Safe Online Poker Secrets
Simply because he can not see your poker face, does not mean he can not read you like a book! Many poker authors claim that physical tells are a big part of the game of poker, and that by playing online poker over the internet you are missing vital information on the other players. Mike Caro, as an example, would complain that you could not see the additional players' posture, their respiratory rate, how often they blink, obvious signs of a quickening pulse or adrenaline buildup. All of this is true: but in fact physical tells are rarely decisive even in a live game. Generally, your own card strength as well as your opponent's betting patterns will guide your decision making. It's only on the margins that such apparent physical tells will influence your betting decisions.
Additionally, there are Internet poker tells that are almost as reliable as the physical tells. When you're playing online poker, your read your opponent based upon their betting patterns -- information gleaned by watching each and every hand they play. You should notice when these patterns change in a particular hand, and what that might mean. Below are some of the internet poker tells to watch out for when playing on the internet:
The insta-call - When your opponent is able to call instantly, that means he doesn't have much to think of. You may see this before or after the flop. If a player instantly calls along prior to the flop, that means he wants to enter the pot with some sort of speculative hand. Additionally, it means that he did not give any serious thought to raising. What types of hand will insta-call ahead of the flop? Typically drawing hands, like suited connectors or small pairs. Big cards (like AK) or perhaps the larger pairs might have at least considered a raise. By insta-calling before the flop, your opponent has helped you narrow down his likely holding. What about an insta-call on the flop? What kind of hand would an opponent not even think of folding or raising with? This is most often a draw, and sometimes a lesser made hand (for example second or third pair). Your opponent knows that he is ready to pay the cost being charged to stay within the pot, but doesn't want to risk a raising war. Note that not all calls on the flop will be with a draw or perhaps a weak made hand, but an insta-call usually will be -- especially in a multi-way pot.
The delayed reaction - On the additional end of the spectrum, if your opponent takes an unusually long period to act on his hand, he is genuinely unsure of how to handle it. Unless you have really put him in a tough spot (say, for all his chips), this usually isn't going to mean he is unsure of what direction to go because he is holding a marginal hand. Usually the excessive delay is simply because he is made an unexpectedly strong hand. He is pondering how you can get maximum value out of it. An unusual delay (and it may only be for a few of seconds) is rarely a great sign. An unusually long delay then by a raise is a really bad sign! Remember that you shouldn't confuse an unusually long delay with the case where an opponent is just consistently slow to act. Some players, usually the better ones, are very deliberate about a pot they're seriously contesting. It may be strange and unusual in the Internet poker world to spend more than two seconds before acting, but some wise players will take their time. The tell you are searching for is any time a player's actions are delayed for an unusual length of time. This is whenever you need to be mindful!
Offering unsolicited advice - There is no surer sign of an unskilled, barely competent player than one who offers unsolicited advice on the way to play poker. Consider: why would an experienced, tough poker player offer GOOD advice to his opponents? Presumably his objective is to win the game - not to show off what a winning poker player he is. If you truly have good advice to offer, keep it to yourself. You do not want to educate your less-skillful opponents!
Playing hand immediately after a bad beat - This really is often a sure sign of tilt. An effective, tight player should be selective in the cards he plays. What will be the odds that a player who just suffered a particularly bad beat really has a playable hand the very next deal? Unless he is in position or playing out of the blinds, he is probably just playing angry as well as on tilt. He's liable to play foolishly aggressive, trying to win back the cash he lost at any cost. Exploit this weakness.
Showing an uncalled hand that went to the flop - Another sign of a gravely inexperienced poker player. It's more often than not a mistake to provide details about the way you play a hand. An aggressive player might have a case for showing an uncalled hand that Didn't see a flop (to show how allegedly "tight" they're). But showing a hand that is gone to the flop when you aren't required to will be giving another players ammunition (information) also they can use against you. It is a sign of inexperience, or some sort of need for validation at the table.
Massively overbetting or underbetting the pot - This is among the most reliable online tells that you usually won't get in live play. A huge overbet or underbet of the pot in LIVE play often means little more than that your opponent lost track of the pot size. When playing poker online, alternatively, an enormous overbet or underbet always tells you something about your opponent's hand. It's different between players: sometimes an overbet is a sign of weakness (e.g. a flush or straight draw); more frequently, it is a sign of great strength (e.g. jamming the pot on the river with a lock hand). You may need to observe your opponent to see what this tell means by keeping notes on their own play. Whether they know it or not, every player has certain betting patterns that will tell you all you need to learn about their hand. Whenever you see these patterns, you certainly will be able to read right through his poker face... even in online gambling, Digitalocean published an article, poker on the internet.
