Spotting Online Poker Tells

If you have seen the movie, “Rounders” starring Matt Damon you may already know all about “tells” during poker games. The movie portrays a boss named Teddy KGB who reveals hand strength based on his interaction with Oreo cookies. If he opens the cookie and then proceeds to eat it he has a monster hand – if he puts it back in his cookie tray he has a weak hand. Tells are small non-verbal signals that opponents reveal during play about the strength of their hand. If you have played a live game of poker you might have even spotted tells yourself. When “Big Frank” shuffles his chips hes bluffing or the shakes “Timid Tim” gets when he is nervous with a monster hand. These types of signals give you a competitive advantage at the poker table. Have you ever considered the possibility of poker tells existing online as well? Most people would say, online tells don’t exist because you can’t actually see your opponent. However, this isn’t the case since online poker isn’t completely virtual. Here are some of the most basic tells to look out for when playing online poker.

Betting Patterns

People tend to bet similar amounts of money over the long term when holding certain cards. For example, many people at low stakes poker bet the same amount of money with premium holdings like aces and kings every time. People also tend to get cute with raises – instead of making it $3.00 they will make it $3.35 every time. These types of betting patterns may become trends and therefore reveal what premium cards they have. Here are some of the more frequent betting pattern tells you will find while playing online poker.

• Un-Even Betting Amounts (neutral strength):

Online poker players tend to think betting un-even amounts like $4.95 instead of an even $5.00 will trick opponents. This strategy rarely works or fools anyone. It isn’t necessarily a tell right away unless it becomes a pattern. In tournaments and cash games players will bet fractions of a dollar so that the poker software stacks more chips on the screen. This is likely done to try and intimidate players or induce folding. It is usually done when an opponent is weak and wants to reflect strength.

• Over Bets

Betting more than the pot is an interesting action in a poker game. Your opponent is either trying to make you overpay to see another card or trying to confuse you into calling. An overbet seems like weakness, but it usually  means strength. Sometimes over-bets are made as blocking bets when the better has the 2nd best possible hand. If an overbet is re-raised or pushed all in on the over-better will know they are beat. Other times, the over-bet is done to purposely reflect weakness or simulate a bluff. Over-bets are tough to read, but should usually be folded to. Over-betting occurs when a player bets more than the total size of the pot. For example, betting $50 into a total pot of just $10.

• Under Bets

Under-betting the pot is frequent in online poker. Players regularly bet a fraction of the pot to confuse opponents. They either have a monster hand and are hoping for a re-raise or simply believe the collective hand strength of the table is weak. Betting a tiny amount into a huge pot could also be a way to guarantee they get paid. Under-betting occurs when you people bet a tiny fraction of the total pot. For example, betting $2 into a pot of $25.

Unsolicited All-ins

People who go all in pre-flop without any action ahead of them are usually very strong. Many people use this method of play with one of three premium holdings – AA, KK or AK. This strategy can sometimes be effective if the table perceives the player going all in as a maniac. It can also work if the player has gone all in many times and shown weak holdings. Stay away from unsolicited all in plays unless you have one of the three premium hands mentioned above to call with.

Timing Action

Quick calls on the flop bet and turn bet are often signs of drawing hands – while quick folds on the river often confirm a missed draw. As in the examples above the length of time a player takes before acting in online poker usually reveals much about their hand. The length of time in relation to the final action they make reveals even more information. Study your opponents action timing while at the table. You might find some interesting patterns. Here are some popular timing tells you will find in online poker.

• Taking a long time, then betting or raising (very strong):

One of the most frequent online poker tells is taking a long time before acting and then betting or raising. By trying to take longer to act your opponent is actually giving off a tell. Your opponent thinks longer action means weakness, when it actually means possible strength. Weak hands are usually folded immediately on the river, while strong hands require thought on how much to call or re-raise. Any opponent who takes a long time to act on the river and then bets or re-raises is likely holding a strong hand.  Proceed with extreme caution, especially on a re-raise.

• Insta-Raise (very strong):

Players who raise immediately have either mis-clicked or hit and monster hand. When people raise so fast that its almost a reaction they have either hit the automatic raise all button or gotten excited about hitting a big hand. Maniacs occasionally try to bully other players by doing this, but most of the time this action is used by someone holding a nearly unbeatable hand that is sure of the outcome.

• Auto Check Button (weakness):

Although automatic action buttons in online poker speed up the game dramatically, they also reveal strength about hands. The auto check/fold button is another frequently used feature in online poker that indicates extremely weak holdings or folding hands. Although some players may try to get tricky and auto check re-raise, most are telling you straight forward that they want to fold. If you are in a pot with a limited amount of players who auto check consider making a bet to take down the pot right there.

• Snap Calls (weak or drawing hand):

Calling instantly or using the auto call feature is usually a sign of weakness. Most of the time this type of action is done on drawing boards with flush or straight possibilities. Players try to call quickly to appear strong and scare off continuation bets. As we know from poker psychology strong acts hint at weakness while weak acting is usually strength. By calling instantly, we know the players is weak or on a draw. If they really had a monster hand they wouldn’t be snap calling – instead they would take more time and consider re-raising.

Chat Box

You would be surprised at the amount of information you can pick up in the poker table chat box. This is especially true at lower stakes poker games where players might not know what a tell even is. People that use the chat box and then go all in are probably very strong. While people that make a huge river bet and then dare you to call in the chat box are probably weak. At the same time players that ask you what you had after the cards are mucked probably had the 2^nd nuts or something close to it. They wouldn’t waste their time typing in the question unless they had something decent to potentially call with. The chat box often reveals the mental state of poker players as well. Spewing off vulgar language in the chat box is a sign of weakness and could indicate the player is on tilt. You can gauge the emotional state of your opponents just by what they type in the chat box.

Always remember that strong opponents try to act weak, while weak opponents try to act strong. This is one of the most basic rules of tells and nonverbal cues in poker. Acting opposite of the type of hand you have is popularly found at lower level no limit poker games. Using all of the types of online tells to read your opponent could help you in making a key decision for a big pot. Always pay attention to table action, even when you aren’t in the hand. This means no distractions like television or talking on the phone. Spotting online poker tells may just make the difference between a winning or losing session.

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Drawing Out of Position

Drawing hands can be tough to play out of position in no-limit poker. The obvious approach of check-calling is not only easy to spot by opponents, but also a losing play in most cases. The trouble arises if you hit your hand on the turn; your opponent knows it and you are unlikely to get paid off. If you don’t hit your hand, your opponent also knows it and will make you pay dearly to see the river – negating any odds you might have had to draw out. Most turn bets negate profitable drawing situations since those hands only hit one in five times.

The second situation where you actually hit your hand on either the turn or river causes problems as well. When you hit the turn you will likely check. Your opponent will usually know it and check behind you – or you will bet and your opponent will usually fold limiting your profitability. In either case hitting your hand usually results in no added profit since check calling a draw telegraphs your hand.

Next time you face yourself in the above situation playing out of position try making a check-raise. Doing so will add a little mystery to your play. Your opponent won’t know if you made a big hand like a set or if you are actually on a draw. Better yet, the check-raise may steal a pot away from your opponent who might have hit air. This will more often than not be the case on a flop lacking face cards or an ace.

If your opponent calls the check-raise you get a better sense of where you are at. If he re-raises then you obviously know you are up against a monster like an over-pair or set. If the turn misses, your check raise may trick your opponent into giving you a free river card.

Playing out of position is never easy – especially when you have a drawing hand. However, playing your draws in a way that deviates from the norm will certainly be more profitable than check-calling. Next time you face a draw out of position, try semi-bluffing in effort to confuse your opponent. It may not work every time, but most things don’t in no-limit poker.  The art of the semi-bluff is a strategy you will need to master if you want to become a top poker player.

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Poker Tips for Future Sharks

As one popular poker saying goes, “Poker is a game that takes minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master.” At the beginning of your poker career a steep learning curve exists. You will absorb a lot of information that will help you get a basic understanding of the game. As the game advances it turns into a funnel, where new information only takes you so far. Soon you start looking for small edges to push with over hundreds of thousands of hands. Adding these tips to your poker playbook should get your started on the right track.

1. Play Premium Holdings Early On

Unless you have the card reading ability of the game’s best, stick to premium holdings as starting hands. Although any hand can win, certain hands win more often than others. Likewise, certain hands can make your hand into the dreaded “second best” hand and lose you a lot of money. Playing premium hands will certainly give you a tight table image – let your opponents try to figure out just which premium holding you have.

2. Play Straight Forward

Although certain situations may call for a bluff, they are very rare. Showings of popular poker events like the WSOP showcase some of the games greatest bluffs – this is to make the game exciting for television. This type of play doesn’t represent the majority of hands in poker. The editing of the WSOP, trims the event down to a slotted television time and creates excitement for viewers. Anyone who has played a live poker tournament can attest to this. It is much better to play your cards when beginning at poker, until you better understand the concept of bluffing.

3. Develop Card Reading Ability

What your opponent is holding is more important than what you have. Laying down the second best hand is arguably the most important skill in poker. Likewise, having an good idea of your opponents holdings gives you an idea of what to do – should you fold, raise, value-bet, call or shove all in? Superior card reading ability is one main characteristic that separates pro players from amateur players.

4. Play Against Weak Competition

This rule is especially important for cash games. Playing against opponents at your skill level or below is critical. If you are the 10th best player in the world, playing against the top 9 players in the world you will lose. You usually win money from your opponents mistakes, rather than your brilliance. Try to play against weak opponents.

5. Take Advantage of Position

Position is nearly as important as your cards the higher you advance in poker. Late positions at the table are more profitable than early positions. Being in late positions like the button or cutoff give you a chance to see what players ahead of you are doing. This creates a small edge that can be utilized long term.

6. Avoid Distractions at the Table

Although you may think its fun to play poker online while watching television, it may not be the best thing for your bankroll. Any distractions can cost your money. Although you may not be in a hand, your opponents always are. Picking up small tendencies or even “tells” at the table can give you an edge. Study your opponents – betting patterns, the time it takes them to act, their good and bad habits. Poker is no different than any other sport. You attack weaknesses or even weak players. It was stated best in the movie Rounders, “If you don’t know who the sucker is within 30 minutes of sitting down at the table, you are the sucker. ”

7. Play Within Your Means

There are two main reasons why it is never a good idea to start playing at higher end limits. First off, players at higher stakes are generally better players. This is because most players start at low limits and move up to higher limits as their talent and bankroll levels grow. Secondly, to utilize proper bankroll management you should never play at any one table with more than 5% of your bankroll. New players are generally losing players because they don’t understand higher end strategy. Losing at lower stakes games can provide “cheap lessons” for long term improvement. This concept is practical to everyday life. You have to undergo training for nearly every job before you get to the real thing. Preparation and experience give you the insight necessary to successfully complete the job on a daily basis.

8. Be A Stingy Investor

Certain situations arise where you need to try to draw out to win the pot. For example, two over-cards with a flush draw in texas holdem is usually even money. Open ended straight flush draws are better than even money. Gutshot straight draws with heavy implied odds can also be practical. Drawing or “fishing” is mainly a technique used by losing long term players. Although you may hit your flush card one in three times, the other two times you will lose. Long term flush draw chasing is a losing proposition. This is especially true if your opponent knows how to properly make you pay for your draws. Be a stingy card chaser – only take draws with heavy implied/ pot odds.

9. Suited or Un-suited – Does it matter?

The popular chat type, “….but it was suited” is one of the best tells of an inexperienced player. Over-valuing suited cards is a major mistake among beginning players. The odds of hitting a flush are very rare, so rare that it makes calling with suited cards unwarranted. Suited cards only have a 1-2% advantage over non-suited holdings. Learn to fold ace rag suited and other non premium suited holdings.

10. Know The Game

Know the rules of every game that you intend to play. If you are unsure of the rules, you can study them in books or you can play on “play chip” tables. There is no possible way for you to profit without knowing the rules. Different rules apply to different games – this is especially true when playing live poker as compared to online poker. Unique rules may apply to every casino or online poker room. Not knowing the rules of the game you are playing in could cost you a ton of money. The most common rules mistakes occur when jumping from Texas Holdem to Omaha.

11. Multi-tabling vs Single Table Play

With the invention of online poker, it is now possible to play more than one table at a time. This means you can play more than one hand at a time. Some poker sites let players play up to 12 tables or more simultaneously. Although you can increase your hourly profit, you can also drive yourself crazy and cloud good poker judgment if you aren’t careful. Many advantages and disadvantages of playing more than one table at a time exist – learn and understand them.

12. Play for the Long Term

Although strings of good fortune or “luck” come and go, winning players are made in tens of thousands of hands. Focus on “getting the best of it” each time you play. Stick to quality card play and avoid chasing draws and miracle cards. Remember that poker is a game of variance and long term probability. Try to work on constant improvement, without being results oriented. If you are making correct decisions over the long term, the results will take care of themselves.

13. Play Knockout Bounty Tournaments

Although bounty tournaments cost a little more to enter, they significantly reduce variance for better players. A good player could potentially collect enough knockout bounties to pay for his or her tournament entry. These tournaments tend to be more juicy since the majority of players are solely focused on knocking people out and not necessarily about actually winning the tournament. All in hand ranges tend to be slightly wider than regular tournaments.

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Selecting the Right Poker Table

If you were to ask poker players what the best ways to make money playing poker are you would surely get a wide variety of answers. Some players might say that you need luck, while some would tell you about having skill. Other players might tell you an even better answer like tight aggressive play and patience. If you asked around further players might try to explain positive expected value. Most of these answers would surely point you in the direction of poker prosperity. However, one major aspect of poker is often overlooked by the majority of players. Proper table selection in the poker room may be the single factor that determines whether or not you make money. It is not necessarily how good you are, but how your skill matches up to your opponents.

A great poker truth goes something like this, “if you are the 9th best player in the world playing against the top 8 you will go broke long term.” This saying is exactly correct since poker is a zero sum game. You make the majority of your money not off of your own brilliance, but on the mistakes of other players. It is crucial to find a small edge and maximize it over the course of hundreds or thousands of hands. Even if you play against people of equal talent, you are losing in the long run because of the rake collected out of each pot. Don’t let your ego get in the way of your potential profitability. Many aspects of table selection play a major role in your profitability. Make a serious and comprehensive evaluation of the tables, location and level you are playing at. It could seriously increase your bottom line at the poker table. Several questions should be asked of yourself before sitting down to play poker.

What stakes of poker are you playing?

In general, the higher the stakes you are playing the better your opponents will be. This is because beginning poker players usually start at the lowest stakes possible. Secondly, talented poker players who play for a living won’t waste their time at small stakes games. They prefer higher level games where they can maximize their skill advantage. Beginning players may not know poker rules and are obviously inexperienced. They also may have recently deposited money and could be trying to unlock their deposit bonus. In doing so they will play many more hands than they should, which should be to your benefit.

Is the poker room near a casino or horse/dog track?

This is the case in many regions in the United States. The majority of poker rooms in Florida are near a jai-lai, dog or horse track facility. This is important since people that bet on horses, dogs or jai-lai are basically playing the lottery. They have no concept of expected value or simply don’t care. Most people at these tracks are just in it to relax and have a good time. Poker rooms near major casinos may not be quite as fruitful as track based rooms. Casino based rooms usually attract a slightly more talented crowd.

What day of the week are you playing?

If you decide to sit down and play during the weekdays you will likely find “regulars” at brick and mortar card rooms. This isn’t necessarily the case when playing online because of the convenience of using the internet. Regulars or semi regulars are almost always better players since they have a lot of experience at the table. In most cases they are grinders and play very tight. They play for the long term and generally play better than most players. If you decide to play on Friday night or the weekend you are definitely making things easier on yourself. New players and people looking for entertainment usually play on Friday and Saturday nights. They don’t have to work and may have recently received their weekly paycheck from work. These two reasons alone make playing on the weekend the most profitable time to play.

Are you playing on or near a holiday?

The days surrounding Christmas and the New Years holidays are great times to play poker. Family and friends get together to enjoy the holidays. This is often accompanied with entertainment and gambling. In the northern part of the United States cold weather takes its toll on the region. People usually like to stay indoors and look for entertainment like football on television. A lot of poker rooms have revamped themselves to accommodate this by placing huge flat screen televisions throughout the poker room. All of these factors make the holiday season a time for poker cheer.

What time of day are you playing?

Playing in the morning hours generally isn’t a good idea. Players called “regulars” are generally present and can be somewhat tough to play against. Playing at night is usually best since people are again looking for entertainment after a long work week. These players are less concerned about winning and more concerned about gambling and having a thrill. Furthermore, alcoholic beverages are consumed much more in late afternoon and night. As you already know, intoxicated players tend to make poor decisions at the table.

How are your opponents playing?

The most important element of table selection is observing the opposition. When you sit down at the table, take notice of your opponents for a few hands until the big blind gets to you. Find out if they are tight, loose, aggressive or passive. Are they making wild raises and loud at the table? Do your opponents focus on the table action or the football game on television? The best type of opponent to play against is the loose passive opponent. That type of player will call way too much and won’t bet strong hands for value enough. Attack these types of players since they make the most mistakes. Is a player online on tilt and spewing off vulgar text in the chat box? Take advantage of this aggressive behavior with a trap play. Do everything you can to keep that player on tilt. The longer the person is upset the greater the chance they have of making mistakes. If you are playing against weak opponents play until they leave. If you see that your opponents are strong simply leave the table and find somewhere else to play. If you don’t feel like one of the top three players at the table simply select another table to play at.

All of these topics should help you increase your poker winnings over the long term. Remember, poker is a game of small advantages and table selection could be the one aspect you overlooked in your quest for poker profitability. Exploit the weaknesses of your opponents and your poker surroundings. Look for the weakest opponents possible and rooms with the most distractions. These concepts play out in nature everyday as well. Lions, sharks and wolves attack the weakest animals first. Likewise, you should attack the worst players at the table. If none exist, leave and find a more profitable opportunity. Always use proper table selection techniques in future play. It could be the difference between a winning and losing session or even your poker career.

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Strategic Poker Consequences of Table Position

Position refers to the order in which players are seated around the table and the strategic consequences of this. Generally, players in earlier position (who have to act first) need stronger hands to bet or raise than players in later position. For example, with five opponents yet to act behind a player, there is a greater chance one of the opponents will have a better hand than if there was only one opponent yet to act. Being in late position is an advantage, since a player can see the action ahead of him/her. Taking this into account, it is generally more profitable to play hands in late position for non-advanced players. Most of the time a successful player should play a range of hands in accordance with their position. If you haven’t yet learned about table position or its affect on your poker game, you could be costing yourself a lot of money.

Shown on the above diagram of an online card table are positions. Specific terms are used to describe your position in relation to button. Sections of general position strength are also displayed above.

“Dealer“, “Dealer’s Button“, or “Button” – The button is the most profitable positions at the table since the player here is last to act on the flop, turn and river. This player can also attack the small and big blinds quite easily.

“Under the Gun” – This is the first player to take an action in the hand. This player will be to the left of the big blind. Being under the gun is considered to be the worst position in holdem. The player has little to no information about what is behind him.

“Big Blind” – This is the player to the left of the small blind.

“Small Blind” – This player is directly to the left of the button.

“Cutoff” – This is the player to the right of the button and arguably the strongest position at the table. The term “cutoff” comes from this positions ability to cut the dealer off from stealing blinds.

“Cutoff +1” – This is the player next to the cutoff. This term is for advanced poker play where most talented and educated players know about the normal cutoff. Therefore, they have invented a “new” cutoff to take advantage of less advanced players who abuse the regular cutoff.

Finally, there are terms to describe the general position of players at the table. General positions can be as “early position”, “middle position”, and “late position”. These terms are often abbreviated “EP”, “MP”, and “LP”. Players in early position (SB, BB, UTG, UTG+1) are some of the first to act in a betting round. “Middle position” is the three positions after the player under the gun. “Late position” or “LP” players are some of the last to act in a betting round, like the cutoff and button. These specific and general positions are used for full nine or ten man tables. Obviously, in tournament or SNG play players are eliminated, rendering middle position and some specific places useless. Full table tournaments and cash tables utilize table position terminology best.

Obviously, advanced players like the pros we watch on television can play nearly any two cards in any position. However, most beginning or novice players should stick to playing a specific range of hands at a certain position at the table. Although “any” two cards can theoretically win, playing less than premium holdings in the wrong position is a major bankroll leak for non-advanced players.

In early position you should play:

* High Pairs: AA – JJ
* High Suited Cards: AKs – AQs – KQs – AJs – KJs – QJs – TJs
* High Unsuited Cards: AK – AQ – KQ

In middle position you can add to the list:

* High Suited Cards: ATs – KTs – QTs
* High Unsuited Cards: AJ – AT – KJ
* Middle Pairs: TT – 77

In late position you can add to the list:

* Suited connectors: T9s- 67s.
* Small pairs
* Ace-rags suited: but use your discretion for these hands

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