Spotting Poker Tells and Betting Speeds in Free Online Poker
In live poker, expert poker players rely on poker tells. Traditionally, poker tells are the body language of an opposing player to get a read on what cards they are holding or what actions they take. Poker tells are behavioural patterns related to cards, actions, and emotions of players. Some poker tells include, but are not limited to: changes in body position, placing of chips, breathing, tone of voice, facial expressions, and the directions of one’s gaze. With the advent and popularity of free online poker, tell have become related other factors instead of visible body language.
A popular tell when playing free online poker is how fast an opponent is playing. Aside from a bad connection or lag, the rate of speed a person bets is a good indicator for their strength or weakness in a hand. It is widely thought that the faster you place a bet, the weaker the hand you have, and the slower a bet is placed, the stronger hand is held, however this may well be a myth.
A more useful strategy regarding speed of bet is to watch players and analyze their speed when in a hand. Each individual may vary. If possible keep track of each players speed and watch the results of their betting. For example, if a player is involved in a large pot and bets quickly after seeing the flop and eventually loses the hand, then this person’s betting quickness is a sign of weakness if it is fast. A person who bets slowly in a big pot might be building the pot and indicate a strong hand when they exercise a slow rate of betting. Since each individual has his/her own style of betting speed, it is important to analyze each style before making assumptions.
When looking out for tells its always worth considering what else may be happening with the other player behind the scenes rather that just assuming they are fast or slow playing due to the hands they hold. For example, they may well be playing a few tables at once, or surfing the net while waiting for their turn. If a player is constantly playing slow then there is every possibility that this is the case and that they are doing more than one thing at once. Consistency is critical to eliminating bet speed as a tell with this type of player. In addition, the quality of the player’s internet connection can interfere with their bet speed.
Online poker tells are always changing, especially with the way the internet and the speed of the internet works. My best advice would be to watch each player as an individual and avoid that every free online poker player plays the same tells.
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