The Online Time-Bank Tell: Is a long tank online a sign of strength or weakness?

Nameless14

Nameless14

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In live poker, physical tells are everywhere. Online, timing tells are king. When an opponent uses up their entire time-bank before shoving the river, do you view it as a genuine tough decision, or an intentional psychological act designed to make a monster hand look like a bluff?
 
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Nameless14 said:
In live poker, physical tells are everywhere. Online, timing tells are king. When an opponent uses up their entire time-bank before shoving the river, do you view it as a genuine tough decision, or an intentional psychological act designed to make a monster hand look like a bluff?
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99% of the time it's EXTREMELY STRONG.
I see this soooo often it's ridiculous
 
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Nameless14 said:
In live poker, physical tells are everywhere. Online, timing tells are king. When an opponent uses up their entire time-bank before shoving the river, do you view it as a genuine tough decision, or an intentional psychological act designed to make a monster hand look like a bluff?
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I guess that it might be an attempt at bluffing. However with people playing multiple games, internet connectivity problems, people distracted by something else, etc... I wouldn't base a decision on it one way or the other.
 
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Poker Orifice said:
99% of the time it's EXTREMELY STRONG.
I see this soooo often it's ridiculous
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I have heard the same about live games. If someone does the full Hollywood and hims and hums, then decide to come back over the top on the river, its usually a very strong hand. This classic hand comes to mind.

 
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I think timing tells in 2026 are pretty overrated(everyone knows and heard about them by now) as they've been around and talked about for 20+ years now. Back then being slow/taking your time was seen as a sign of weakness because if you had a monster or the winning hand you already knew and had that figured out so didn't need time to think about it. While playing and taking action quickly was seen as a sign of strength because you knew you were good and wanted to get the money in quickly. Now it's somewhat the opposite and a lot of players are doing the opposite of that. So I don't pay much attention to timing tells anymore cause really all we're doing is just guessing now.

Cheers!!!
 
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hardongear said:
I think timing tells in 2026 are pretty overrated(everyone knows and heard about them by now) as they've been around and talked about for 20+ years now. Back then being slow/taking your time was seen as a sign of weakness because if you had a monster or the winning hand you already knew and had that figured out so didn't need time to think about it. While playing and taking action quickly was seen as a sign of strength because you knew you were good and wanted to get the money in quickly. Now it's somewhat the opposite and a lot of players are doing the opposite of that. So I don't pay much attention to timing tells anymore cause really all we're doing is just guessing now.

Cheers!!!
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Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. With so many people being aware of timing tells now, it's probably not wise to use them too often anymore. I agree, that without knowledge of ones natural timing, we are simply just guessing. 😂 Appreciate the insight, cheers! ♠️
 
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hardongear said:
I think timing tells in 2026 are pretty overrated(everyone knows and heard about them by now) as they've been around and talked about for 20+ years now. Back then being slow/taking your time was seen as a sign of weakness because if you had a monster or the winning hand you already knew and had that figured out so didn't need time to think about it. While playing and taking action quickly was seen as a sign of strength because you knew you were good and wanted to get the money in quickly. Now it's somewhat the opposite and a lot of players are doing the opposite of that. So I don't pay much attention to timing tells anymore cause really all we're doing is just guessing now.
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I dont pay that much attention either. River raises are generally an underbluffed line in big pots in micro and low stakes games. So I was probably going to fold my bluff catcher anyway, and if the opponent ran down the clock, that just gave me more time to think this through in advance. And maybe the tank then raise is yet another reason to fold, but it will never be main one.
 
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