Tells are one of the most romantic aspects of poker. A tick that telegraphs the strength of your hand is such a common image associated with poker that the term “poker face” has entered common parlance. Many people believe that the ability to read the opponent’s gestures and manners is the main thing that separates a pro from a fish.

These same people also consider online poker to be a less pure side of the game because there are no tells and you can’t tell which hand someone is holding because you can’t see them. Of course, online poker players know that tells are a much more reliable method of reading hands – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any clues to be spotted at online poker tables.

Here are some of the most common:

Bet size (Bet Sizing)

A bet size tell is one of the tells that can be found in online poker and “real” poker. Some players will bet larger amounts relative to the pot size with their bluffs to avoid a call, while others will bet larger amounts with their valuable hands to get a bigger payout or to make it look like a call. bluff.

Novice players will sometimes bet a particular amount with a bluff that leaves them with an even number in their stack – for example, a new player with $ 43.59 might bet $ 13.59 on the river; the logic is that “if I am called at least I will still have $ 30”. Conversely, others bet non-round numbers (eg: $ 123.63) to make a large stack appear on the table and scare when they have a weak hand.

Timing

Here’s another clue that you can use at casino tables as well as online. If a player takes excessive time to act before the flop before raising or calling, you can assume they have a weak hand. If you have a player thinking a bit before raising, you can assume he doesn’t have a big pair or a total trash and is thinking about whether or not to play the hand.

The same logic applies after the flop but the other way around – a quick call often indicates a medium strength hand since a monster hand should consider raising and a weak hand should consider bluffing.

Cat

These poker tells are not subtle. We recommend that you never use the chatbox unless you are making a final table offer in a tournament, but if you have the option to hide the chat from players, don’t take it. It’s rare, but sometimes players make the mistake of using chat and telling you their hand.

The old principle of “weak means strong and strong means weak” applies here, and a player who catches in a way that encourages you to call probably doesn’t have a great hand.

A few final notes

All poker tells are player-dependent. You can’t sit down at your regular online poker games, watch someone make a certain bet or take a certain time with a hand and then establish that as a definitive, reliable reading. Like all adverse tendencies, it must be observed regularly before it can be relied on to make decisions.

Whether you are playing live poker or online poker, reading an opponent from a tell should not be the center of your decision making, but rather a factor to be considered along with playing it. history of the opponent, the dynamics of the table and the metagame.

When you start playing poker, you want to “play poker”. But, with experience, we quickly understand that a multitude of variants exist. Playing No Limit Hold’em is very different from Omaha, Stud or Razz.

Make sure your coach is good at the variation you are playing. Many people think they are strong in Omaha when they are not.

If you are aiming for a rarer variant, you can sometimes find good specialist coaches.

Think about the limits. If you play NL25, a coach who is very good at NL200 may be better than an NL1000 cash game player who might misunderstand the dynamics of low limits. Obviously, the coach would largely win, but he can underestimate the weakness of reflection of the opponents.

Then also be well aware of the differences between tournaments and cash games. A player like Elky is a tournament monster, but less proficient in cash games, and the reverse is true.

When I first started playing poker, coaching was rare. To learn, players read books, watch videos of live events, discuss hand histories together …

Then, sites like Deucescracked or Bluefire Poker were born. These were coaching videos where good players advised on how to play through theory lessons or live sessions.

Very quickly, these sites began to offer real individualized coaching. Paid by the hour, the coach reviews the hands you have played and advises you on the optimal lines, gives you advice to work on your image at the table, to train alone, to use the right tools, to improve your ranges… In short, c he is a true mentor.

Is Coaching Helpful In Poker?

Yes and yes! In fact, many excellent poker players still have coaches or have had them in the past. The coach can by his level and experience make you cross a real milestone.

In addition, it can guide you on the good habits to have in order to be a good player. The price of a good coach is high, but you will quickly pay off the investment if it is good.

And this is where the difficulty arises! In poker coaches, you have both good and very bad. Some say they are coaches even though they don’t even beat the NL100 online.

Before choosing yours, be sure it’s the one for you!

The pedigree of the coach

Before thinking about the price charged, investigate to find out the level of the coach. Don’t just rely on what he says and look for evidence. Online you have sites that give you results on poker players.

For live tournaments, The Hendon Mob is the benchmark, while online, Sharkscope is pretty good for tournaments and SNGs.

Ask the coach questions beforehand or poll other people through poker forums or Facebook groups.