Online poker provides far fewer obvious physical tells than live games. Yet skilled regulars use subtle timing, sizing, statistical, and chat patterns to gain remarkably accurate reads on opponents.
This comprehensive guide explores advanced strategies to detect and exploit the smallest behavioral leaks, gaining an edge over even tough regulars.
The competition has gotten fierce and sometimes it feels like there are only pro players left playing online, even at the good old american sites.
The US poker casinos online were known to have the most fish, but now there are tough players all over the board. So we need to step our game up and sharpen our skills.
Part 1: Timing Tells
Recreational players often bet/fold the same hands at identical speeds. Regulars avoid such obvious patterns but still reveal vital information through subtle timing changes.
Speeding Up
When a competent regular speeds up slightly compared to their average pace, this often indicates:
- Bluffs/semi-bluffs holding good blockers
- Marginal made hands hoping to end the hand quickly
- Draws/floats with adequate equity to continue but wanting to avoid difficult decisions
Against these hands, be prepared to flat or squeeze light pre-flop, consider check-raising big draws post-flop, and value bet aggressively with vulnerable made hands.
Slowing Down
Dramatic slowing indicates the player faces a very difficult decision with a marginal hand not near the top of their range. They may be considering advanced plays like:
- Hero calling against aggressive action
- Bluff catching with middle pair or weak draws
- Bluffing with good blockers but little equity
When an competent regular tanks, expect their range to be capped. Exploit by value betting thinner for 3 streets, stabbing at more boards, and calling down lighter.
Consistent Time Increase
If a tough regular gradually plays slower over an entire session, they are likely battling tilt or exhaustion. Their reads and calculations become less accurate over time. React by:
- Increasing bluff frequency
- Barreling wider and triple barreling more boards
- Calling down lighter across multiple streets
Fatigue and frustration make even very solid regulars playable.
Part 2: Sizing Tells
Bet sizing patterns often reveal information about a player’s range. While recreational players are quite transparent with sizing tells, even seasoned regulars can deviate from balanced sizing enough to exploit.
Polarized Betting
Players who bet small with strong value hands and large with bluffs are using a polarized sizing strategy. This is easy to spot in beginners but subtler in competent regulars. Watch for:
- Oversized pot bets as the bluff/semi-bluff range
- Oddly small value bets with strong made hands
Adjust by calling down wider against large bets and betting aggressively for value yourself when facing small bets.
Bet Sizing Speed Changes
Regulars often bet three streets quickly when bluffing compared to taking more time to size value bets correctly. This gets overlooked but can reliably indicate air versus value.
Also watch for players sizing up quickly on safe cards. They intend to bet regardless and don’t want to waste time determining exact sizing. But on coordinated boards, even aggressive regulars pause to consider sizing more carefully based on the action they hope to induce.
Part 3: Statistical Tells
While HUD stats contain a wealth of information, specific deviations from normal statistical tendencies can betray hand strength even if overall numbers are balanced.
Floated Boards
Pay close attention when players float one or multiple streets then lead value bets on safe runouts. Recreational players do this automatically. But competent regulars will float only with appropriate blockers or backdoor equity and thus take this line rarely.
Watch for out of character float+value lines from thinking players and drastically reduce your calling frequency as their range spikes in value when they take this line compared to population tendencies.
Double and Triple Barreling
Players with air double barrel too frequently and triple barrel much less. But strong regulars balance these frequencies. Watch for spikes where they double or triple barrel substantially more often across a session or number of sessions. When their continuation frequency jumps, it indicates a wider bluffing range. Consider calling down lighter and avoid hero folding top pair or better.
Part 4: Chat Tells
While easy to dismiss chat at the tables as meaningless banter, savvy regulars subtly manipulate conversations to mislead and extract information.
Misdirection
When facing a tough pro, be skeptical of any overt advice or compliments about your play. They are likely attempting to manipulate you into playing worse against them by:
- Getting into your head
- Feeding your ego so you spew chips
- Encouraging poor strategy they aim to exploit
Immediately disregard positive or strategic chatter from sharp opponents. It is nearly always deceptive misdirection.
Insightful Chat
Alternatively, pay close attention when competent regulars chat constructively about a specific strategic concept or their own puzzled thought process. They are often unguarded in these moments and provide genuine insight into their approach that exposes potential leaks.
Look for evidence of tilt, frustration, biased logic, recreational strategic gaps, or other mental/emotional flaws you can exploit. Just be certain they are actually revealing true information rather than attempting to manipulate perceptions.
Complaints
Complaints frequently reveal more weakness than strength. Be alert when opponents rant about bad beats, unfair sites, cooler runs, etc. Look to attack any specific leaks or vulnerabilities they expose through complaining.
And never contribute your own complaints alongside opponents. Simply allow them to vent while you gather important observational data and plan exploitation.
Using chat patterns to gain insights into regulars takes practice. But with close observation, you can learn an opponent’s technical gaps, mental game leaks, and strategic biases that might otherwise remain hidden.
Part 5: Overall Behavioral Changes
Savvy regulars aim to balance timing, betting, stats, and chat patterns to avoid exploitation. But extreme internal or external changes often subtly alter their overall behavioral patterns enough to show leaks.
Tilt and Frustration
Every regular battles tilt and frustration at times. Subtle signs include:
- Reversing usual bet sizing
- Speeding up decisions as anger increases
- Contradicting standard chat approach
Track these changes diligently waiting for patterns to emerge. Then strike aggressively once a frustrated opponent begins spewing chips through destabilized play.
Intoxication
Alcohol and recreational drug use loosen even disciplined regulars over time by:
- Slowing decision making
- Impairing multi-street thinking
- Hindering bet sizing creativity
As awareness, discipline, and inhibition decline, value bet relentlessly and bluff liberally at the first concrete signs of intoxication.
Distraction
External distractions like multi-tabling, TV, conversation, or smartphone usage seem harmless. But even minor diversion reduces focus enough for regualrs to show subtle behavioral flaws you can capitalize on.
When tempted to multi-task yourself, remember your distracted opponents likely make the same mistake, giving you free money when their attention suffers.
Conclusion
Mastering advanced online tells requires relentless observation, pattern recognition, creative thinking, and calculated risk-taking. But the long-term payoff is well worth the effort for serious players.
Notice every subtle change in timing, betting, stats, chat, and overall behavior each opponent exhibits across all sessions. Eventually, you will learn which opponents provide reliable reads. Then use those insights to relentlessly exploit even the toughest regulars anytime they exhibit leaks.
