Online poker tells and reads

They say you should play the player and not the cards. Although I'm making a profit I feel I still rely heavily on getting premium cards or a good flop.

I find it hard to get a good read on the players at the table and basically I'm looking for help in what to look out for, what does everyone make notes on etc.

Cheers.

The best "read". even in live play is betting patterns. You should pay attention to how they bet, what they show down when they do bet. Do they bet big or small with big hands, do they bluff alot, etc. etc. etc. Take good notes. It takes times but is worth it in the long run.

Some people talk about tells on how long they take to act, however this can mean alot of dif things to a difficult decision or just acting, or they got a phone call. If someone takes longer than normal to act, note what happened afterwards, did the player have a big hand? a bluff? what?

Hope this helped some.

Main thing, pay attention to betting patterns.

I personally find that the size of a bet usually indicates the strength of their hand(betting patterns).

betting patterns are one thing, but 2 second pauses are a dead giveaway that someone (usu) has a good hand on the flop-- you can reverse this read to win some good bluffs

I don't put much stock into the time it takes someone to bet or call online. You don't know it they are getting a drink, going to the bathroom, etc. I know I don't always hit the sitout button when I go to do these things.

I think betting patterns are the way to go. I have often seen players slowplay the nuts everytime they have it, and that same player reraise all in with massive overbets on a moderate pot with a weak board and have. Usually a sign of someone trying to steal with the 2nd best hand. Although every once in a while you will find someone who is conscious of their table image and pick up on this but more often then not people don't realize it. Things like that are what I try and pick up on.

I agree with pokernut as well, a lot of times if a hand is taking forever I'll go let the dog out and by the time I get back I'm already sitting out or the action will be on me.
A lot of online players don't think about how other people see them so they play the same way over and over.

Well, if I'm multi-tabling, I'll take a slightly longer time to react. I think the delay in reacting sometimes might not indicate that the opponent is nursing a big hand. I prefer noting a person's betting patterns. It works for me. Usually I'll just note down stuff like the size of the bet. It's hard to read a person min betting and min raising all the time though.

I have a good ability to read opponents in 5 crd draw and thus make what look like glory calls a lot, I am right about my desicion about 80% of the time and there are a number of factors tht would trnsfer to other games as well

Always watch the other players at your table and pick up any patterns in their play How they bluff How they play strong hnds how they play medium hands

Never give them any more information about your play than you absolutley have to and if you do show your cards know exactly why your showing and what that will tell them about you to aid later desicion making

When you notice patterns trust your instinct you will be wrong sometimes but if you are paying proper attention you will be right lot more

Doyle Brunson says in his on line poker book "don`t play too fancy" I agree with that - so, to an extent you will play the cards more than the player on line.

The kind of notes I make are "will always raise if last to act when flop is checked" - "Will chase a draw to the river" - "only bets with a hand" - "If I miss the flop and this guy bets, throw it away. He could be bluffing but he will bet anyway" and lots more. I always date my notes as some ppl will change their style over time IMO.

Doe sthat help?

I always date my notes as some ppl will change their style over time IMO.

Doe sthat help?[/quote]


This is best advice never rely solely on notes as players play different ways different days
dunno how to do it but + rep

Excellent advice. Thanks. I just need to concentrate on my concentration now!

I never thought about dating my notes. That is a very smart idea. Thanks for sharing.

I agree with everyone on the size of the bet. Although i have played with players online who sometimes on the flop bet 6,000 chips into a 500 chip pot. Makes you think are they bluffing or trying to make it look that way to get a call. Hard to tell when its online but yes paying attention to the betting patterns is definetely a good idea

Yeah, I get that kind of thing sometimes too. I'd rather fold than call with TPTK. For all you know, they're holding a set. It's not worth it to risk everything on a TPTK. Love to play opponents who go all-in as a bluff though. Next time I'm nursing a powerhouse, I'll induce a bluff from them and take their stack. WoooHoooo!!!

Well...In online poker the only real obvious tell that you can pick up is their betting patterns, that's about it really

also, if a player bets right away when there is a big flop, this might be a tell that the player is trying to represent a strong hand.

i think its almost impossible to "read" someone on line. i have found that after a big lose thay have a habit of a all-in bet the next hand

phishing is wht i call my technique on online poker ... there are suuckers out there just waiting to give away money ..... alll u gotta do is dominate from the very bigenning of the game or as soon as u enter on a money table .... getting goood cards is just a bonus ... no body wants to risk a low pair all in .... so go ahead give it a try

I agree, just look at the way somebody bets. I have found that if they have a sufficient preflop raise and go all in post flop when they have more chips then you, they are usually bluffing. Sometimes people can use this to trick you but they have usually just missed their ace queen. Good luck and these other tips seem to be pretty helpful.

The only thing I can add to everybody else good advice is that if your playing on line play slow and tight at the begining 60% of the new players in tournaments play almost every hand. ( This is also an easy way to tell you what size of a bet to make when you do have a hand ) Don't sit out put play smart. Mainly have FUN don't make it stressful because then you'll start playing loose which is always dangerous.

I dont think theres any way to catch tells online. Auto check means nothing if the guy has the nuts but presses check super fast and stalling means nothing either. Some bluffers press raise super fast after someone bets to make people think they have the nuts also. Lots of nonsense things people try online, most are just their habits.

Look out for unusual talking or, if possible with the software, facial expressions. A lot of excess talking may indicate a bluff, as the person is nervous and jittery. Good luck

I like to vary the time between betting. I like to set people up too. One hand I'll take forever with a crappy hand. The next time I'll take forever with the nuts. People MOST of the time fall for the waiting forever trick.