player is constantly chatting it up he probably isn't paying as
much attention to his game. Another common occurrence you'll see
is a player steaming about a bad beat, swearing, and being an
overall nuisance so you can obviously peg him for being on tilt.
Opponents who like to downplay the strength of their hand are
usually holding a strong hand. I don't recommend trying to fool
the table using the chat since it's just downright childish and
players can easily mute your commentary. On a side note, I find
that disabling the chat altogether helps cut the annoyance
factor in half.
Finally, and this is the least credible tell you can pick up, is
the player name/avatar chosen by an opponent. Players with the
word "TILT", a picture of a fish, a wacky face, or similarly
loose-seeming characteristics are often tight and conservative
players. As I said, this isn't completely reliable but these
visuals tend to somehow dig their way into poor players'
subconscious. Occasionally, you can elicit that extra call or
two when you have the nuts just by portraying a loose style
visually.
In online poker, psychology doesn't factor in nearly as much as
at a brick and mortar cardroom but there are certain tells you
can still pick up on and manipulate. Remember that the
instantaneous check usually means weakness so try it sometime
when you've got pocket Aces. Watch betting time such as the slow
check (weak) and slow raise (strong). Keep an eye out for
multi-tablers, and go for the throat on chat box tilters.
Finally, "FishyFred" could be a better screen name choice if you
want the occasional extra call. Remember, master your online
poker game first and then take your game to the next level by
spotting weaknesses and tells around the virtual table.
About the Author Joshua Heilpern is an experienced online poker
player and writer. He also runs Online Poker Reviews and
The Most Haunted Online
Poker Rooms.