Online poker and live poker, despite the appearances that they are “the same game,” are further apart than you would think. Other than the apparent – no chips, no cards, virtual money, etc. – there are differences in play that many don’t think about. Here are three things that you ought to eliminate from your online game, otherwise your “tells” will either cost you money on the virtual felt or not enable you to earn as much as you could.
BET SIZING
This is one of the key indicators that experienced online players will look for as to a “tell” in their opponents. If they see the player consistently making the same bet size (save for appropriate adjustments for number of players in the pot), then they know that the player is paying attention and has some experience playing poker themselves. With this knowledge, experienced poker players will stay away from a clash with these types of players instead of taking them on.
Here’s an example of this phenomenon. Say a player is making min-raises – two times the big blind, just to pick a style – and suddenly wakes up and (as the first actor) makes a four or five times bet. This is indicative that a player has picked up a big hand, usually pocket Kings or Aces, and is looking to make people pay for the right to play against them. It is a tell that will come up many times in both live games and online ones and the “big hand” theory normally holds up in both cases. Because of this sudden change, an observant player will tread carefully because they can safely assume they are looking at a big hand, a pocket pair at the minimum.
If you consistently make the same bet size – whether you have pocket Aces or J-9 off suit – then your opponents will not get any info regarding your holdings.
ODD BET SIZE
One of the unique things about online poker is that you can literally make your bet any size. Instead of the physical limitations of 25, 50, 100 or 500 (whether it is tournament chips or a cash game), you can make a bet of 157 by simply typing the number in the window. This isn’t suggested, however, as it can also be a tell for your opponents to notice.
On the betting screen at most online rooms are different buttons for making a bet. Normally these buttons are for a quarter-, half- or three-quarter pot bet (this is also usually where the “all in” button is), helping a player to put out a bet that is a percentage of the pot. When the pot is an easy number – let’s say 1600 – then you can’t get much of a read if a player puts out an 800-chip bet. If the pot is 1438, however, and a player comes up with a bet of 719, you can be pretty sure that they’ve hit the “half-pot” bet button.
The reason this is a tell is that you’re not giving much thought to what your betting except that “the book” says you should bet half the pot. Being able to make an appropriate bet to either make your opponent pay for seeing a card or maximizing your return requires that you put some thought into the action. If you are just hitting auto-bet buttons, then you’re giving info to your opponents as to your lack of experience.
USING THE ACTION BUTTONS
This is arguably the biggest sin that players make when they are online. Thinking that it speeds up the table action (and it can increase the number of hands played – if everyone is doing it), players will sometimes hit the action buttons – the call, fold or raise buttons – instead of taking the time to consider their actions. This is a huge tell for several reasons.
When it comes time for a player’s action, if they immediately happen it is more than likely that they have hit one of those auto buttons for action. Say you see that player immediately fold for five or six hands but then, on the seventh, there’s a pause before they do anything. This is usually an immediate tell that the player has a hand and is going to be active on the hand. Players seeing this can now take this additional information into making their decisions on whether they will take part or potentially even raise.
It also indicates that a player isn’t paying much attention to the game at hand. If the auto-action buttons are always in use – which is something that multi-table players will do when they have several tables running simultaneously and are taking an ABC approach to play – then a player isn’t looking at what his opponents are doing and usually just looking at his holdings as to whether he is going to play rather than more complex strategies. These are things that can be taken advantage of by a player paying attention to the table, even though it is virtual.
SUMMARY
An observant player can pick up on tells, be it live or online. While you might not be able to see the person you’re playing online, their betting actions, bet sizing and their usage of the action buttons can give you a great deal of information. All it takes is doing the same thing that you would do if you were sitting at a real table – pay attention to what’s going on around you.
