A "Telling" Hand

I pay attention to internet tells. The more I play with a player the more credence I give them. There is a lot of information out there on internet tells. With that you hear some players blow off the idea that you can use them because of all the information you can find. There is a lot of poker books out there also, doesn’t mean people read them.

I like to pace my bets, checks or raises. I use the same pace each time (or try to) no matter the situation. It doesn’t take long at a table to see who has a bad connection and who pauses before a check or bet. It’s a small edge if you pay attention and in this game every edge counts.

What brought this up was I was at a table today that was pretty loose/passive. I limped in MP with A8s and was raised by CO. 3 saw a flop that was ten high and gave me a backdoor straight and flush draw along with over card. It was checked to raiser who bet. BB folded and I called. The turn was an ace and I checked. I was prepared to check/call it down and see if my ace would hold up when there was a pause by the raiser. This was out of the norm and then he finally bet. I raised and he called. I bet the blank river and he folded. I knew my ace was good when he paused. It had been a lack luster session and that hand was the difference between being up a few bb’s and down a few bb’s.

You have to know a little about your opponent before these tells will work. I like to use them if they represent a play out of the ordinary pattern of betting. Like above when I was sure the ace scared him with the pause and it wasn’t a connection problem. There is a list of some of the tells here.

To me, every little bit of information helps and knowing these tells and being able to apply them is just more ammunition. Again though I caution you not to apply them to every player in every situation because the connection speed and site software has a lot to do with delays in betting. I do lean on them with more conviction though if it is out of the normal betting pattern of a player.

Hope they help.


Till next time!