Slow rolling in online poker?

So an etiquette question that I've been curious about. Recently, I've encountered some players online who have strong preflop hands but then take a while to call a short stack all in (still preflop). Most of these instances, the player who seems to be slow rolling has raised and then the short stack moves in and then the initial raiser who is well-covered/deep stacked takes some time before calling. Would that be a slow roll? Of course with online poker, you get bad connections and various distractions (e.g., phone call, package delivery, etc) from time to time. And slow rolling is partially a result of the perception of the player's actions; some people may not notice that they are slow rolling, but what do you all think? What constitutes slow-rolling and not slow-rolling. The stuff I've seen so far is not blatant (e.g., calling time and then calling) but it seems like this is happening more and more often these days.

I don't think you can slowroll in online poker, as it will automatically fold you...

Yah you see it happen occassionally. There's alot of idiots out there.
Sometimes while in late stage SNG play, blinds high, push/fold game and I'm on the shortstack and shove into the C.L. on BB and he hits timer or even lets his timer rundown, I start wondering if the guy's got AA and is just bein' a dick because I've seen it happen quite a bit.
I was playing a private tourney the other day, bigstack on the BB in late levels, myself on shortstack I shove my 9bb's ALLIN with 9-9 in MP. BB pauses.. lets timer rundown... hits extra time... .then calls & shows 'A-A'. What a dick. Then the poker Gods (or karma?) deals me a 9 on the flop & I double up through him, hee hee hee. It was great!
I think with the impersonal nature of online poker & the large number of spiritually unfit people attracted to the game, you do see the slowroll occassionally. One more great reason to play in the Cardschat games!

You can never be sure about a hand until the other guy is completely drawing dead. I take time to think about what if he catches runner runner and half stacks me?

I agree with you though I hate people who wait half there time to call with aces or the nut flush ect.
But it is also part of the game...

I done that today... Was dealt Aces against a guy who kept bashing me so, idk seemed like a bit of revenge on my part. Thankfully they held lol

Depends on the villian. I've slow rolled a guy because he was an absolute ASS to everyone and I only assumed it woudl tilt him off completely--which it did.

Long story short, I assumed he had a boat or quads and I have a straight flush. He bet enough to put me all in and I typed in chat, "Hmmm, what to do, what to DOOOoooo....Sure, I'll call." He did have the nut boat but I of course doubled up off him. He went friggin balistic calling me every name in the book for slow rolling it. Meh...everyone made money off him after that because he tilted off everything after that.

Let me make sure that I'm not suggesting that people slow roll. My inquiry was would an example such as the one described in my original post be considered to be one (e.g., a preflop slowroll?). There was a discussion of this a while back regarding a hand between Mercier & Annette 15, but this was more about after the players saw the turn and river.

What you described in your op could account for anything...slow connection speed, someone playing 4 boards, etc. Or he could have been trying to induce a call from someone. IMO, timer 'tells' are only going to be so so accurate, and ONLY if you have a particular player being very consistant everytime they act.

Well its important to say who all is left. If its just the Shortie and this player, then yea that's slowrolling. But I will sometimes take time to call a shorties all-in with a strong hand if there are people behind me to act. Me taking a while can present weakness and may give someone behind me the bright idea to re-raise; and that's not slowrolling.

Actual slowrolling though is dirty and pretty much uncalled for

I think the only time its not impolite is when there is another player between.

Taking a little extra time might make the hand look marginal, and trap another player.

If you are heads up, its the closest you will get to a slow-roll at most online poker rooms.

I had a guy slowroll AA on me yesterday. I told him that the pokergods were watching, and the bad karma from his slowroll caused me to spike the QQ I needed on the flop to pass him with AQ. I hope he learned his lesson.

I would guess that most of the time it's people multi tabling or otherwise occupied.
Definitely bad form though.

^This for sure. I've accidentally done this when I'm playing 5 or 6 tables and felt like a jerk afterwards. Of course I get super pissed when it happens to me and never factor in that it could be the same scenario on the other end.

If you're talking about cash and slowrolling a shortstack then it's perfectly fine because shortstackers aren't actually people. But if it's against a full-stacker or just in a tourney where you have no control over your stack size other than winning/losing chips then yeah slowrolling is one of the worst things you can do.

i think you mean in tournaments right?

because i definately see this happening alot more in tournies.

they jus flat call and wait for some short stack to try n

steal the blinds with an all in shove and than they instacall.

^ genuine LOLZ

In general I think it's just a dumb thing to do, especially online where you run the risk of timing out and being folded if you suddenly have a connection glitch or something.

In a home game where it's the norm... sure, whatever. Or if there are other players to act and you're trying do influence what they do as well, whatever. But against strangers with no other action pending, it's pretty douchey.

I LOL'd.

But yeah, taking a long time to call when you have the obvious hand is slow rolling. However, people are distracted by phones and televisions and other tables and stuff, so waiting ten seconds for a call doesn't necessarily mean it's malicious.

When it comes to slow calls, I tend to give them a break since 80% of online player multi-table and may get distracted by another table for a sec.

If you intentionally slow roll someone you're a dick.

It doesn't matter if they always slow roll you, that just means they're a dick as well.

It's absolutely the shittiest thing you can do without cheating at the poker table.

There is so much bad etiquette/manners on-line to begin with, slow rolling is minor in comparison.

I would have to wholeheartedly agree with this ^^^^^ .

It's the mentality behind it that irritates me. Makes me wonder what I'm sharing air with here on this planet.
Also, I don't think this post is about whether or not a situation is defined as a 'slowroll' (many tables on the go.. bad internet connection... someone knocked on the door.. telephone rang.. etc... pleazzzz keep it simple) but more so what others think of those who intentionally slowroll (a slowroll doesn't need to be defined here now does it?).

I'm not sure what motivates folks to do this, although I've gained a bit of insight from some posts above. I suppose it's a sick perverted feeling of power or something. Probably great for those who were beat up for their lunch money on the school playgrounds growing up (btw.. if I happened to take your lunch money... well now's your chance to come and get it back on the tables).

I can understand being pissed about being slow rolled, but seriously,
?? is a little over the top.

Tell me what is the difference on showing a bluff? Or giving false tells? Some people will use this as a tool to tilt someone off. I do not agree with slow rolling but others will go for any edge possible to take your money. If you don't think someone will pull crap like that on purpose to see if they can get under your skin, stop fooling yourself.

Poker is war. You use any tool (short of cheating) to take their money. Bad etiquette? WHO CARES! If you think about it, rubbing a bluff in someones face is poor etiquette as well. Or berating a fish for a bad play (much much MUCH worse in my opinion because you have now been cost money by tapping the glass). Don't be fooled. If someone thinks they can get an edge by a 'legal move', you better bet they will do it.

Don't allow dicks at the table ruin your focus and change your game. That's their only reason for doing it. Let it go. It's part of maturity at the table.

I have to agree with Vollycat, slow rolling is part of the game. But when its you calling an allin with only 1 other person in the hand and you have the nuts then its just being annoying. Otherwise, I don't understand how so many people think this is such a horrible thing. I just slow rolled my straight and ended up doubling up.

Thanks for the input all. And yes, I was referring to tournaments.

That's true, I didn't think about people multi-tabling. Good way for me to restructure my thinking and prevent myself from going on tilt. I'd rather give opponents the benefit of the doubt and make myself believe something else so I can stay on top of my game.

If you are in a tournament, they my just be trying to extend play. Maybe they want to get to the next limit before a particular short stack has to post the BB to help them go out faster. Maybe they are busy watching action on another table. In a cash game, they are probably multi-tabling or just distracted.

I always thought of slow rolling as taking time at the showdown before revealing your cards. Usually when you have the winner. Online poker pretty much takes this annoying tactic out of your arsenal since if you have the winner it automaticly displays and you only get the choice to show or muck if you lost the hand. But it is still annoying when these players let the clock run out to fold their hand and I ussually don't care whether they show the losing hand or not. I just want to get to the next hand.

its like being a spoiled sport when they let the clock run out to show their fold. i slowed the other day...cause the dog managed to get out of the house, my bad. i noticed the dog may be gone...realized the timer was almost out...folded....looked around the house, dammit, dog's gone, timer was almost out, folded again...then went outside to catch it. then i'm sure i went on autofold pretty quick.

sometimes i get the impression they're stalling, thinking in a freeroll that it might help them get in the money if they slow the table down...while watching the number of players drop...for those that stall seemingly every hand unless they're actually playing it and excited, then it's urgent quick

I agree 100%

You can utilize the time allowed online.
But in my opinion that's not slow rolling someone.


Just my thoughts.

I have seen this a few times and it has happened to me before live and online. Not sure if u can tell because some people take their time on line because they are doing other things while playing and also their connectionmight be slow not sure how to gage how bad it is. Iam sure people do it and because ur not live it gives them more jewls to do it. Try that shit down at commerce casino in LA and u might get in to a fight.

Most people at Commerce aren't watching TV, playing multiple tables, and checking their email while they are in a pot. Most online slow-rolls are unintentional.

I beg to differ in a HUGE way. Perhaps you don't play the same tables as I do? I see it happening many, many times.
Just two nights ago.. SNG on the bubble, 1 large stack, 2med., 1 smaller. I shove from SB vs BB,..... BB pauses, lets timer click down... hits 'extra time' (on Fulltilt)... then lets that time down. Just before it times out,... WHAM he hits 'call' and shows "AA". How in the H3LL can anyone consider stuff like this to be anything but 'slowrolling'? Funny thing about this time was I had pushed with T-T (blinds were high, game was push/fold mode), and another 'T' comes on the river. Bye Bye Mr. Slowrollin' jerkoff.... BOOM... You're out of there!
I've had the very same thing happen on another occassion recently in a private tourney of all things (not CC of course)... late in MTT,.. stack size warrants 'shove/fold',... I shove in MP with a pair.. BB does the same thing and then shows "AA",... I flop set.... thanks 'A-hole', lol.

I'm surprised to see how many on here say that there is no such thing as slow-rolling online or perhaps you've just been fortunate enough not to experience it.

Maybe you could do it really fast without anyone noticing.
I wouldn't try it I am too slow.

Do WHAT really fast?

Well You got the nuts and you let them bet into it and just call to get as many chips out of them. and make a value bet on the river. hopefully hes all in at this point...lol
Not slow/rolling bet bet bet resaise.....re reraise. get it?

Stay aggressive until you feel better about your game. Its a skill you learn with time.

Don't confuse slow-playing with slow-rolling...

Instant Karma. I love it.