Poker is an entertaining game of information that helps to develop the minds of players. This is because it’s a game that allows opponents to carefully study each other before and within the game. Whether you are a new or old player, it is important to note that there are several layers to playing a poker game.
However, reading your opponents is a fundamental aspect of playing poker. It gives a lot of valuable information before making decisions. This includes physical, behavioural, or verbal cues from between sizing, to other conscious and unconscious behavioural gestures.
It shows players’ confidence and can reveal if a player is bluffing or with a strong poker hand. Your ability to read opponents gives you a strategic advantage in the dynamic game of poker. Let’s take a deep dive into various tells and actions that can be picked up on when playing poker online.
Important Poker Concepts To Understand
There are several advanced concepts that players need to master in order to make important decisions while playing poker games. Here are some important poker concepts to guide you through the playing period.
Showing Hands
Once you have won a pot before showdown, you can either muck your cards without showing your opponents or show the hand before you muck, thereby showing the hand you had.
Many online poker rooms make this option available to you. You will discover this when two buttons pop up with an option to reveal your cards after winning a pot by your opponent folding.
A lot of beginner players showing their hands make mistakes in showing their hands. This is because you are giving information to your opponents freely. For instance, once you make the mistake of showing the actions you took with that particular hand, it helps the opponent to know your potential action in the future.
Also, there are two types of players to watch out for when showing hands.
- Players who show good hands: This type of player is either too excited at showing hands or is without the chance to show them.
- Players who show bluff: This set of players are trying to make you temp a tilt or push you to draw wrong conclusions. Once you have seen them bluff the pot before, chances are you’ll call their next raise a bluff and they probably have a good hand then.
Isolation Raise
This is a good concept to use where a short stack has gone in fully and you are considering playing but with other players in the pot who could call too. The concept allows your big hand to be protected and makes other players golf against the short stack. Hence you have to Re-raise to put pressure on the other players to stop them from playing thereby isolating the short stack.
Once no one calls your raise, then you have committed the original short stacks raise in the pot. By playing the fewer opponents, there is a significant increase in the odds of winning.
Placing Your Opponents in a Range
This is a vital skill either during live or online poker. The concept of putting your opponents in a ‘range’ is unique to making informed decisions. A ‘range’ involves various possible hands your opponent could hold and figuring out what the hands could be.
Where some players make mistakes is in trying to know the exact hand of their opponents. However, you don’t need to make blind guesses, you need a methodical approach.
Top Tells That Can Be Picked Upon In Online Poker
Bear in mind that you don’t see your opponents physically when playing poker games online however, there are various tells that can be picked upon. You should monitor;
Bet Sizing
This is information that is often underused but mostly shows the strength of your opponent. Once you realize how they play their strong or weak hands and the sizing they use in different spots, you have an advantageous tell. However, it is a player-dependent tell that occurs in two common situations.
It includes using tiny bet sizing and over-betting. Using tiny bet sizing is often an unlikely bluff. But over-betting is a player’s bet with strong holdings. Note that if you see an opponent using big sizing on a dry board, they are possibly value-betting.
Observe Opponent Timing
This has to do with the time opponents take in making decisions. For instance, an instant check can be a sign of a weak hand. Instant bet can indicate strength but not always. Raising hands, and checking after taking time can signify a strong hand.
These two important tells should be considered alongside other information as they player dependent.
Conclusion
Poker playing is a dynamic game of strategies and you have to consider all information available to you even as you play responsibly. Tells, Timing, and putting your opponent within range can be very helpful for beginners. However, when playing poker online or live, it’s important to observe your opponent and be open to adjusting your strategy.
