Online-Tells (Contest)

1. - 2.Platz: tthmb

 

Foreword

The term „tell“ is ambivalent and (unlike much else in Hold'em) not mathematically definable. This is both the allure and the difficulty of the topic. There are hardly any statements or premises (like the principles of odds and outs) that can be described as „objectively correct.“

With this background, the following article can make no claims of completeness or correctness. This is all the more so because I have relied almost exclusively on my own thoughts and experiences. The books I've read up to this point have marginalized online tells. One exception is – as should be apparent – Matthew Hilger in „Internet Texas Hold'em“ p. 266 – 270. I hold this book in high esteem; however, his statements about tells are in part contradictory and do not agree with my experience on several points (more on this below).

2 Definition and Value

A tell is defined as a give-away about the value of a hand of the kind unbeknownst to the teller. All statements about tells, therefore, are tied to an objective circumstance. These circumstances must be discovered. In what follows, each of these circumstances (that is, individual tells) will be presented and evaluated.

3 Individual tells

Typically in online poker, only the betting behaviour (in general or player specific) is viewed as telling. But in my experience, there are many other tells which I will now discuss:

3.1 Name of the player

The first information I get on a player is his name. This name can divulge certain information to me. If this is the case, this information is fundamental since it leads to conclusions about a general mindset.

An example: Steve Davis, the reigning snooker player of the 80's, was nicknamed „the machine“ because of his cool, calculating, emotionless style of play. I would associate the same characteristics with a poker player called „the machine“, the result being that this player is a danger to me. Matthias Wahls has appeared by this name and if he plays like he posts (about which I have no doubt!), then he plays poker like Steve Davis played snooker. A true tell that I would take into account in my game if I didn't otherwise know who I was playing against.

Another example: Here and on PP there is a player named Schnibbel. Schnibbeln is an expression from Skat when you try to capture an opponent's 10 with your Ace, to cut it out, to schnibbel. Schnibbeln also stands for a tricky, risky game. I have observed Schnibbel many times on PP and I now believe that he really is tricky and unconventional. Here too my impression of the player from the name alone has been confirmed and I can adjust my game accordingly.

You'll often see names that have something to do with poker jargon. In my experience, these names often tell the opposite of what they suggest. Rocks are seldom tight; donks or maniacs are often passable player. But: who wouldn't fold KK a little more often against „Aceholder“ on an Axx-flop?? What about against „Imonabluff“??

3.2 Approaching the table

Conclusions can also be drawn from the way a player sits down at the table. I always see players sit at a table and immediately turn on „auto post blind“ even if they're UTG. This indicates less tightness. On the other hand, a player who waits for the BB even from the button gets a jump in respect from me.

The same is true after a bathroom break with a sit out: a good player would never, in my experience, post BB + SB (dead). But I see it again and again and can draw conclusions from it.

3.3 Leaving the table

Some players will announce that this is their last round before they leave the table. This often happens after a series of bad beats or good wins, that is either out of frustration or talkativeness.

In both cases I have noticed the tendency for this kind of player to play just one more hand, be it to win at least once with a worse hand or whether it's just for fun since they've already won a lot anyway. These last hands (UTG or UTG+1) are often easy hunting: it's worth calling raises or re-raising and attacking the flop in position. This is especially true in the NL area.

 

3.4 Chat

Chat is a real treasure trove. I mean less the content of the chat (that is not subconscious and therefore not a tell), rather, the manner and style of chat.

3.4.1 The chatterbox

Chatterboxes are typically loose. He doesn't pay enough attention to the game and one can often drive him out of the hand on the turn or flop. If he makes a large bet in a NL game or raises or check/raises in a limit game he typically has a very strong hand. He rarely bluffs since he isn't focused on the game. And successful bluffing is determined by the situation. The circumstances that make a successful bluff are too subtle for the chatterbox to notice; he's not even trying to sleuth them out. For this reason: caution if the chatterbox makes a large bet!

3.4.2 Behaviour after bad beats

The way a player chats after a bad beat can often show whether a player has accepted bad beats as part of the game and knows how to deal with them or whether he feels the world has done him an injustice. The former are to be respected, the latter often go on tilt in a hurry. That is an important tell.

3.4.3 Analysis of hands or commentary

Players can be identified in part as strong if they analyse the hand correctly without being asked. This is true both for their own hands as for the hands that they took no part in.

This also goes in reverse. In the lower levels you'll often see commentary that indicates unfamiliarity with the fundamental laws of the game. Take note and exploit!

3.4.4 The newbie

Players will let you know from time to time that they're new (for example, statements like „I never knew poker could be so much fun.“ Take note and exploit!

3.4.5 The sheriff

Applies to NL. The sheriff checks, for example OOP on the flop, re-raises all-in against a small steal bet with the comment after the opponents fold of „stop trying to steal.“ If he shows a pocket pair after a pre-flop raise a short time later then you know what kind of a player you're dealing with and you can use him to make nice pots, especially if you tip him off or stimulate him with a little observation in the chat.

Here you can even call a small pot with trash or make an inept minibluff (it doesn't have to be against the sheriff, it's fine if it's against another opponent). You know you'll lose and you show a weak hand (but you MUST show it!!). The sheriff will register this and come at you with large bets at the next opportunity. This is appreciated.

3.4.6 „too many short-stacks here“

Applies to NL. A player announces that he's leaving the table because too many players at the table have short stacks (for the meaning of the short stack strategy in NL see short stack-Strategie). I note this immediately. This is an indicator that a player likes to bluff against big stacks with large bets since he knows that big stacks call less than small stacks.

3.4.7 Commentary on the flop

If a player comments on the flop (mostly expressing failure to understand when many flops in a row have no high cards), you can surmise that he mostly plays these kind of cards and rarely small suited connectors.

3.5 Betting behaviour

Traditionally, betting behaviour is given the most meaning, particularly the timing. In my experience, the timing plays a minor role. For me, other indicators are more important.

I play mostly NL, for which reason my experiences mostly tie into this variant.

3.5.1 Speed

3.5.1.1 Typical case: In my experience speed has little value

As I said, I don't give much weight to the betting speed, in general. It is not usually based on subconscious expression of an information divulging nature. Players play multiple tables, so even from the start it is difficult to read anything into the betting speed. Furthermore, it is clear from the debate surrounding this topic that the betting speed is often consciously altered to be misleading. I think one player on the forums put it very well: „ok, I now know that betting strongly is the modern form of slow-play.“

In NL you must also remember that it is necessary in practice to think carefully whether and how much to bet – even and especially for a bluff. The speed here has even less meaning than in limit games. Derivations from speed are based on the general tell „strong means weak and weak means strong“ (Hilger, ITH, p. 266). For example, if a player waits longer than usual before a check, it shows weakness but if he bets after a long time, it is supposed to show strength. In most forums on the internet there are no clear statements on this. Long consideration before a check is interpreted as weak about 50% of the time and strong the other 50%.
The uncertainty of the matter can be found in Hilger on page 268. There he says in bold print that a player usually shows weakness if he checks quickly but strength of he then re-raises. Therefore, according to Hilger, both fast and slow checking can show weakness, which makes things relative. And a check-raise is usually in practice a sign of strength.

3.5.1.2 Exceptions: valuable tells

On playing the turn and the river, Hilger believes that a fast raise or bet usually means strength. I share this opinion but not without limitations. If a scare card shows up on the turn or river, in particular one that could make a flush or straight, a speedy bet usually means that the scare card didn't hit. A long consideration before a bet, however, means the opponent has made the straight or flush as you feared.

Specially in NL: whoever immediately hits the raise-button (= minimum raise) without thinking about a higher raise typically doesn't have the nuts but still has a strong hand.

Sudden changes in speed, that a basically thoughtful player suddenly plays quickly, usually means a very strong hand.

Players like to turn the rule „strong means weak and weak means strong“ around (Hilger p. 266). It is thinkable that the betting speed is the most well known purported subconscious tell. If you can find this out, the general tell will become a very valuable individual tell!

3.5.2 Defaults

In contrast to betting speed I find defaults to be very helpful. They mostly represent the hand respective of the action. Call BB is an average hand, raise any is very strong.

In NL (low levels), I have almost never seen a player bluff on a default pot bet. This is only logical. Successful bluffing is determined by the situation. A default cannot encompass these situationally determined circumstances such that this default is bound to objective circumstances (and therefore to the strength of the hand).

Care should be taken with default checks, since you never know whether it's check/call or check/fold. Typically, a default of check means weakness, especially in the BB pre-flop. If he then bets, he's strong. If he check-raises, he flopped a monster.

More on the big blind: if the BB folds to a steal raise from the cutoff or button after long consideration, he's often just trying to give the impression that he's folding out of respect for the raise and not according to the starting hand chart. This is to make future blind defences easier (steal re-raises in particular).

 

3.5.3 Fold out of turn

In my experience, those who fold on the flop or turn even if a check is possible out themselves as bad players, often frustrated or on tilt, too. Those who fold on the river without checking, however, should be respected (they don't want to show how they play their hands, which a weak player would divulge).

3.5.4 How many tables are my opponents playing?

Hilger recommends checking how many tables your opponents are playing so that you can better estimate their tells in terms of speed. In my opinion this is illusory and not doable; in any case with both players to my left and right. I focus on the analysis of these players, since it's hard to do any more with multiple tables going at once. Thus, I would rather make an exact analysis of the players I am often in the hand with.

4 Your own tells

It is understood that you should avoid your tells and set up your game respectively. Here I would make no further comments on this matter. It is decisive that you do not fall into certain habits or rhythms.

But another example: I have had good success setting up the following „tell“: before folding on the button, in the cutoff or the small blind I wait longer than usual. The opposition thinks you're considering a steal raise. If you do this many times, the probability of pushing through a fast steal-raise is large.

5 Closing

Poker is mainly based on the value of your own hand and the relation between odds and outs. If you base your game on this, you will have a positive expected value.

This expected value rises if you are able to estimate the strength of the opposing hands. Tells help with this. Tells are an aid for making the right decision. For this reason, you should never make a decision based on suspected tells alone, particularly you should not start a bluff on this basis without the proper circumstances. Tells are too ambivalent for this. Many mistakes are made when a player overestimates his own hand because he has made a false read on his opponent. I've read „Thought you were on a draw“ from a lot of players who were surprised by a not too far ahead hand.

I would be pleased to hear a small discussion on this. The topic is exciting and there is surely much more to say.

 

 

1st - 2nd Place: Arngrim

Introduction

At a real poker table, you estimate the strength of an opponents hand based on his gestures, posture, and ticks. Mike Caros work Book of Poker Tells [1] is a first class introduction to this topic.

It is a widespread misconception that tells are not present in online poker. Of course, it's not possible to look your opponent in the eye, but there are a number of other indicators that allow you to draw similar conclusions to a live game. The present article deals with these online tells.

I. Time based online tells and choice of action in online poker

There are two different possibilities in an online game for determining which action should be carried out: you can wait for your turn or specify the action in advance. If you want to learn about online tells, you must develop and eye for how the player executed his action. If a player performs his action as soon as it's his turn, this indicates that he used the pre-selection method.

The second component of analyzing online tells is how quickly and action is carried out if it was not done automatically. Depending on the length and the resulting action, you can draw conclusions about the strength of your opponents hand.

In what follows I have introduced the different possibilities for what it might mean when players carry out actions after a certain period of time.

Meaning of in-game behavior

1. Check/Fold- pre-selection indicates weakness
Probably the best loved pre-selection is check/fold [2]. It is usually used when the player believes his hand to be bad and only wants to continue playing if he can see another card for free. The use of check/fold says: "I have a bad hand and don't have any more interest in it."

Identifying a check/fold can be quite fruitful. Suppose there are 4 players in the game and we are the last to play. The first player checks normally, whereas the following 2 pre-select check/fold. Effectively, we are only playing against one player since both middle players have already parted with their hands. A bluff could be successful here.

2. Check/Call, Call Any pre-selection indicates a slowplay
Opposite of check/fold, check/call and call any are an indication of a strong hand that the opponent wishes to play slowly.

3. Bet/Raise pre-selection indicates strength
The execution of a bet/raise means a strong hand. As long as the player is not extremely loose or on tilt, caution is needed. Especially if done on the river, it is probably not a bluff. On the turn it might indicate an attempt to get a free card on the river.

4. Fast check indicates weakness
A quick check usually means weakness: the player is happy to be able to see the next card for free. In my experience, however, good players like to make this move in the hopes of initiating a check-raise. If this occurs after a fast check, then you are probably running into a very strong hand.

5. Immediate call of the previous bet means weakness
If a player calls a bet very quickly (not a pre-selection), he probably has a weak hand, maybe some kind of draw. The quick call is supposed to indicate a good hand. He hopes to depress the betting in following rounds in order to see the next cards more cheaply.

6. A pause followed by a check indicates weakness
A player who delays for a bit and then checks wants to instill the fear of a check-raise in his opponents. The pause is supposed to symbolize the contemplation of a raise. In reality, however, he wants the other players to check too so that he can see the next card. An opponent who really wants to pull a check-raise will make the check relatively quickly in most cases.

7. A pause followed by a bet/raise means strength
If a player waits before making a bet/raise, then he probably has a strong hand. Thinking about it is supposed to suggest to the other players that he has a weak hand and is just bluffing to induce a call or a re-raise. Cases 6 and 7 are examples that break the rule "weak is strong and strong is weak" [3].

II. Online-Tells based on chat behavior

 

Many players turn the chat off because they find it distracting - or maybe they know they'll react negatively if their game is criticized in the chat. In general though, this is a mistake; it should be viewed as a good thing when players say more in the chat than "nice hand" and "thank you" [4].

1. Chatterboxes
There will often be somebody at the table who just can't leave off talking the whole time. It might not always be about the game, but the volume is high whether he's involved in the hand or not. If such a player suddenly stops talking while playing, it can be assumed that he has a strong hand and has stopped chatting for this reason - out of the fear of making a wrong move or divulging something about his hand.

2. Drinkers
Especially on the weekends during the (American) nights, you'll have the pleasure of getting an obviously drunk player at the table. Either he let's you know himself ("just came home from a party") or you can tell by his out of context observations that might even be related to his current hand ("at last a decent hand"). These players often try to mask their weak hands with taunts ("just call, you'll lose anyway"). Here the "weak is strong and strong is weak" axiom is again valid.

3. Players running hot
A player who is on tilt after a string of bad beats will often become insulting or otherwise provocative. In a no-limit game this will be highlighted by an increase in his raise amounts. Players running hot in this manner can be pay you off well once you identify them.

4. The know-it-all
Who hasn't been annoyed by the know-it-all who gives his opinion on every hand and explain that they're the absolute pros and would have played much more intelligently. Of course, there is no reason to be annoyed: these players can be used to great effect by taking advantage of a quirk singular to such players. You act awed by their "superiority" and ask them for advice on the game. With great pride in their breasts they will then tell you all about their style of play and will then sit before you as an open book.

Dependability of online tells

How dependable are online tells? The answer is the same as every answer in Texas Hold'em: it depends and nothing is absolute.

Taken by themselves they are only a vague indication of the strength of an opposing hand. A weak player who has never even thought of a slowplay might raise his quads just as quickly or slowly as he would with a medium pair with which he believes he will surely win. Or he thinks longer about his combination of cards because he has to check whether he really has a straight.

A good player, however, knows the meaning of online tells and tries to use them to his advantage. Perhaps he adds a pause before a check to initiate a check-raise - in which he hopes that the other players will think he's only making an empty threat.

Online tells are optimal for players in the middle to low levels who think that he cases above are "clever." They will not understand why their opponents don't fall for their tricks.

A little observation of the normal mode of play is also necessary to get sensible results.

When online tells don't work

The time-based online tells do not work when the conditions are not optimal. This refers to 3 factors, your own internet connection, your opponent's, and the in game behavior of your other opponents. One at a time:

1. Your own internet connection
Without a well functioning connection it is not possible to make online-tells. Maybe a player reacts very quickly but because of lag the action doesn't reach your computer until 5 seconds later. The status of your own connection is displayed in the window title line of PartyPoker. If something like "internet connection delayed" is displayed there, then the perceived action is time delayed. Online tells then have no real basis and should not influence your evaluation of the game.

2. The internet connections of the other players
Everything said in 1. is true in reverse for the other players. If you observe that a player is not acting because his connection was dropped (you'll see something like "player xyz has been disconnected" in the chat window of PartyPoker), then you can assume that this player does not have a good connection. His actions, therefore, are not dependable for making guesses - online tells for this player should be ignored. This is not only true just for the current moment but should be treated this way for the rest of the session too.

3. In game behavior of the other players
Roughly speaking, players can be divided into 3 classes. The serious player, the pro, and the side player [5].

A side player surfs the net, chats, talks on the phone, or works on his computer while playing poker on the side. For him the game consists of the window popping up from time to time, he looks quickly at his cards, chooses an action and then shoves the window into the background. Usually he'll only play the best cards and will half automate everything else with the pre-selection. They don't take the game too seriously and will only play their best starting hands in a concentrated way. If you classify your opponent as a side player, you should be careful if he starts to really play along - it means he really has a good hand this time.

The serious player plays one table at a time and seldom use the pre-selection mechanism. This is the best criterion for identifying them, too. You can count on them to follow the patterns mentioned above, making them a good basis for the evaluation of online tells.

The "pros" play on many tables at once. They are easy to find in PartyPoker with the menu selection game rules & options-> playersearch: just put their account name in and see who's playing multiple tables. These players are not good targets for online tells, for one thing they probably have experience with it themselves and use it as a part of their game, but also because they play many tables at once there will necessarily be delays in their actions that don't mean anything.

Avoiding your own online tells

Since other players also look for online tells, you can be the victim of their analysis. After describing what the time-based online tells look like in this article, it should be easy to avoid them yourself.

There are two simple possibilities that should be changed out for one another from time to time. The simplest is just to always act with the same speed, no matter what your action. Thus, it is no longer possible to map meanings to actions.

A little trickier is the variant of adding random times to your actions, for instance depending on the time of day (act after 2 seconds in the first half of a minute, else in 4 seconds) or the color of the previous card (2 seconds for red, 4 for black).

Summary

Online tells are another mighty weapon in the arsenal of a poker player. It is important to first establish the basis for a worthwhile analysis (internet connections and player behavior) and then to draw conclusions.

Just like any other area, it is important not to jump to conclusions or think too much about events; online tells are not the holy grail.

If properly applied, they make it possible to gain yet another small advantage over the masses and to reduce the hand range of your opponent.

Footnotes

[1] Caro's Book of Poker Tells by Mike Caro. Cardoza Publishing, March 2003.
ISBN: 1580420826, $24.95
[2] These pre-selections are named by PartyPoker. Other poker sites might use different terminology.

[3] This rule is a general foundation of poker and represents the desire of all players to hide their true strength. It is a much-observed habit to do the exact opposite of what is expected, e.g. a check instead of a raise with a strong hand or the other way around.
[4] Saying "nice hand" or "nice play" is a tried and true method for keeping a bad player in the game after they have won (possible luckily) a hand.

[5] This is not about classifying players in the sense of good or bad, just how intensively they are focusing on one table.

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