More Online Poker Tells
written by BeatTheFish.com
...Fishy says, "I once was blind but now
I see... online you should still pay attention to more than just
your cards and position."
One of the
largest disadvantages to online poker is the lack of physical tells
you can pick up on your opponents. At brick and mortar cardrooms,
poker veterans can often gain insight into their opponent's
potential holdings by spotting subtle (or not so subtle) physical
mannerisms like a quick look away from the flop or that the player
to their left is ready to toss in his cards. What you gain in
convenience playing online poker you lose in body language that can
be used to get a read on your opponent.
However, there are
still a few somewhat reliable tells that you can use while playing
online. The main online "tell" is the time that it takes your
opponent to bet. If you see an instantaneous bet at a player's turn
to act, it usually means that he has used one of the pre-select
buttons that are available in all online software interfaces. Common
pre-selects include "check/fold", "check/call", "raise any", and
"call/raise". By clicking a pre-select button, the player tells the
software to act for him as soon as it is his turn. If you click
"check/fold" from the button after the flop is dealt, you're telling
the software to check if no one has bet and fold if someone has.
One common use of
the "check/fold" pre-select is from the big blind when a player is
holding a weak hand since he isn't going to play if it is raised.
You should be aware of this and you'll see an instantaneous check
when it is used. The best spot to take advantage of this is from
late position without many players in the hand. If you're checked to
on the flop, go ahead and bet regardless of what's on the board.
Much more often than not, the big blind will give up the hand
without a fight. Some players even leave the "check/fold" clicked on
the flop so it can be a very easy steal. This is even more effective
when a face card flops.
Savvy players can
also use this to their advantage when they pick up a big hand from
the big blind. While I don't usually recommend slowplaying big hands
online you should throw this move into the mix occasionally to show
that you're willing to change gears. What you can do is click
"check/call any" when you have a premium hand like pocket Aces or
Kings from the big blind. If the pot isn't raised, your opponents
will think that you actually clicked the "check/fold" button. Most
of your opponents will assume that the blinds are always holding
trash, so you can throw them a loop on the flop when you lead out
with a bet or check-raise them.
While it is seldom
used, you should also be aware of instantaneous raises, as this
usually indicates a strong hand. If you aren't holding much, I would
recommend folding your mediocre hands to an instant raise. You can
also use this pre-select as a bluff once in a while to try and pick
up the blinds and/or confuse your opponents. Of course, your
opponents can do that, too.
Another way to pick
up potential tells is to see which of your opponents are playing
multiple tables. If your software doesn't have a "Find Player"
feature, just click around the tables at similar limits and look for
their screen name. If they're at more than one table chances are
they won't have as much time or attention to devote to each
individual hand. Of course, this isn't always true but you might try
playing aggressively heads-up against multi-table players. Since
they have to make quick decisions and get back to other tables they
usually won't bluff as much or make sophisticated plays as often.
In a real cardroom,
one way to eliminate given tells is to always in the same way using
the same hand, the same method of stacking chips, etc. Since online
tells are based on betting time, consistently wait the same amount
of time before you check, bet, or raise. You might count to 2 or 3
before making an action every time. Pre-select folds are fine and I
recommend doing this to help speed up the game if it's an easy
throwaway. The most important aspects you should master in online
poker is hand selection, position, and the right way to play after
the flop. However, once you feel comfortable with your actual
gameplay consider using some of the above tells to maximize bluffing
opportunities and pick up a potential clue on your opponent's hand.
Back to
Online Poker
Strategy
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