| Online Poker Tells |
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Online poker is very different from live play which makes it more difficult to say with real certainty what any action may mean, since there are relatively few possibilities of actions and most are easy to make by mistake. However, these tells can still help you maintain an advantage over the competition when they are understood. Most online poker sources break this subject up by tell or behavior then determine the indication of hand strength. Instead, we preferred to break it down by indication and list the tell or behavior that goes with such indication. NOTE: Tells only indicate probable behavior, they will not always be correct, use your situational judgment while using these tips. Weak Hands Quick Check or Call: if a player uses a quick action such as Check or Call this usually indicates weakness. If you intended to test the players hand strength I wouldn’t go all in or make any over bet, as there will be many cases where they are over acting weakness only ready to move all in over the top of your bet or be holding the nuts setting a trap for a bluffer. If you put out a test bet 25% to 50% of the pot this should be enough to get a truly bad hand out of the pot. If you feel they are drawing a 50% will price them out of the hand. Again, beware a re-raise. It almost always means you’ve been trapped into your bet. Over Bet: This usually applies to the river, if a player has been relatively unaggressive during the hand like calling all the way down, but then a large over-bet is placed on the river, this usually indicates a draw has been missed. Look to see if there were possible missed draws such as 2 suited cards on the board or possible open ended straights that have not hit. Chip Fairy: This is a type of player rather than a specific action. This player is a loose maniac and will raise with any two cards and creates lots of pre-flop action. If a player raises virtually every hand there is a good chance you have him beat with just an Ace pre-flop. You should be able to slow him down by shoving pre-flop on him when you hit such a hand. If he calls, chances are you are still in the lead with your Ace. It also helps if you can verify this behavior if you see him showdown with another player. Beware this player after the flop, he could literally have any 2 hole cards no matter the pre-flop action. Bet then Check: If a player puts out a decent bet or even raises only to be followed by a check on the next card, this typically indicates failed aggression, but it doesn’t mean they have complete garbage, so don’t get too confident. It just indicates they probably aren’t in the top 2 or 3 hands. Strong Hands Delayed Response to All In: This usually applies to the river, this typically indicates the player has made their hand and acts like they are making a decision on their bet only to go all in which can appear to be a desperation move. Many times they will use their time bank on such occasions. If you don’t have a hand to dance in the top tier hands wait for another hand. Pre-Flop Limp then Big Raise: Typically shows JJ or better. If a player is in early position, a lot of players will limp in with large pocket pairs hoping to conceal their hand and waiting for a raise. Enter the pot with caution. Scrooge: This is also a type of player. They are a patient tight player who doesn’t play many hands. When they raise proceed with caution, chances are you are beat. Drawing Hands 10% to 25% pot bets: this is usually the lead bet of someone hasn’t quite made their hand yet. They are betting into it hoping to build the pot while naming their price for the next card. If a draw card hits and this player starts launching chips like fireworks on the fourth of July watch out, they’ve probably hit. Quick Call: if someone is quickly calling bets and again starts betting like a madman when a possible draw card hits, they’ve probably made their hand. With regard to all of these tells and indicators it is important to be aware of your own table image. If you are a loose aggressive person, some players may exhibit a bluffing behavior such as the over bet thinking a loose player will call, but actually have the nuts. There are other tells that can be included, but the ones covered in this section are the most common. The main things too look for are Online Chatter, Betting Patterns, and Betting Timing. Always use your judgment as nothing is certain at a poker game until the cards are shown. |