In online poker, we don't have facial expressions, but bet sizes, timing, and repeated patterns end up telling stories too.
they're as obvious as a player shaking their hands at a live table. 😄
they're as obvious as a player shaking their hands at a live table. 😄
I find poker tells depend on how professional or not a poker player is. Recreational players have more tells than professional players. Two of the most common tells that I see are: 1. when they look at their cards then down at their chip stack- they have a good hand and think about betting and 2. when they look around the room or seem not interested- they have a very strong hand.
It's a bit tricky if it's for online poker- I mean we can usually use only some (limited) data we have on our opponent... the chat used to be one of the best way to get important and free info- but most of the sites I play on, eliminated it (usually the smaller markets), so nowadays the most reliable one, and I have to agree with many community members, is timing tells, especially when the opponent plays very fast (like for example quick calls preflop/flop - the opponent tries to see one more card cheaply, usually it mean a medium strength hand* not a hand the opponent plans/wants to riks too many more chips, so even if we have a bad hand- we can try to win the hand by bluffing); bet sizing tells are 2nd on my list and to complete a short Top 3, I'll go with some classic player tells- for example limping a lot preflop, a clear indication that we deal with a passive/weak player...nabmom said:
hi folks,
when im playing micro cash games there are many players try to dominate their villains with c-bets which are slightly too high and
this happens many times when players try to bluff with with weaker hands just to try out how often they can win without playing the cards.
sometimes i recognize the same style from different players who think they can play it hard with everyone @table - im waiting for spots and play it a bit slow and give myself a Calling-Station-Item (with holding a monster or very solid hand) till River is shown.
good Luck fellas
when im playing micro cash games there are many players try to dominate their villains with c-bets which are slightly too high and
this happens many times when players try to bluff with with weaker hands just to try out how often they can win without playing the cards.
sometimes i recognize the same style from different players who think they can play it hard with everyone @table - im waiting for spots and play it a bit slow and give myself a Calling-Station-Item (with holding a monster or very solid hand) till River is shown.
good Luck fellas
Last edited by a moderator:
I think it's less of a tell and more of a psychological play. In live games, I've seen hyper-aggressive players say things like, "I'd fold if I were you," or "You probably don't want to call this one." A lot of the time they're trying to reverse psychology their opponent into making the call.
It's not really a physical tell, but it can be very effective because people start wondering why someone would say that. Sometimes the strongest players understand that what they say at the table can influence decisions just as much as their betting patterns.
It's not really a physical tell, but it can be very effective because people start wondering why someone would say that. Sometimes the strongest players understand that what they say at the table can influence decisions just as much as their betting patterns.
Online is hard to pick up on a tell with some people,and the there are the ones that bet slow but the next hand snap bet on every street giving me the thoughts of a good hand and or a bad one. Then there are the ones who are just setting a trap so be careful because online poker is every different than live poker good luck and have fun.
I'm going to talk about online, for example: players who usually bluff in a certain position, this will certainly be repeated... And one thing I noticed too, if AK is losing frequently to any hand, don't get wrapped up in large pots with AK, or any hand that has given the same signals. It may seem crazy, but I always make these observations and they help me a lot. I even scored a tournament just by folding hands because I had information extracted through my eye observations.
A hand that I still remember from when I was a complete beginner happened in a low limit game. I received A ♦ 2 ♦ and decided to pay the pre-flop because, at that time, any Ace of the same suit seemed like a monstrous hand to me.
The flop came J ♠ J ♥ 2 ♣. My opponent made a continuation bet, and I paid because I had hit a pair of 2. Looking back, I wasn't thinking about ranges or hand strength — I was just glad I got something right.
On the turn came another 2, leaving J ♠ J ♥ 2 ♣ 2 ♦. Suddenly I had a full house! My opponent bet even higher this time, and I was thrilled. In my beginner's mind, a full house was practically unbeatable.
Without thinking too much, I went all-in. My opponent called instantly and showed a J, which gave him a bigger full house. It was at that moment that I learned a painful but valuable lesson: not all full house is the same!
Today that seems obvious, but back then I really thought I had the best possible hand. 😂
The flop came J ♠ J ♥ 2 ♣. My opponent made a continuation bet, and I paid because I had hit a pair of 2. Looking back, I wasn't thinking about ranges or hand strength — I was just glad I got something right.
On the turn came another 2, leaving J ♠ J ♥ 2 ♣ 2 ♦. Suddenly I had a full house! My opponent bet even higher this time, and I was thrilled. In my beginner's mind, a full house was practically unbeatable.
Without thinking too much, I went all-in. My opponent called instantly and showed a J, which gave him a bigger full house. It was at that moment that I learned a painful but valuable lesson: not all full house is the same!
Today that seems obvious, but back then I really thought I had the best possible hand. 😂
yup, Ive seen the same.. also like when a flush draw comes up, it's like people take a few seconds longer to act, almost like they have it/dont have it. I must admit, i also play somewhat similar at times. if I really just dont want to commit to my handd. but then maybe you were the big blind and didnt put anything in and say you check/fold.. and then a 2 pops op, giving you a bottom paid. its painful cause u think the oponent is trying to take the pot for knowing you check/folded. anyway, for hands I dont want/care for. Im just trying to get out of the game.Alex Houngan said:
A classic tell for me is when someone flops the absolute nuts and suddenly becomes very chatty. They start saying things like “This is a tough spot” or “I don’t even know where I’m at in this hand.” That’s often an attempt to look weak and induce action. The stronger they act confused,the more likely they are to have it.
The most obvious poker tell online is when by someones avatar is written "sitting out". Then I'm sure that he isn't there. 🙂
Jokes aside, I don't think there are many (if any) good and certain online poker tells. There is also another possibility, that I don't know to recognize them.
Jokes aside, I don't think there are many (if any) good and certain online poker tells. There is also another possibility, that I don't know to recognize them.
The funny thing is that a tell is only valuable once you've seen the pattern repeat. A lot of behaviors can mean different things for different players. I've found betting patterns and timing tells tend to be more reliable than one-off physical tells, especially online.
The strangest tell I ever noticed was a player who became unusually quiet whenever he had a monster hand. Most of the time he was chatting nonstop, so the sudden silence was a giveaway.
The strangest tell I ever noticed was a player who became unusually quiet whenever he had a monster hand. Most of the time he was chatting nonstop, so the sudden silence was a giveaway.
Once I was playing with friends, and there was a good TAG player on my wright. Very aggressive.
I made a set on the river, but the last card completed a very wet board. Of course, he shoved.
I was losing for some possible hands, but when I looked at his face, he didn't make the poker face.
He did exactly he expression that my dog does when I arrive at home and it did something wrong.
I call it the dog face.
I called. He din't have anything.
I made a set on the river, but the last card completed a very wet board. Of course, he shoved.
I was losing for some possible hands, but when I looked at his face, he didn't make the poker face.
He did exactly he expression that my dog does when I arrive at home and it did something wrong.
I call it the dog face.
I called. He din't have anything.
when playing online timing tells and bet sizing are all important . loose players in early seats min raise weak to see a flop cheaply while bigger raises are strong scared hands that don't want action . tight players min raise early seat monsters(big pocket pairs AA+KK ) hoping to get 3 bet and then get all the chips in . good/strong poker players make the same raise all the time .
One day playing seven card stud at Foxwoods I was head to head and inadvertently gave a tell when I filled my flush. When I bet the other player immediately folded. Later the same player and I were head to head again. I didn't fill the flush this time, but I purposefully gave the tell then bet. He folded. The moral is to not be too fixated on tells because they can be used against you. 😉