Strategy: Online Poker Tells
The difference between online and live poker is that you cannot get the same reads from live play online, simply because you cannot see the players on your table. However there are still things that online players do that can give away how strong or weak their hand is. These are important pieces of poker strategy for a beginner or intermediate player. After you’re done cashing in a deposit bonus or another type of poker promotion, be sure to read this article so you know what to expect from the opposition.
A pause followed by a check
They are WEAK.
Players will do this to attempt to try and give the impression that they are strong so that they can get a free card. The chances are that if they were actually strong then they would have made a quick check followed by a raise.
A pause then a bet
They are STRONG.
A bit like the pause check, it usually means that they are strong and they are attempting to work out how much to put in the pot.
A quick bet
They are STRONG.
Especially a bet on the turn or the river means that they have strong hand and are trying to intimidate you into calling their bet. Don’t get bullied into this and instead go through the usual calculations that you would go through before working out to call, fold or raise.
A quick check
They are WEAK.
Lots of players use the automatic Check/Fold buttons if they don’t have a hand, so an instantaneous check usually means that is what they have clicked. If you are last to act you can use this to your advantage to get rid of the players and win the pot.
Check-raise
They are STRONG
This is a much-used strategy to try and induce a bet in the first place from another player. Usually means a very strong hand.
Study the Chat window
Players can still give away what kind of level a player they are by what they say in the chat window. Use this to your advantage by identifying any weaknesses they give you from their talking- the same way you would at the WSOP.
Although all these tells can work, make sure you don’t use them as a definite rule. There are always players who will know these tells and do the opposite to what people think they will do.
