Online Poker Tells

It’s a common myth that you can’t make good reads and/or spot a “tell” from an online poker player. For those that don’t know, a tell is an involuntary action from a poker player that indicates the relative strength or weakness of his or her hand. A common tell in a poker game would be a player that nervously taps his fingers on the table when he’s bluffing or a player that stares right back at your intensely when he’s holding a very strong hand.

On the Internet, you can also spot tells by carefully studying patterns. Since you can’t see the player, you should watch to see how long they typically take before making a bet/raise/check/fold. If you are able to recall this information, it may pay off when you’re able to use it effectively.

An example an Online Poker Tell would be a player that clicks the auto raise button when they have a strong hand. This is the WORST thing you can do as a player but people still use that option. If you’ve spotted a player that does this and then pauses before making a raise, you must piece together his actions before this. Did he limp in pre-flop? Was he a blind? What is the texture of the flop? Calculate that in your head and react accordingly based on the hand that you’re holding.

By watching how players react and play in certain situations and studying these patterns, you may be able to pick off a bluff or perhaps make a bluff of your own!