In live poker play, it is necessary to learn the meaning of an opponent’s physical tells. The tell might be a facial expression, or a hand or body movement. Or, any of several body language or vocal clues. Often enough, the clues add up to a good read of your opponent’s poker hand. In on-line play, physical tells do not exist. But, there are still plenty of clues. As with all tells, these clues can mean something important, or mean absolutely nothing. Or, be a big fat fake.
Tricky players, both live and on-line, will attempt to manipulate tells to mislead and confuse. They will often act in a manner that suggests one holding, while actually holding an entirely different hand. Spotting fakery, usually a bluff, is a vital part of reading tells. The benefit of understanding tells is two-fold. First of course, is the obvious. Getting a read on your opponent. The second, is getting a read on yourself. If other players are unwittingly sending tells, just as likely so are you.
For our on-line purposes, we will broaden the scope of tells to include any information provided by your opponent. Even their playing style is a very important tell. However, analysis of playing styles is a separate poker strategy.
Offered below are twelve on-line Sit n Go poker tells. Most are common. But, a few are lesser known gems.
1) Pre-select button.
Use of the pre-select button results in an instant-action. An instant-action call can be a strong signal of a good hand requiring little thought. While an instant check might mean a weak hand. An instant-action can also be a deceptive move, especially when occurring on the river.
2) Time required to act.
Players are inclined to bet fast when they have a good hand, and more slowly with a weaker hand. This is a pattern that betrays the player. Smarter players are aware of this tendency. A smart player who takes a little longer than normal to act, probably holds a monster. Be careful.
3) Avatar selection.
This really is a tell. And, it can provide some good information about your opponents. You will learn that, as a class, there are some avatars that rarely make it into the money. While there are a few others that show up in the money frequently. Then there are the cross-dressers, guys that select female avatars, and vice versa. Just remember that the buxom, young, virtual lady across the table may play a heck of a lot better than you give her credit.
4) Screen-name selection.
I have found only one class of screen-name that appears to have a meaning. The in-your-face type of name seems to correlate with the more aggressive player. Watch for maniacs in this category, as well.
5) Runs out timer.
You will see this often when a limper or the big blind has been raised. Before acting, the player near runs out the timer. If the player then folds, consider this to be a tough one who does not like being pushed around. Be prepared for a future re-raise. If the player calls, consider the delay merely an act of toughness. They usually fold to the next bet. Meaning that they were acting opposite of their weak holding, hoping for a free card. If the player is tricky, the delay could be a strong hand feigning weakness. So, know your opponent.
6) Odd size bet.
A player who bets an odd amount, e.g., 999 chips rather than 1000, is only fooling himself. While he does create a much larger appearing stack, this attempt at confusion actually attracts so much attention that the action brings clarity. I attribute these ploys to novices.
7) Specific bet size.
Although similar to the odd size bet explained above, this one packs a mean psychological message. This bet is targeted at a smaller stack, and matches the stack’s chip count. Outside of chat, this is about as personal as one can get in on-line poker. The bet is clearly a challenge, dripping with intimidation. My advice is to watch the aggressor closely, and be prepared for further nasty tricks. The aggressor is clearly a bully. Wait for opportunities to beat the bully at his own game.
Chat.
The chat box contains tons of good information: someone is up past their bedtime, someone else is drunk, two someones are locked in a feud, and on and on. Chat is a double-edged sword. Not only does the player reveal information about themselves, but while they chat, they are distracted from the game. Stay on the look-out for frequent chatters, they are vulnerable.
9) Shows their hand.
This is such an important tell, that whenever a player voluntarily shows their cards, I utter a ‘thank you’. There is not a good enough reason to give away free, vital information to the whole table.
10) Multi-table player.
Whenever you learn that a player is multi-tabling, you have gained three tells. First, he is distracted. Second, he is likely a solid player. And third, he will likely be playing tight, straightforward poker. Overall, he will be somewhat vulnerable, because his play will be rather fixed and predictable. You can identify multi-tabling players by previewing sign-ups for a while before you register. They are often the first to register. And, you can browse other games while you play. If a player chats about his multi-tabling, usually he is a novice.
11) Wishes good luck.
This one may be the most consistently accurate tell of all. I have observed that any player who wishes good luck to everyone at the beginning of a Sit n Go rarely makes it into the money. Perhaps their social good graces neutralize the aggressive spirit demanded by a No-Limit Hold’em tournament.
12) Betting patterns.
Players have an inclination to bet smallish with a weak holding, and stronger with better cards. It is as if they were betting according to a sliding scale. Some players like to frequently attempt blind steals from the button. These, and other such betting patterns, are easy to observe. And, to exploit.
Whenever you discover a tell, be sure to record your finding in the player’s notes. Deposits into this archive are as good as money in the bank. As to your own tells, you can scrub most away simply by following certain routines. For example, always wait three seconds before clicking your mouse regardless of the strength or weakness of your hand. A standard routine like this provides no tells.
When the situation is right, you might try a little trickery by acting more quickly, or more slowly. Most players will notice this change in the pace of your play. Then, the drama begins as they try to determine their response. By the way, hesitating before you act provides another important benefit: an extra moment to analyze the situation before committing your chips.
Understanding on-line poker tells will help you to identify your opponent’s weaknesses, avoid their traps, and deprive them of information about yourself.
R. Steve McCollum is a long time Holdem player. You may read many more tips on his poker blog at http://www.SitnGoHoldemPoker.com
