Poker Bankroll | Internet Poker Tells
Internet Poker Tells - What you can't see CAN hurt youA series of articles on how to maximize online poker tells (1 of 5)
Anyone that's played poker live knows what a tell is, a physical manifestation of a players fear, strength, or getting caught with the proverbial hand in the cookie jar. A good live player will be able to identify and categorize these tells, filing them into his or her mental archive. The ability to recognize these tells and connect the dots as to what that tell means in a given situation will earn a good player thousands of dollars in the long term. NOT being able to identify these tells and act properly on them will COST a player thousands or more in the long term.
This article will focus on those tells that you can't see because you're playing a virtual poker game on the Internet. Just because you can't see them playing doesn't mean you can't get a read on them.
Strong means weak and weak means strong
The old saying goes, if a poker player bets big and acts strong then he's really weak. The same goes for a weak bet, that means he's holding a monster. With the advent of the Internet game and the "slider" control to make your bet, this just isn't the case anymore. I've read numerous forum posts and heard other players state "I didn't mean to overbet the pot but my mouse isn't that accurate and the slider hit $1500 when I meant to bet only $800" (the pot was only $950). Conversely, I've heard players say that they got sucked out on the river because they underbet a hand by mistake (that ole slider again).
Watch for patterns that will develop during gameplay. If you notice a particular player using the slider, make a mental note. Based on the texture of the flop and the action prior to it, you may be able to pull off a nice bluff and/or take a big pot from that player.