Internet Tells

You might not get a whole lot of tells online, but you should take detailed notes of many players. This is a huge advantage when going up against a player. It can save you a pot you would have folded in or save you a bet you would have called.

Betting patterns are just about it. Time is not consistant because you have no idea if the player was distracted or is in the middle of doing something. I get delayed sometimes by my kids, but it doesn't mean that I'm thinking long about the hand.

there are no real tells in internet.. i maybe there is but then they are very hard to know.. cuz there are many factors while players do their actions

heshkak said:

The funny thing about the internet is that there are no "physical" tells. The only tells you can pick up on is if you watch the betting patterns and the speed that they make their bets. However, these can't be followed to a "T" because the guy might just be getting back from the bathroom, and that's why he took longer to bet.

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There are certain internet tells that you can tell though. If you take long and look hesitant before a bet and then call... if the player is the aggressive type he'll raise the after the flop and so forth. On the river you raise him all-in and he'll think you're buying the pot when in reality you have a monster.

-Karl

superdave said:

Betting patterns are just about it. Time is not consistant because you have no idea if the player was distracted or is in the middle of doing something. I get delayed sometimes by my kids, but it doesn't mean that I'm thinking long about the hand.

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I think the biggest tells are differentiating the aggressive players from the conservative players. Do that and you're ahead of the game.

Karl

mr. flanders said:

i like too watch for people useing the auto bet call raise button because it its very fast. I have notice in my case anyways that thay might take their time on a hand with a rasie in front and maybe thay don't have it. All in all ther is no tells just betting patterns. You need to be able to change gears!

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after reading a few posts on here... I was wondering is there a difference between calls and betting patterns or are they the same thing

charterboss said:

i'm sure i have alot of tells but--i seem to play different all the time--tight some days more aggressive others..but i do mix up the speed on my bets most of the time --and with the speed mix I change the bet levels --so I guess in reality it looks more liked the true fact that i'm just confused --lol

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I think the first 5-6 hands of any tournament are a poor indicator of any tells though because people have a tendancy to go all-in with a decent hand in the beginning because they have nothing to lose by doing so early in a tournament.

-Karl

basically its betting pattern,,other than that its hard to pick up anything online...so thats what i look for...

There are not many tells when playing online poker. As was mentioned a bunch of times above, the best ways is speed and betting. Players will have patterns when they bet, raise and call. It's difficult to notice at a full table, but in a small table these become alittle noticeable. Also, keeping notes are a good idea. On Hollywood you can actually click on the player and add a note about their playing style, pretty useful!

But don't forget, some players can change style at any time and the "tell" may be a dud :trytofly:!!!

I dont even try to figure how everyone else plays. just play the cards i`m dealt and try not make stupid mistakes. usually know right away whether to bet check raise or fold. just a feeling most of the time.

The most reliable way to determine what a player has, online or offline, is picking up on betting patterns and hand selection. Also keep an eye on position and what plays they use against certain players. Keep it all in mind while figuring out ways to exploit them.

I do not, on the other hand, agree that some players can not be read by how long it takes them to act. Most players are not going to go to the bathroom or dashing to pick up the phone during the middle of a hand anyway. Especially if there is a considerable amount of money on the line.

That being said, there are certain players who make defensive checks or even a quick check to enduce a bet. Others will do a delayed reraise in an attempt to appear weak for a call. I'm not saying act on these the first time you see a player use them - but simply keep an eye on these things and a pattern in the hands that were shown down.

That all being said, I'd like to recommend that you act at consistant intervals. Which, basically means, avoid using the auto-action buttons. Phil Hellmuth's book also recommends that you empose a "10 second rule" or something along those lines - which I don't follow.

All in all, just as in live poker, there are no hard and fast rules that can be applied to all players as far as tells go. Your ability to read plays needs to stem from observation and identifying patterns.

-money

Keep notes keep notes Keep notes!! And listen to that little voice that starts screaming NNNoooooooo!!! he knows what he's talking about:thefinger

the only online tell i picked up is the amount of time it takes for a person to check or make a bet which can sometimes tell you if they have a big hand or nothing at all.

In smaller tourneys it is easy to keep a track on how each player bets and plays. In larger tourneys such as multi tables then it is a bit harder.
I agree with respira. When i do not listen to that instict / feeling in my gut then i always regret it when my card comes out.
Other day two people went all in and i folded with 4 and 6 of spades. the flop gave 3 spades.

One internet tell I didn't notice anyone mention is what people say through chat. Sometimes when people say "I have to go, so I'm going all-in", it's just a bluff cause they want you to call. I was in a room once where this guy announced that he was drunk because he wanted people to think he didn't know what he was doing.

I'm going to start taking notes, i think thats good advice.

If I have the nuts and I want a call, I will usually take extra long to make my bet to make it look like I was unsure. From my experience this seems to work sometimes.

I think there are a few sure tells.
1. If a player is loose and throwing chips all over the place, and then he checks to you
(beware)
2. Same guy throws in the minimum bet, he is probably trying to steal.

I love hearing from people that there are no tells on internet poker. LOL

You are all correct though in that betting patterns are very key to putting someone on their hand. That's what poker really comes down to. If you know what your opponent holds then you will win.

There are internet tells however, and not just from the instant response buttons. Timing is everything. Typically you can get a feel on what someone is pondering. Just try to think like them and see if the amount of time they took and the action they made is in line with a certain hand you think they have. I know this is very difficult to explain, but with experience you will start to pick up tells on people. Say there is a player who likes to slowplay monsters. There will be a slight difference in the timing of his check when he holds a monster and when he holds rags. Pick up on this and you own him. As for maybe he was going to the bathroom, well, that's easy to pick up on as well. He took a long ass time to decide to call preflop. No preflop decision is that hard. Also remember that as the hand develops you need to continually update your theory on what your opponents hold.

Sorry if this is jumbled. I'm just throwing out thoughts. Don't believe there are no online tells. In fact, I use them to my advantage from time to time. I will give off false tells like I'm weak when I hold a monster. Like say I hold AA and the flop comes AKK. I sit there and literally think to myself, damn the lucky SOB got the K didn't he and then I check. They pick up on this and bet into me.