In playing Texas Holdem its important to be a sponge on anything that is going on at the table. A poker tell is anything that one might do to inadvertently give information that can benefit the other players. Some people associate tells with just body actions of another player but these tells can be spotted online and in person.
Any useful information you can obtain about your opponents are crucial to your winning at Texas Holdem. One of the most easiest tells which has been around for sometime now and can be used just as effectively online is The stall. This is simply stalling before betting the river when they have a powerful hand like they are unsure on what to do. Many inexperienced players will do this consistently and this is one that can be picked up online. Some of the more advanced players try to do the reverse stall and will do this to pretend they have a big hand. This makes it a little more unpredictable its important to take into account what level your playing at and look for patters of this.
When playing online notice how quickly a person plays. If a person is playing crisply with a good connection and all of a sudden goes into a stall this means something. If a players is usually slow in his play and then he speeds it up then this means something too. Being aware that someone has altered their normal behavior should raise a red flag to you and is always helpful in trying to figure their betting style out.
With online play people are playing regularly online and some play a lot of games in a weeks time. It is just our general nature to fall into patters of playing the more we play. Their are many factors such as speed of bet, call or raise, sizing of bets in pot limit and no limit. Any deviations from their norm represents key moments to focus in on. Its a good idea with online play to make little notes to yourself if your serious about winning. If someone deviates and goes all in its important you notice this. You can capitalize on a key opportunity or stay out of a losing situation. You just don't want to be sitting their clueless about the fact they have changed their pattern.
When playing in person their are players that can go off and campaign about cards, glare at opponents and do various things to show they are on tilt. This is a huge poker term and shows the vulnerability of them. Online is a little different but it still exist and I see it done often. There is a little chat box and they will start bashing other players or complaining about different things. Feed the fire get them stirred up a little bit if possible. When you spot a ranter these are the players to focus in on. They should paint a sign on their forehead saying "I am on Tilt." Take advantage of this situation but don't play a weak hand giving them a good win that calms them down. Winning poker is all about defeating people who act stupidly.
Chat revoked~ some sites come out and have an option where a player has chat revoked. When you see this you are almost every time dealing with an immature player. These are more likely to go on tilt easier than anyone else at the table. You can help things out when they lose a hand telling the winner good hand. When they have that option clicked you will notice that these people in an ugly way would like to rant. When you see them lose a pot in an ugly way they are 95% on tilt. Put them away!
The Gloat is a person who has to draw attention to himself after winning a pot. This is not universally true but most of the time are normally significant, longterm, weak-tight losers. A person who regularly wins does not need to draw attention to himself. Gloaters are easier to bluff after they begin to gloat, because now they have bragged about their play they don't want to seem like a loser. They will fold after the flop or on the turn because they can pretend they got suckered in. Look for them to go on Mega-tilt if they start to lose after bragging. Usually you will see them tighten up and savor the moment.
A whiner is a serious long term loser. These people who whine on the chat box to a bunch of players who could care less are not likely to go on tilt when losing. Its like they expect to lose and when they win its due to their hand not the knowledge they have of the game.
The rocket scientist is someone who will try to give you rules and lessons of the game. You will spot this on occasion but its funny they give a lecture and then are blatantly wrong. When you notice this they are a short term target. They almost never last very long and are often first timers along with long time losers.
Look for the auto buttons as well~ these are some small tells that can add up. If you see the auto check its usually a sign of a weak unconfident player. If you see the auto raise before the flop this is a sign of real strength.
With playing online you cannot physically see your opponents but you can see what they do. What they do is actually the only thing that matters and can be focused in on for great results. How they act reveals their confident, skills, maturity level and betting styles. It may be a little harder to pick up online but that is what makes it even more important.
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