Texas Holdem Poker Tournament Strategy - Online Poker Tells
Are You Using These? Are They Being Used Against You? Let's have a closer look at online poker tells in online games like Texas Holdem. These online tells differ quite a bit from traditional ones, as we'll soon see. If you don't know about these particular poker secrets and you play online poker, then you're at a significant disadvantage vs. your competition. Chances are, experienced online players have been using these against you for quite some time without you ever even knowing it... What is a "tell"? A traditional poker tell is any habit, behavior, or physical reaction that gives other players more information about your hand. In offline poker, a shaking, nervous hand is often an indication of a player with a strong hand. Another common poker tell would be looking down at my chips when I first see my pocket cards or the flop - a sign that I'm thinking about betting and have a good hand, so I'm seeing how many chips I have to work with. Several of the poker tells listed here are useful for both online and offline poker. However, since we lack the ability to read opponents physical expressions and reactions when playing online, the number and type online poker tells actually available to us are much more limited, and so the ones we do have available become that much more important to be aware of and recognize. Caro's Book of Poker Tells is the classic treatise on the subject. Most of the poker tells that work in offline games rely upon physical observations of how a player reacts or behaves, so these kinds of tells don't help online since we can't observe the player physically. So when playing online, there are other telltale signals that we can watch for that give us an edge. According to a recent survey, the top three online poker tells are: * Quickness to respond, reported by 76% of respondents - a very fast check can indicate a weak hand, quick bets on the turn or river can often indicate a strong hand. * Slowness to respond, reported by 73% of respondents - a pause followed by a check can often indicate weakness, while a delay followed by a raise often indicates strength. * Automatic play, reported by 68% of respondents - a lazy approach to the auto buttons lets a player slip into a set pattern of play. Any breaks in this pattern are clear tells. So, what can we actually use as online tells? Using Check Boxes to Gain Information Online poker rooms offer the use of check boxes for actions such as "Fold", "Check/Fold", "Raise", or "Raise Any", etc. While convenient for those of us who lack the patience to focus on the game for extended periods of time, the use of checkboxes can be very damaging to your overall winnings. You can determine when a player has used a check box, because their action comes immediately after the player before them acts. You can use this knowledge to your advantage if a player consistently uses checkboxes. When a player has pre-selected "Check" or "Check/Fold", it should be obvious that he doesn't have a strong hand that he cares much about, and is likely on a draw or just waiting to fold, so you can determine the player likely has no hand or a weak hand. If their hand is immediately folded after the prior player acts, you know they are using checkboxes and can begin watching this more closely. When they don't use a checkbox, then they're taking more time to consider how to play a better hand... Similarly, a player who uses the "Call Any" check box is likely to be on a draw and not yet made a good enough hand to bet or raise with, but is definitely not ready to fold at this point. Poker tells are not 100% accurate, yet they often provide us with enough additional information to help us confirm what we may already suspect. Over time you can get a sense for how these players use checkboxes and begin to draw conclusions about your opponents hand strength and mode of operation as a result. If you detect that someone is on a draw, for example, you can often bet or raise the pot a bit and push them right out, since it'd be too expensive to continue with their draw without free cards or calling minimum bets. The fact that a player feels so strongly about a hand (good or bad) to make a decision before even seeing the how other players will bet or act is a poker tell about this person's inexperience with online play and often about their hand strength. If you use checkboxes, be highly self-aware of how they'll be perceived by the other players and use them to your advantage. If you have a good hand that you're wanting to slow-play, use a check-box to quickly "Check" or "Call" with, feigning weakness. If you have a weaker hand, are on a draw, avoid using the checkbox altogether and act like you're really thinking about how to play that hand. If you're bluffing, make a raise quickly and confidently (using a checkbox, if applicable), to signal confidence in your hand. Of course, it's always best to mix things up a bit so players can't predict your actions. The idea is to keep opponents guessing or throw them off in the wrong direction so you can profit from their mistake - that's how winners operate, through carefully orchestrated deception and mixing things up constantly. Speed of Play Online poker rooms limt the amount of time each player has to take action. Often, the speed at which a player responds can be a good poker tell. Generally, a quick bet is a sign of weakness. A delayed bet or action can be a sign of strength since the player is spending time calculating how best to play what is perceived to be a good or strong hand, how much to bet, etc. Keep an eye on how much time it takes players to make their decision and take action and remember it at the end of a hand. Then, when you get a chance to see their cards in a showdown, verify what kinds of hands they act on slowly and what kinds of hands they act quickly upon. Speed of play is the most common and easiest online poker tell to spot. The instant call after you bet: Most players who call your bet immediately have a weak calling hand. These players want you to believe they have a stronger hand and hope that you will not bet into them again. The delayed check: Most players who take longer than normal before checking to you do not want you to bet. They are attempting to display strength because they want to see the next card for free. The delayed bet: When an opponent thinks for a long time and then bets, they will usually be holding a strong hand. The instant bet/raise on the river: The player who utilizes this move will usually be holding a very strong hand, often times it'll be trips. By raising or betting so quickly, they are trying to make you think they are bluffing. This move can also be used on the turn and generally, though not as frequently, denotes strength. The bet into on the turn: When a player has checked and called on the flop and then bets into you on the turn, it can indicate weakness or that they've made their hand. This type of bet often means that they picked up their draw or that they are semi-bluffing with a draw they picked up on the flop. Strongly consider raising if you have a decent hand. What about your online play style? Do you exhibit these kinds of online poker tell play behaviors and patterns? If so, be aware of it and deliberately mix things up so that you're decision-making processes aren't so easy to spot and lock onto, or simply take a similar amount of time for each action you make, preventing people from drawing any kind of conclusions at all based upon timing. Opponents Starting Hand Fold-to-Flop Ratio Keep an eye on whether or not a player folds a lot of garbage starting hands (a 'tight' player) or is playing at just about every pot that comes along - a 'loose' player. This information can be used to help determine the strength of a players overall game. If the players folds most of the time, beware since this player is pretty tight or solid and only plays good hands. If the opponent plays most every hand, then you can probably take advantage of this and win if you play good cards consistently against such a player. These kinds of loose players like to gamble, and sometimes they'll get lucky and pick up some cards. It's best to just remain patient and wait for your opportunity. You're better off just playing the odds and good hands in order to take advantage of this player's aggressive, loose style when you land a good, solid hand. Chatting Just like in offline games, the "chattiness" of a player can be used as a tell. Generally, a player who is highly chatty that suddenly goes quiet is now busy thinking about playing some good cards, figuring out how best to play the hand. Alternatively, a player who suddently becomes antagonistic may be bluffing and hoping this demonstration of exhuberance will add to the strength of his bluff and cause you to fold. When you recognize a tell, generally do the opposite of what you think the player is trying to cause you to do. Self-Awareness It's important for you to remain aware of your play style and table image at all times. It's best to keep everyone off balance by mixing things up. Become suddenly aggressive and play looser (and risk the minimum amount you can, usually early in the game before blinds go up if it's a tournament), then become tight again. Keep everyone guessing. Being aware of how you use check-boxes, the timing of your decision-making and action-taking, and controlling your play style deliberately instead of going into "auto-pilot" repeatitive mode will help you avoid providing others with the advantages of the tells discussed here. I hope these insights into online poker tells have been helpful. Keep them in mind as you play in your next online game or tournament. Until next time - - - Good luck! Rick Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and professional software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and Texas Holdem poker software helps people become better Texas Holdem players. If you're a poker player, be sure to visit his Texas Holdem poker poker today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem poker, too. |
Other Betting System Articles
Online Poker Site Tips If you are going to play poker online there are a few online poker site tips that you should be aware of before you play. Playing poker online can be very fun and exciting and can also offer you a chance to win a bit of money. Some online poker site tips include knowing what to look for in a good site, being aware of what you want in a site, and ...Internet Poker Everywhere you go people are talking about playing poker. There are local tournaments, garage games, and casinos where you could play. You can even buy handheld and video games to play at home. But if you want the fun of playing against real live people, while staying in the comfort of your own home, then internet poker just might be for you. ...Internet Gambling Bill In the House of Representatives, there is a bill (H.R. 4777) that was introduced by Representative Bob Goodlatte, of Virginia. The bill, entitled “Internet Gambling Prohibition Act”, was introduced to the House of Representatives on February 16, 2006 and was sent to the Committee on the Judiciary on the same day. The bill is one that, if pas ...Games That Every Great Online Casino Should Have As you're looking around for an online casino, remember that often the best casinos have a variety of games to appeal to a large audience. If you're new to gambling--and you haven't yet chosen a "favorite" game--it's a good idea to pick an online casino that offers a large variety. This gives you a chance to experience a lot of different games s ...Play Baccarat - For Big Profits & Fun! The game of Baccarat was originally known as Faro (or Basset), it was the favorite game of Casanova, and other adventures since the 15th century onwards.Today’s game was a favorite of James Bond, where in the film Casino Royale he skillfully bankrupts an enemy. Baccarat in old colloquial Italian and French means “nothing”.This arti ...Interesting Facts about Gambling As with any recreational gaming, there is always a good deal of trivia associated with such games. So it is with gambling. Gambling has a rich and intriguing history, so much so that trivia lovers will surely adore the wealth of trivia facts pertaining to gambling. Let’s take a look as some gambling trivia facts below.Did you know all ...Poker Slow Playing - Master It For Huge Gains! Slow playing in poker which is an art that takes a little while to develop, but when used correctly, slow playing can be used to great affect.The aim of poker slow playing is to help you pile up big profits, as you deceive your opponents and grab big pots.Let’s look closely at the art of poker slow playing.What is slow playi ...Win Video Poker – The Only Way To Win Big If you want to win big at video poker you need to get the royal flush. The other hands simply wont help you win longer term you must hit the royal flush and this article will show you how to increase your odds of doing so.Increase Your Odds of Hitting the Royal FlushMany video poker players ignore the royal flush when they play, bu ...Fraudulent Sports Books It’s one thing to have to beat the odds; it’s another to have to beat the book. Betting sports online is a fun and entertaining activity, but danger looms around the corner. Most sports bettors constantly seek out new sports books to play at and to use for line comparisons. However, not all sports books are legitimate—as you can imagine. How ...How to Play Blackjack Like a Pro and Win Big! The good news is that playing blackjack like a pro is something any player can master.You can learn everything about playing blackjack successfully.Fact is that blackjack is a casino game where with proper play you can put the odds in your favour over the long term and emerge a winner.To play blackjack like a pro does howeve ...Vegas Poker Room Vegas is the king of gambling destinations for poker players. Sure, there are more and more reservation casinos cropping up all over America, but Vegas still has the best gambling action. This is not just because there are more lights on the strip, and more shows, but because a Vegas poker room has the most competitive play and the highest pay ...A Guide To Contests Man is a social animal. Apart from seeking bodily comforts and secured living, he also craves for belongingness, self-esteem and recognition. Fulfillment of these growth needs make one become problem focused, to express appreciation to life, to become concerned about personal growth and determined to have peak experiences. These growth needs are ...Women Gambling 101 There is a fundamental difference in the outlook of men and women about gambling. Surprised!! Well it is true. Gambling is an activity a woman can enjoy the most once she is financially and personally independent and this comes as news to both the sexes i.e. both men and women are amazed by this fact. The difference in opinion results from the d ...Horse Racing Betting System - Designing a Simple System Putting together a system is not as difficult as it may sound, even for a beginner. The important thing, and with any betting, is that you write down every rule and follow it for at least 100 bets. You do not need to trade real money, paper trading is best at first. If after 100 bets it is in profit, you can then give it a betting bank and start ...Sell Content Winnings Contests capture the imagination of many people looking for a thrill or great prizes. Many contests promise exorbitant prizes, attracting large number of participants. However, the experience of winning a contest may not always be pleasant. A contest prize attracts income tax proportionate to its estimated value. Many times, the prizes are liste ...Online Poker Is Not A Practice Run Poker has been around for a long time but the truth of realising that champions of the World Series of Poker were conceived virtually changed the game beyond expectation. Texas Hold’em became the game to play any time the heart had a twitch for it and not just in a boozy Friday night session. The online explosion means there is a game to be foun ...How To Run Your Own Professional Horse Racing Tipster Service For those of you who have ever joined a horse racing tipster service and been disappointed with the results, you’ve probably thought, “I could do better myself”. Well you may be right!If you have continued that thought process, you may have considered starting your own horse racing tipster service, but have been held back by not kn ...Roulette Strategy – 10 Simple Tips To Win and Win Big You will see a lot of vendors selling their roulette strategy on the net and most of them frankly are a waste of money and you can easily do it for yourselfThe roulette strategy below gives you as much chance of winning as any other player and are totally FREE.It’s proven mathematically this roulette strategy cannot be bettered, so ...
| 