Top 5 Online Poker Tells From The Pros!
Everyone knows that about poker “tells”. You know, the scratch to the nose, the clearing of the throat, or lean back in the chair that may give away the strength (or lack thereof) of your hand at play. But when you’re playing online, that aspect of the beautiful game of Poker is lost… or is it? You would be surprised about how much focus the “professional” online players put into what we call virtual or online tells. Indeed, if you want to keep winning those pots (or start!) the following is essential learning…
Because the players aren’t physically in front of you, you have to rely on your keen observational senses, pattern detection, and time measurement. But I assure you, once you master these, you will be sizing you players in no time and winning more and more pots! So here goes:
- 1) Little Red Riding Hood – In online poker, timing is everything. Watch how long players take to act when it’s their turn. Reckless players may play their turn really fast even with large pots and a lot at stake. You know who I’m talking about – the perpetual “all-in”-ers. It’s the classic aggressive style. Sometimes, the less experienced rapid players will try to bluff by intentionally letting the clock run down as if to indicate great concentration to the complexity of their hand. Meanwhile, they’re holding a loaded gun. I call it Little Red Riding Hood, since there’s wolf hiding behind that innocent “what should I do?” pause.
- The Paparazzi Seeker – This player is the one who NEEDS to have the attention on them at all times. They are the ones who may be chatty in poker rooms, and almost always show their folded cards (big mistake!). You’ll be able to read these players quickly. They also have a compulsion to be in as many turns as possible which statistically means they are player weaker hands more often. Can you say cha-CHING!
- The Tortoise – Okay I’m not referring to speed of play, but rather length of play. If you play regularly enough at certain tables, you will inevitably encounter the players who play in the same room at the table ALL the time. These players tend to be creatures of habit. They may play a tight or a loose game, but are usually somewhat predictable. The key strategy here is not to make assumptions until you’re confident you’ve “learned” the opposing player’s habits. Then you can start to “test” your theory with subsequent hands. I’ve found in my own playing experience, I can sometimes successfully size up a player after only 2-3 hours of continuous play. But that’s the exception rather than the rule. To beat the tortoise, you must become the tortoise – plant your butt in front of your computer!
- Yak-yak-yak (plus The Brat sidekick!) – I mentioned this before, but it’s worth a repeat. The “chat box” is your friend. It’s VITAL to learning about players. Most experienced players will NEVER chat. Not even a “gg”, “nh”, or “shouldn’t have folded that jack”. But occasionally, there are those who can’t help themselves and open up. And the crazy thing is, as they go on tilt, they get louder and more obnoxious. In fact, I used to scope out rooms as a lurker for a while and watch the chatbox after each play. If it was silent, I move on to another table until I catch a yakker.. then I get ready to clean ‘em out! Oh and remember don’t YOU EVER chat in a poker room! Or you risk losing $$$ to someone like me! *wink*. A variation on the yakker, The Brat will take great pleasure on a victorious hand. They will tell you how brilliant they are and make other wise-cracks. Unless you’re playing with Phil Hellmuth in the poker room (though I doubt he says much if he plays online) the reality is simple: These players don’t win much which is why they announce it to the world. The REALLY good sharks (which you want to avoid) will never gloat even during crazy big pots and crazy good cards. When these brats go on tilt, bring your Hoover because it’s time to suck in the cash they’re dishing out. (Oh and if they’re stupid enough to brag during play, beware they expect to show their cards so they may be holding a strong hand.)
- Domo Arigato Mr Roboto – The players who enjoy setting that “auto” button for their plays can be a goldmine too. But beware; auto-check and auto-raise are two different types of players. Auto-check is usually set by weaker, less experienced players. Again, watch for patterns here. Auto-call or auto-raise can be a tilting player or a formidable aggressive player. Approach with caution – but above all, watch for this and recognize the auto-setters. (And of course, any flop or pre-flop raises, like real-world poker, more often demonstrated weakness than strength).
I hope you find these tips useful. Remember, nothing in poker is ever certain – there are always exceptions to the rules! If you play real-world games, you’ll actually find you will become a better player because the online world forces you to focus on the players’ actions rather than subjective visual observations. Regardless of what medium a poker hand is played, humans are humans. And if you seek out the rooms with the MOST players like the above, you will do well staying one step ahead!
(And don’t forget to download our FREE Poker Bot to help your game play! Now compatible with Windows 7)
Andrew Kicak is a poker enthusiast, a writer, researcher, speaker, and consultant. You can visit his blog and sign up free to get 
