Regarding Poker

If you pay attention to the way the players at your table say ‘check’ in a live game then you can sometimes tell if they don’t have a good hand and you’ll have a tell that most players don’t even look out for.

Listen to how your opponents say ‘check’. They will either say ‘check’ or ‘check?’. When they say ‘check’ as a question, then most of the time it means that they don’t have a very strong hand and without knowing what they are saying they are asking you if you have a strong hand.

You’ll need a good ear to hear the subtle differences between the different ways people say ‘check’, but once you identify a ‘check’ presented as a question then you have a powerful tell that will win you a more pots.

Now this tell is not 100% full-proof, but there are many weaker players that give off this tell. To exploit this tell it would really only work when you are heads-up. There’s no sense in bluffing into a pot if you know one player is weak and are unsure of the other player(s). So if you are heads-up and you hear someone say ‘check?’ then you should probably go a head and make a decent bet at the pot and most of the time you’ll take the pot down right there.

In a live game last night we played a single table NLH game and four of the eight players on the table had this tell (these players would verbally say check as opposed to gesture checking with their hand). One of the players was a check-raiser addict and when he didn’t say ‘check’ as a question then I knew he was ready to setup his check-raise.

So listen carefully on how the players say ‘check’ and not only will it possibly tell you if they are weak but it may also give you an indication that they may be holding a strong hand.

Shortly after learning this tell I caught myself doing this tell a lot and now I try to only use my hand to gesture a check whenever possible.

Want to learn more poker tells? Caro’s Book of Poker Tells is a great classic poker book that every poker player should own.

Ever find a player on your table that seems to only know one play; the check-raise?

At first, these kinds of players can really irritate you and may even change the way you play. Have no fear though, because you should really welcome this kind of player at your table.

Firstly, you need to observe them and find out if their check-raise is mostly a bluffing maneuver or if they usually hold the goods. You also need to identify these players as good players or as weak players.

Once you identified them as weak and their check-raises do have merit, then you should have no problem taking their chips!

For the most part, these players do have a hand when they check-raise you, so if you decide to play back at them, you really should have a good hand yourself.

One thing that these types of players fail to realize is that their constant check-raising is a tell. Think about it; if they check-raise you, you know they have a decent hand. If they only call, then they are probably drawing. And this is the one I like, if they bet, then what do you think they have? NOTHING!

Why would a constant check-raiser bet? More than not, it’s a bluff or they hold a weak hand. You should exploit this tell with a big raise (assuming you are heads up or your raise can isolate the play with the check-raiser).

Keep in mind though, that this kind of play comes from WEAK players and NOT good players. It’s the weak players that play one certain way and rarely deviate.

When it comes down to winning poker, it’s mostly about extracting the most you can from the weak players, the fish. And there are a lot of fish out there to fry!

Happy fishing!

What does it mean when an online poker player does a very quick check, bet or raise?

Quick Check

For the most part, if a player does a very quick check it means a sign of weakness, and the player is basically raising the white flag to get this hand done with. Any bet made to a player who checks very quickly usually results in winning the pot (assuming you are heads up).

The reason they may be very quick checks is that most online poker rooms have a checkbox where the player can check-on to automatically ‘check the next round’. Keep in mind though, that this online poker tell is basically on weak opponents. So if you know that the player who quickly checked is a weak player, then you should bet.

On the other hand, good players will use this move as a deception and may check-raise you after you bet. This is why it is very important to know what kind of players you are playing against on the table before making any move. That is why it is so important to make player notes on the players at your table! So whether you are in a hand or not, observe the players at your table and make the appropriate notes on them. These player notes will help you with tough decisions later on in the game.

If you classify a player as weak and they do this tell, and you are heads up, then bet. If you classified the player as a good player, then you may want to check if you don’t have any hand yourself, or make the bet small enough where you can easily fold if checked-raised.

Quick Bet or Raise

This online poker tell is a classic weak move that indicates strength. Again, this online poker tell comes from weak players who simply don’t know that they are giving their opponents a tell.

Weak players are generally not patient players and they want to get involved in a pot quickly when they have the goods. Most online poker programs have a checkbox where the player can check-on to automatically ‘bet or raise’ when it’s their turn to act.

This is a sign of strength! Unless you have a very strong hand, get out and fold. It may be hard to fold to a weak player, but when you know they have the goods, is it really worth losing more money to them?

A Golden Rule of Poker: When playing weak opponents you MUST play fundamental poker against them. That means you cannot play fancy with them, such as bluffing. You must play poker with the hands you are dealt, and not play the man. Weak players do not pick up on subtle moves made from good players, they are only concerned with their hand and they don’t think what you might be holding in your hand. Adjust your play against weak players and you will easily take their money!

With patients you will get a monster hand against these players and because they are generally Calling Stations and River Rats, you will be paid well for their lack of understanding the game.

There are plenty of fish online, so real them in!

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In this post I will be discussing two online poker tells that involve a players delayed time to act.

A Delay Followed by a Check

When it’s your opponents turn to act and the player takes longer than usual to ‘check’, that is usually a sign of weakness. The player is trying to convey strength by pretending to think about his strong hand and hoping to get a free card by getting you to check.

It doesn’t matter what you have in your hand, you’ll want to bet if you see this play. Make the bet large enough for your opponent to fold. You’ll scoop the pot the majority of the time if you see this play.

Be aware though, your opponents ’slowed reaction’ may be a result of the player multi-tabling and has not gotten to your table yet to act or is simply distracted at his or her’s computer.

One way of knowing if your opponent is multi-tabling is to do a search of the player. Most online poker rooms will display all the tables that the searched player is currently playing. Note: PokerStars has an option in their software where you can ‘hide’ from the search feature.

If I come across this play I almost always bet, regardless of what I have in my hand. Of course if I have notes on a player that tells me that they trap a lot then I may not make a move there.

A Delay Followed by a Bet

When a player seems to take a long time to make a bet then you better watch out. This usually means a sign of strength. They act slowly to convey the perception that they are weak and are trying to take a stab at the pot. It’s pretty much a value bet and they hope that you come back with a raise.

If you come across this play then you better have a good hand to call or raise with, if not, fold.

Ask yourself how many times you’ve done these plays? Maybe it’s time to mix up your game play? If you are playing a weak player than these plays will work most of the time. If you are playing a good poker player then try the opposite of these moves; try a delayed check when you have the goods and try a delayed bet when you have nothing.

It’s always important to adjust your game to your opponents skill level. Remember, good poker players play against their opponents, not their hands.