Online Poker Tells To Look Out For

Poker

Online Poker Tells To Look Out For

Poker

Poker chips and fingers on a green felt table.

Online Poker Tells To Look Out For

Poker

Poker chips and fingers on a green felt table.

David Shoup, a general in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, once said: “The commonest mistake in history is underestimating your opponent; happens at the poker table all the time.”

Indeed, Paul Newman made his own amusing observation: “If you’re playing a poker game and you look around the table and can’t tell who the sucker is, it’s you!”

These quips come from a time when you faced your opponents over a green felt table while puffing on cigars and sipping whiskey in a dimly lit room, watching every move and facial twitch for signs of deception.

Today, most people play poker online and the signals or tells that skilled poker players of old used to beat their opponents, like wearing sunglasses at the table, are masked by the relative anonymity of the Internet.

So how do online poker players read their opponents when they can’t face them in real life?

Read on to find out what to look out for and how to use these tells to inform your general Texas Hold’em poker game or online poker tournament strategy.

What are online poker tells?

In the absence of physical ticks or behavioral giveaways, online poker tells take the form of patterns and actions by players that inadvertently expose information about their hand.

David Shoup, a general in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, once said: “The commonest mistake in history is underestimating your opponent; happens at the poker table all the time.”

Indeed, Paul Newman made his own amusing observation: “If you’re playing a poker game and you look around the table and can’t tell who the sucker is, it’s you!”

These quips come from a time when you faced your opponents over a green felt table while puffing on cigars and sipping whiskey in a dimly lit room, watching every move and facial twitch for signs of deception.

Today, most people play poker online, and the signals or tells that skilled poker players of old used to beat their opponents, like wearing sunglasses at the table, are masked by the relative anonymity of the Internet.

So, how do online poker players read their opponents when they can’t face them in real life?

Read on to find out what to look out for and how to use these tells to inform your general Texas hold’em poker game or online poker tournament strategy. First, take a quick look at poker tells and why they are important.

What Is a Tell in Poker?

Before getting stuck into online poker tells, it’s worth refreshing your memory on what a tell is in poker in general. 

A tell is a behavioral pattern that players display that can be used as an indicator for poker hands. For example, some people will look at their cards for a very long time before playing, others might tap their fingers on the table, and some might be as subtle as taking a quick breath when they have a bad hand. 

Tells are used by players to read opposition players and to try to correctly guess what hand they have or what action they will take. This is why it’s important to learn to mask your emotions or to bluff your actions while you play poker.

Of course, it’s a lot trickier to read poker tells when you play casino online games.

What Are Online Poker Tells?

In the absence of physical ticks or behavioral giveaways, online poker tells take the form of patterns and actions by players that inadvertently expose information about their hand.

After all, live poker online is a game of nerve and observation, and we should use any information available to gain an advantage over our opponents.

The three key things to observe are:

  • Timing: The time it takes for an opponent to make a bet
  • Betting: How much your opponents bet
  • Chats: Any texts that can expose an opponent’s strategy.

Timing Tells

A poker player reveals four ace cards.

Instant check

What is it? – When an opponent has used the Check/Fold pre-action on the site.

What does it mean? – This usually means that the big blind has a terrible hand and will fold when anyone raises. Sometimes the check isn’t instant, but most often, it is quick and will indicate a weak hand and an impatient player.

What to do – Try to bet out of position to appear inexperienced and induce a bet from your opponent.

Check then instant call

What is it? – When an opponent checks and then instantly calls.

What does it mean? – This often exposes an opponent’s marginal hand, which may have seemed strong at the draw, but they needed to see if it improved one or two streets in.

What to do – Stay in position and keep the initiative. Wait to see if the opponent folds after the early streets.

Tank then call

What is it? – Tanking is when a player takes an extraordinarily long time to make a decision. Tank calling refers to a long period before a player calls.

What does it mean? – This is usually an indication that the player is analyzing all the options before calling and is unlikely to have air or a marginal hand. If the player is on a float, the call will come fairly quickly.

What to do – Wait it out as the player’s range is unlikely to be air or marginal.     

Tank then check

What is it? – This is when an opponent takes a long time to play but then checks instead of calling or folding.

What does it mean? – This generally refers to an opponent who wants to see the next card cheaply and indicates a marginal range if not air.

What to do – Try to induce a bet or draw aggression by appearing loose or a fish.

Tank then big raise

What is it? – This is when opponents take a really long time before raising.

What does it mean? – This usually means the opponent has an extremely good hand.

What to do – Fold unless you have a nutted hand. You’re likely facing a bad beat, even on a strong hand.

Tank with every decision

A hand reaching for poker chips on a green felt table with money and playing cards.
  • What it is: When a player takes an inordinate amount of time on every decision.
  • What it means: This usually indicates a relative novice who is still learning the game but could also indicate that the player is playing multiple tables and is distracted.
  • What to do: Watch the player to see if there are any other tells that will help you determine the level of the player and then respond appropriately.

Betting Tells

All-In Overbet

  • What it is: An overbet is a bet larger than the current size of the pot.
  • What it means: This is fairly rare and occasionally confusing, but more often than not, it points to a player with a really strong hand. It’s almost never a bluff, as most players are unlikely to risk so much money on air or a weak hand.
  • What to do: Unless you have close to a nutted hand, fold and move on or find a risk-free way to extract further tells.

Odd Sized Bet

  • What it is: This is when a player makes a bet with an odd amount of money that isn’t a typical-sized bet reflecting a percentage of the pot. For example, $8,99 into a $10 pot.
  • What it means: More often than not, these are value bets and not bluffs and relate to the player’s bankroll management. In most cases, it means their range is usually on the top end.
  • What to do: Play your game and drive for the later streets to hold the initiative if possible.

Donk Bet

What it is: A donk bet is when an out-of-position player leads into (attacks) the person who was the aggressor in the last round.

What it means: Unskilled players usually use donks to make weak attacks and can be countered relatively easily with air and a raise. A strong player will, on occasion, use it to lead into you with a super strong hand to test the weakness of your hand, especially if they have noticed you raise donks habitually.

What to do: The standard move is to raise an obvious donk by an unskilled player. Just be careful not to be duped by a pro who is on to your donk raise strategy.

Limp Calling in Early Positions

A poker player holding two ace cards at the poker table.
  • What it is: This is when a player opens with the minimum bet in one of the first few positions and then calls a raise.
  • What it means: This usually indicates a fairly inexperienced player or “fish” who doesn’t understand the fundamental need to play in position to keep the initiative.
  • What to do: Use this knowledge to take advantage of the fish.

Check Then Raising the River

  • What it is: This is when an opponent checks and then raises at the river.
  • What it means: In most cases, this simply means that the opponent is holding a nut hand.
  • What to do: Unless you hold a genuinely nutted hand, you should consider folding. It almost never indicates a bluff.

Chat tells

Complaining About Other

  • What it is: Berating opponents openly in chat rooms about the way they play, especially if they just lost to that opponent.
  • What it means: This usually exposes players who are rigid strategists with large egos who have recently graduated from the “Harrington on Hold’em” series. 
  • What to do: Goad them into a game and counter their rigidity with some higher-level maneuvers.

Cxomplaining About a Bad Beat or Losses

  • What it is: A player is frustrated when their relatively strong hand is beaten by a better one and complains profusely in the chat room.
  • What it means: The player is triggered and desperately wants to win back their losses, making them vulnerable and prone to bad strategies.
  • What to do: Take advantage of their emotional instability and push them while they are tilted. Every time you win, needle them into further emotional responses.

Suddenly Going Quiet

  • What it is: When a player who is usually very sociable and chatty suddenly goes quiet.
  • What it means: This is often an indicator that this player is holding a super strong hand.
  • What to do — It’s probably best to fold rather than persist unless you have a nutted hand yourself.

Reverse Tells

A reverse tell is an age-old chestnut of deliberately feeding opponents information to convince them that the opposite of what you have is true. It’s the oldest trick in the book, yet still one of the most effective tools in a skilled poker player’s arsenal. A reverse tell should be used sparingly and only when you are sure that the opponent is able to pick up on your tells, albeit false ones.

Better Strategies Than Relying on Tells

When it comes to online casino games, poker tells are not as reliable as they are during a live poker tournament or cash game. Some of the things that you can do that will set you up for success as a beginner poker player are:

  • Learn the rules: This might seem simple, but learning the rules as early as possible will help you to progress faster.
  • Learn poker terms: There are so many poker terms that it can be overwhelming. However, it will really help out your game if you take the time to learn as much as you can and ask questions when you come across a word you don’t know.
  • Practice: Practice makes perfect, as they say, and you need to practice your poker game if you want to improve your skills.
  • Study: Buy poker books, use poker tools, and read blogs to learn how to improve your game with knowledge from those who have been on the same journey as you.

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