Poker tells become very useful when playing both live and online on sites like PokerStars and there are tells that relate to both types of poker. A poker tell is an action that an opponent makes that gives you an idea of what they might have. When you can successfully pick up on these poker tells you should notice that you win a lot more pots and lose fewer pots which is always good. You need to understand that these poker tells aren’t going to be perfect and you could make the wrong assumption, but you should still try picking up on tells that your opponents commit when playing poker as they can become profitable.
Using the Auto-Play Buttons
When an opponent uses one of the auto-play buttons during an online poker game on www.pokerstars.com it can give a lot away about the type of hand there holding. Pre-flop if the big blind auto selects the check button then you can assume they don’t have much of a hand. If a player has selected the call any button then it gives away the assumption that they’re holding a monster hand. Spotting these tells is simple, but not many players use the auto-check buttons due to the fact it gives away information about there hand.
Chat Box
You can use the chat box in internet poker on sites like Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars to find out a lot about your opponents. Many times when players are on tilt they will start to rant in the chat box and this could be a good time to put your money in against them. You will also be able to use the chat box to see if your opponents chat during the hand. Generally a player who usually talks who stops is holding a hand, and an opponent who doesn’t chat and starts chatting during a hand is bluffing. Of course these aren’t always going to be right as some players switch the way they play up, but you can use them as a guideline to what your opponent is most likely holding in the hand.
Speed
The speed of a player can give you a tell as to what they have based on there skill level. Beginner players often fall victim to this easy pick up and you should watch out for it. Generally a quick bet shows weakness and a slow bet shows strength in the hand. Many players know that other players are looking for this though and will often switch it up. This is why you’ll mainly see beginner players making this mistake. Unlike www.betfair.com Full Tilt is open to players from the United States.
Poker Software
If you have invested some money in a poker star stats tracker then you’ll be able to check the stats of all of your opponents. This will allow you to find out how your opponents usually play and this can be a huge advantage when you get involved in big hands. I recommend once you become serious about playing online poker you get a stats tracker as it’s an invaluable tool in an online poker player’s bag of tricks.