You don’t need to ‘see’ a player to be able to read them. Sit-and-go star Jennifear says most online players are a mass of tells
When playing poker live, ‘tells’ such as shaking hands, a dry gulp, the tone of a player’s voice, or even what they’re wearing, can all be used to decipher the strength of an opponent’s hand, or their overall skill level and experience. When it comes to online poker, though, the general perception is that due to the lack of physical tells, the only reads you can get are to do with betting patterns and the previous behaviour of your opponents, and that those tells are somewhat unreliable at best.
I don’t subscribe to that line of thinking at all. Having played hundreds of thousands of hands on the internet I’m convinced online tells exist, and that if you’re paying attention, you can cash in…
TIMING TELLS
1 THE SPEED OF YOUR OPPONENT’S CALL
Your opponent calls your bet for one of a number of reasons: either he’s trapping, drawing, unsure if he’s ahead, or floating. When called, you need to figure out which it is, and the speed of your opponent’s flop call will often be the biggest clue. Trappers tend to convey weakness by pausing before they call. A floater will often have to take a second to think through his play. And those on a draw, or who are unsure, will often show strength by calling quickly, as if to convey to you ‘that I was calling no matter what’.
2 THE QUICK RE-R AISE PRE-FLOP
When Player A raises and Player B re-raises very quickly, it means, with a great degree of reliability, that Player B has an extremely strong hand. The very quick re-raise usually means Q-Q, K-K, A-A or A-K. In the event that Player B had J-J, A-Q or worse, the initial raise would cause him to pause, if only for a fraction of a second, before proceeding to re-raise. If you are Player C, get out of the hand without Kings or better.
3 USE OF THE PRE-ACTION CHECK /FOLD BUTTON
Your lazy opponent who uses this button is weak. You’ll see the instant check from the big blind pre-flop and then on the flop, and it’s time to bet, no matter what you’re holding. In the rare event that someone uses the pre-action check button, but then raises your bet, fold all but the strongest of hands – your opponent usually has a monster.
4 LONG PAUSE BEFORE CHECKING
Your opponent is trying to show strength by telling you he had a tough decision between betting and checking. Don’t buy it! Most of the time he has nothing and is trying to get a free card.
5 LONG PAUSE… THEN A BET
This is the opposite of the last tell. This time your opponent is trying to show weakness by making it look like he had a tough decision between betting and checking. He’s got the goods, and you need to have a very good reason to continue in the hand.
6 THE VERY QUICK CHECK
This is less reliable than the long pause, but a fast check also usually indicates weakness, as most check- raise attempts take at least a fraction of a second to plan. Bet at will, but be prepared to fold to a check-raise and be cautious on the next street if your opponent takes a long time, then calls.
7 THE VERY QUICK BET
A very quick bet on the flop by the pre-flop raiser is often an automatic continuation bet. You can defend against this with a check-raise bluff or a floating play. Other times, though, it indicates some degree of strength, because if your opponent is bluffing he will spend at least half a second thinking it through. Expect your opponent to have a strong hand, but probably not a monster, because those with monsters often pause for effect to show weakness.
BET-SIZE TELLS
1 THE BET ENDING IN 999
When your opponent bets 24,999, a big fat mountain of chips appears on the table. Often, though, your opponent is doing this to make the bet ‘look’ bigger – he has no desire to be called or raised. Make sure you disappoint him.
2 THE POST-FLOP OVERSHOVE
This is often a semi-bluff with a draw. Top pair is usually good right now, but be prepared to race if you call.
3 THE L ARGE R AISE OR RE-R AISE
Players who raise large are often strong, but vulnerable. Pre-flop, if the blinds are 10/20 and an inexperienced opponent raises to 300 in an unopened pot, you can put him on a strong hand that’s not a monster, such as 7-7 to Q-Q, or A-J. Most players who raise this much will not fold when pressed because they feel invested in the hand. So go ahead and shove with 10-10 or better, because you’re strong against their probable range. Someone who overbets the pot post-flop, but doesn’t shove all-in, often has top pair and is pricing out a draw on a wet board.
4 THE MINIMUM R AISE
Players who make small raises pre-flop are doing so for one of two reasons. Either they’re trapping with a monster like A-A, or have a hand that they think they should raise with, but don’t want to commit a lot of chips with post-flop, such as A-9, 5-5, or K-J. Don’t be afraid to call this bet with a flexible hand from the big blind if the stacks are deep. Usually a min-raiser is an inexperienced player who will pay you off with a medium strength hand.
5 THE MINIMUM RE-R AISE
When you raise pre-flop and your opponent min-raises back, it’s often a trap to keep you in the hand, although sometimes they’re trying to get away as cheap as possible if you raise again. The read is the same though – it’s either a huge hand like A-A/K-K or a hand like 8-8 and A-Q that they want to get away from if you press them; it’s worth remembering that these opponents will usually raise a lot bigger with J-J and A-K.
6 UNEVEN BET AMOUNTS
Most of the time someone with a very strong hand will not do anything to attract attention to it, so if they bet a weird amount it’s not usually a monster – unless your opponent always bets unusual amounts like 5372. “Someone with a ver y strong hand will not do anything to at tract attention to it ”
AVATAR AND SCREEN NAME TELLS
1 AVATAR OF A TRAINING SITE, POKER FORUM, OR AN ONLINE OR LESSER-KNOWN POKER PRO
If someone has this kind of avatar you’ll often be up against someone with a decent level of experience. Expect them to select good starting hands and make good decisions, until they show you otherwise.
2 YEAR IN SCREEN NAME
It’s likely that Aces75 was born in 1975. Older players are generally tighter and less aggressive, and certainly less likely to overvalue a marginal hand. Young players are often throwing chips in your face at every opportunity. Mary2005 likely created her name in 2005 and probably has three years’ experience, but may not be a woman called Mary!
3 AVATAR OF A CHILD, WIFE, GIRLFRIEND OR FAMILY PET
Your opponent is more likely to be playing recreationally, and is less likely to be a shark. In addition, the age of the child or girlfriend/wife in the photo gives an indication to the player’s age.
4 AVATAR OF A PREDATOR
Your opponent sees themself as the shark or grizzly bear that they have as their avatar. They are predatory in nature. Don’t expect to get too many free cards.
5 AVATAR OF AN OPPONENT WEARING SUNGLASSES OR STARING YOU DOWN
Your opponent is concerned with his image and will go to great lengths to avoid looking stupid.
6 TRICKERY USED IN A NAME OR AVATAR
If your opponent’s name is ‘Disconnected’, or uses a picture designed to get you to think his seat is empty, he is tricky, and will not generally play straightforward. If your opponent is called BigFatBluffer, they want you to think that they bluff a lot, but generally they will be tight.
TABLE CHAT TELLS
1 FRIENDLY CHAT
Most experienced players don’t engage in much conversation. So you should expect any opponents that constantly chat to not be very savvy.
2 REACTION TO FREQUENT RAISING
A player who doesn’t know how to deal with your constant pressure might say something like, ‘What is this – bingo poker?’ or ‘Just wait until I get a hand, you creep!’ The truth is, your opponent doesn’t know how to deal with you. Keep doing what you are doing – keep running them over.
3 IDLE CHATTER BY SOMEONE IN THE BIG BLIND
This is a sign that the big blind doesn’t have a big hand. Someone with A-A will not be idly chatting, but will pay attention to the action. In contrast, the chatterbox who suddenly goes very quiet has a real hand.
4 A PL AYER BEMOANING THEIR BAD LUCK
Someone who is crying about variance or luck is likely on tilt, or close to it. This is a player who blames everything but themself for their losses and feels snakebit. They fail to understand or accept that variance is part of the game, and are concentrating on their results, rather than their decisions. Prey on their fears by betting a scare card when it comes; more often than not you’ll frighten them off as they’ll think they’ve just been ‘screwed again’.
5 A PLAYER COMMENTING ON YOUR HAND SELECTION
If an opponent says, ‘How can you play those rags, donkey?’ it usually means that he feels he plays ‘the right way’, which is straightforward, tight and passive in his eyes. Look to bet when he checks and exploit his weaknesses, but be aware that when he enters the pot he has a good starting hand.
6 A PLAYER GIVING UNSOLICITED ADVICE
Your opponent is the ‘professor’ type, and will tell you his entire strategy if you ask him. Tell him how great he is at poker, and ask him for advice after every hand that you play. He’ll gladly tell you what he would have done.
CASH GAME TELLS
1 FAILURE TO AUTO-POST IN A GAME WITH ANTE
Your Seven-Card Stud opponent who is not auto-posting is generally new to the game. Stick around, as the game is about to get juicy.
2 BUYING IN WITH WEIRD AMOUNTS
An opponent who sits down with $40.75 is probably putting his whole bankroll on the line. Don’t leave until it’s gone. He’s playing with scared money.
3 FAILURE TO WAIT FOR THE BIG BLIND
This means your opponent is impatient. Expect him to get involved quickly. He is an action player.
4 REVERSE TELLS
Experienced players will often fake some tells, especially in cash games, so be wary and keep good notes. Each tell is not 100 percent reliable, but it can often be just reliable enough to sway your decision in a hand, helping you to save a few bets or extract more.
Jennifear is an expert sit-and-go player with an average ROI of more than 30% over 15,000 single-table tournaments. She has trained many players to become winning SNG players. If you fancy taking a sit-and go lesson with Jennifear go to her website at http://jennypoker.spaces.live.com for further information.
