How to eliminate online poker tells you might be giving away

April 15th, 2007

Looking for an edge while playing online ? Pay attention to this

Intro
Alot of online poker players giveout tells and most of them dont even know it. Are you one of those players ?
My goal with this blog is to help people become the best poker player they can be, and thus you need to be aware of online tells that you might give away to others that are very well aware of these tells.

Your online behaviour, how you play, when you play, how fast you play and what you say in the chat rooms, even your name can all give away some free “information” about your game, the secret to being a good bluffer is to not let others know when you are bluffing.
Take this information and use it, when you see someone not following these rules, there is a good chance that he is a below average player, and thus you should take advantage of that.

1.Watch your timing

Timing online is critical, since you dont see the person’s eyes, his facial experssions and his body, you will need to pay close attention to what you can see, for instance, his betting pattern…

When you use the automatic action buttons before it is your turn it is your turn to play ( check/fold , call , raise ), it makes it easier for other player to detect a pattern in you. Furthermore you eliminate the possibility to give out false information, for example, some player will think that a player who takes his time before checking usualy indicate weakness ( lack of confidence ) , if you have the auto-check on, with a strong hand you will not be able to simulate that weakness.

The easiest way to eliminate any online tell related to timing is to always take the exact same amount of time before you check/fold/bet so you never give out any clues.

2. Watch your communications

Pay attention to what is said, when it is said.
Spot the newbies, people that are getting impatient , or excited etc. Notice any change in their way of talking.

In general, the less you talk the less they know about you, so dont talk too much , and when you do use it to know more about your opponent.

3.Watch your “History”

Some times you will see players coming back after losing with fresh newly reloaded cash, spot these players !
They suck and have money to give out !
Dont come back to the same rooms / play with the same people if you lost just reloaded your cash !
If you suck, dont let them know it…

4.Watch your name

In general good players use their real name, that is, in general.
People with funky nicknames and other alias might be tempted to bluff more.

You should use your name as it is neutral or something very generic.

5.Watch your situation

Pay close attention to the situation in which people take action… if someone checks on the flop, but raise on the turn when the card dealth was low, it probably means that he already had something good and was faking weakness to make more people chip in.

You should always be aware of what you are doing, know when to backoff and dont use the same tactics when you have a strong hand, this will make it hard for opponent to spot the pattern.

Conclusion

Online poker tells exist and are being used by players against you, so you better learn all of them, of course poker tells can never be 100% accurate, that is why should always be cautious and use your judgement, take the time to spot the different types of players…

If you want more information here is a great list of article on the subject :

Online poker tell tips :
http://www.launchpoker.com/psychology/-online-poker-tells-/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Texas-Holdem-Poker-Tournament-Strategy—Online-Poker-Tells&id=44310
http://www.playwinningpoker.com/online/poker/strategy.html
http://www.internettexasholdem.com/poker-tips/poker-articles/online-poker-tells/
http://www.poker-strategy.org/default.aspx?tabid=57
http://www.ultimatebet.com/learn-poker/article.html?articleID=141
http://www.playwinningpoker.com/online/poker/tells/
http://www.totalgambler.com/pokertips/tournamentplay/407/texas_holdem.html
http://www.pokerjesusonline.com/online_tells.htm
http://www.pokersourceonline.com/poker-strategy/online-poker-tells.asp
http://www.onlinepokercenter.com/articles/online_poker/online_tells.php
http://www.pokerlistings.com/top-5-online-tells-6728
http://www.pokerlistings.com/online-tells

This list is quite big, but you should read all of it, bookmark this page and come back when you have time, or feel free to give me other tips by posting a comment !

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