Online Poker Tells
As a growing player, it is crucial for you to find an edge on your opponents. Knowing things like what cards they like to play, or what bets you can make to get them to call or fold, or even tells. For those of you that do not know what a tell is, it simply is an action whether it is physical or verbal, that gives off the strength of a players hand. Many times, you can even find things about a player that will give you some insight to how they may play. Even though it is not as obvious, there are some possible online tells that some players tend to give off. Provided below is a short-list of possible online tells to watch for the next time sit down at the poker table. NOTE: Please keep in mind that like any strategy, these are just guidelines. An experienced player can sit down and express any one of these tells to try to throw a weaker player off. If you happen to be sitting at a competitive table use extra caution if any of these tells are easy to spot.
- You will see new players trying to avoid the obvious. Meaning, they will play their weak hands strongly, and their strong hands weakly. Many new players do not want to scream, “I have a hand” and are unfamiliar on how to play them.
- If you see players using the “check,” “raise,” or “fold,” boxes this tends to be a tell. You may find that players who use the “auto raise” button are probably holding strong hands and those that use the “auto check/fold” are not interested in their hand and just want to see a free card. Using the “auto call” can also show lack of interest in the hand.
- Betting into you on the Turn after an uncoordinated hand or junk hand hit. Look at the flop and see if there is anything he may have. It is possible they are trying to disguise strength.
- When you sit down at a ring game, you have the option to post the Big Blind or wait until it comes around to you. If a player decides to jump in instead of waiting, it shows tendencies of an impatient player or a player with loose tendencies.
- If you find a player that is particularly “chatty” and he is involved in a hand, it could mean that he does not want you to bet or call his bet. Or if a quiet player all of a sudden turns into a “chatterbox” then it is possible they are quite comfortable with their hand, displaying strength.
While these are some of the top online tells to look for, no of these are set in stone. Just like yourself, players are trying to mix up their play and it is possible that they are trying to trick you. The best thing you can do is pay as close of attention as you can and try to piece the puzzle together as you go. Here are a few things you can do to better prepare yourself.
- Although it is a daunting task, you will want to try to take notes on players at the table. To make things easier, try and focus on the players who are involved in pots the most. Especially take advantage of this when you are not in a hand.
- Do not use the “auto” feature. You will prevent giving information away about yourself. Also, try to find leaks in your game that you do not even realize you are giving off. Make sure your actions are consistent regardless of the hand you hold.
- Find a table you like to play at and stay put. The longer you stay, the more patterns you will notice.
While this is all a lot of information to process, hopefully it sheds some light on what you can do to give yourself an edge on your opponents. Many players to not realize the tells that they give off when they have a bad hand or a good hand. You need to be able to spot these poker tells and exploit them. Being able to do that will make you a much better poker player, and better poker players make better money.
