Playing poker is an art form. Lots of people learn how to play poker in person which means looking out for tells and other clues that someone might be bluffing. Knowing how to play online is a completely different game as there are no visual cues. Playing online poker can be more difficult for some but there are always ways to learn. You might be used to playing poker with a microphone and so listening out for your cues can be a good way to learn how to beat your opponent. Or you might have to look out for things that other players do. Anyone can learn how to play the game, but knowing how to play it well takes time and endurance.
We’ll be taking you through all of the things to look out for to see whether or not your opponent is bluffing when playing poker online.
How to tell when someone is bluffing online
When playing online poker, it’s obviously a lot more difficult to tell if someone is bluffing. You can’t see the usual tell tale signs such as facial expressions and hand gestures. But there are still some key signs you can look out for in order to tell if someone is bluffing or not. Let’s take a look through.
- Moving quickly
When players take a long time to make any kind of decision, we don’t automatically know what this means to them. It might be the way they play. We would have to wait to see what the player does normally to see whether this means anything.
However, quicker actions tell us a lot more information more quickly. This is true in poker when it’s played in person as well as online. Calling quickly in a game does tend to mean that a player has a hand of medium strength so you can make a judgement call from there.
- Size matters – when it comes to bets
Keeping an eye on the size of the bet your opponent is making can prove to be more useful as an online poker tell. All players have to make a bet at some point during the game. Looking into how much they put down at different times in the game and the hands that follow that can help players figure out their opponents.
Consider the questions: has your opponent bet small when they usually bet large amounts? The size of the bet could be a sign of weakness, depending on the situation in the game at the time. A player that places a small bet might also be a way to feel out the table to see who bites and who doesn’t. Take a look at how players bet from the outset and you can gauge the meaning and how they might act later on.
Look out for the fact that some players may put in large bets when bluffing to exacerbate their bluff. A big check-raise could show some strength in a hand and could tell you that folding might be the best choice in this situation.
The main thing is to pay attention during all points of the game. This is more tricky when you’re at home and there are distractions but try to stay focussed. Looking at your phone or leaving the ‘table’ when the rest of the players are playing means you lose vital insight into their gameplay.
- Taking too long
As we mentioned before, taking a long time before acting might not tell you much in the beginning. However, once the game is in full swing, it can be a giveaway that a player is faltering or choosing whether or not they should bluff their way in this hand.
If you’ve been paying attention to the way they usually play throughout the game then this can be useful information that you can take advantage of. Think about whether or not this player has a marginal hand and is hesitant about making the call. Or are they just a player who is easily distracted?
- Signs of aggression in the game
How players act with specific hands can also offer insight into how strong they might be. Have you noticed a pattern in the aggression someone plays with during specific hands? Have you noticed a pattern occurring throughout that you can attribute to the hand they had at the time?
Someone who can work out these patterns can often take advantage of them. You can always make notes by the side of you to refer back to. No one can see you do it so you might as well use that to your advantage!
Sometimes you’ll get players who disguise their hand strength by tanking. They can let their entire time bank run to the edge before shoving all their chips in at the last minute.
Paying attention to these cues can help you when playing poker online – what would you add to the list?
