Spotting Online Tells | Watching for betting- and timepatterns

Online poker isn’t the same thing as live poker. You can’t see the people who are playing, so alot of ‘tells’ can’t be spotted. There are two tells to look for:

A. Time patterns and tells: this is a dangerous source of information and I generally would advise not to rely on it too much. I mean if you would be looking for a time pattern: to look for an estimated time it would get a player to raise (if it’s long than he has a real hand, if it’s fast he is bluffing – remember this is just an example, it certainly is not a fact), but what if the player is playing multiple tables or just took a drink when he was thinking a little longer. See the danger in relying on time patterns? Unless you are absolutely sure you found a tell/pattern (if someone shows it over and over again) you can rely it, otherwise just neglect it.

B. Betting patterns and tells: are more reliable for they represent facts: a move by a player can been seen and it can be recorded. With betting patterns you look for 2 things:

1. How much does a player bet/raise/reraise with what holdings, and do they do this consequently or do they mix it up?

2. What kind of moves does a player make with a certain holding until the showdown

Here are some general betting patterns which alot of players make. It does of course not mean that all players make these patterns. All players are different and play different (see the pokeredge icons) but with this scheme you can deduce the patterns of ALOT of players

Represents	Preflop	Flop	Turn	River
Opponent On Tilt	Raise	Raise / Fold
Opponent On Tilt	Raise	Check / Fold
Opponent Holds Pair	Call	Bet	Bet	Check
Opponent Slowplaying	Call	Check, Call	Check, Raise	Bet
Opponent made Trips w/Small Pocket Pair	Call	Check, Call	Check, Raise	Bet
Opponent made flush / straight	Call	Check, Call	Check, Raise	Bet
Opponent made flush / straight and is slowplaying	Call	Check, Call	Check, Call	Bet
Opponent wants a free card	Raise	Bet	Check	all of the above
Weak Opponent with good starting hand (the small raise is the giveaway)	Small Raise	Bet	Check / Bet	Bet
Opponent on Straight / Flush Draw	Call	Check, Raise	Check / Bet	Fold
Weak Opponent on Straight / Flush Draw	Call	Check, Call	Check, Call	Fold

How to handle the most forthcoming betting patterns?

Raise, Bet, Check: When you think of this pattern, imagine the hand ace-king missing the flop. For example, most people with two un-paired high cards, such as ace-king, will always bet the flop even if they hold nothing. This is one of the biggest signs of weakness you will witness at the poker table. When an opponent does this, I immediately put him on ace-king and raise the turn with most hands. Occasionally this read will be wrong, but this is a typical ace-king pattern that most mediocre to advanced players use.

Call, Check-Call, Raise : This pattern is usually one of strength. When someone check-calls and then shows strength on either the river or the turn, I almost always fold. Imagine that he has a drawing hand. The key to putting him on a draw is evaluating the flop, turn, and river. If the flop is two-suited and the player check-calls, then assume he’s on either a draw or low pair. If the turn comes the same suit as the flop and he raises, put him on a draw. It’s an easy pattern that most good players will detect

All Check-Raises: When an opponent check-raises you, I would say 90% of the time you’re beat. Most opponents just aren’t skilled enough to try a check-raise bluff. In fact, most players don’t even think about trying it. I always fold to check-raises unless I have the nuts.

Fast Check: This is my favorite online poker tell. When a player instantly checks, he has probably clicked the "auto-check" tool featured in all online rooms. This means that before you have even bet or checked, he was planning on checking. Most of the time, you’ll be able to steal the pot with a reasonable bet. However, some players might try to use this tell against you so you should be careful with it.

Wait and Bet: When a player waits and bets, he usually has a legit hand and is probably thinking of how much to bet which almost always results in the timer running slightly lower than normal. You’ll notice this if you pay close attention to the time a player takes to bet. If they wait a long time and check instead of bet, they are usually trying to make you think they have a hand. If that’s the case, you can probably take the pot right there.

- Fast Bet When someone quickly bets, they’re almost always trying to scare you. When I want someone to fold, I bet really fast. It shows them strength and is a very intimidating tactic to employ.

Telling You Their Hand: Players telling you their hand is a funny type of tell. I’ve figured out this tell from most of my friends telling me they were lying in the first place. It’s also common sense. According to one of my Hold’em rules, when a player tells you his hand without you asking, he’s almost always giving away false information. Think about it. Why would he tell you his hand if you didn’t ask him? The reason he tells you is to get inside your head and make you think you folded the winner.

Generally follow this: Quick Check = Weakness Waits Then Bets = Strength Quick Bet = Weakness (trying to show you strength) Instant Call = Strength

Present your strength in the biggest online poker fish pool | Join Mansion Poker now!

After signing up, please check your e-mail to confirm your subscription to receive our video and future e-mails.


Name:
Email: