Ever since Chris Moneymaker turned a $40 satellite win on PokerStars into $2.5 million at the World Series of Poker, online poker has been booming. Online poker sites such as PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker allow players to enter tournaments for as little as $1.
The big difference between online poker and live poker is obviously the inability to see your opponents. This can be difficult as it is much harder to detect bluffs when you can’t see your opponent sweat after he makes that huge all-in raise.
However, one player’s tell when he is bluffing might be somebody else’s tell when they are holding a monster hand.
Here are a few guidelines to help determine whether a player is holding the nuts or holding rags:
Acting Quick is a Bluff
When a player puts out a bet very quickly, it usually means they are bluffing. When players act quickly, it means they had already made up their mind that they were going to bet before the community cards were shown. If a player hits a strong hand on the flop, he will usually take some time to think about whether he wants to check and set a trap, or bet hoping to get raised.
Since most flops will miss a players' hole cards, you can usually assume that the player is bluffing. For example, let’s say a tight player raises from middle position and you call on the button with pocket nines.
The flop comes 2-J-6 and the initial raiser bets quickly. It’s possible he could have A-J or K-J, but your hand looks pretty good on this board. Put in a raise and see what happens.
If you get reraised, you can easily throw your hand away. If you get called, you can re-evaluate the situation on the turn. Lastly, if he folds you win the pot out right and he may think twice about continuation betting when you’re in a pot with him.
Beware of Minimum Raises
Especially in the low stakes games, players love to raise the minimum amount, or min-raise. For the most part, a min-raise is a big sign of strength. Players use this play because it looks weak and they are looking for their opponent to get crazy and shove on them, or call because the pot odds are so irresistible.
However, if you bet with a flush draw and your opponent min-raises you, don’t think you have to give up the hand. Call the extra bet and see if you hit your flush. You may get your opponent to check on the next street thus resulting in a free card and another opportunity to hit your flush.
Overbets Spell Disaster
Overbets are when a player bets an amount bigger than the size of the pot. A few years ago, this play was used to appear strong when the player was actually weak. Thus it was used as a bluff. However, since poker is always changing, more and more players are using the overbet as a way to look weak, when in reality they are strong.
For example, let’s say you have A-J preflop and you raise in middle position to 300. A player on the button makes a huge all-in raise to 8,000. Since you only have 6,000, you will have to go all-in to make the call.
This is an easy fold. A-J is a strong hand, but it’s not worth risking your tournament life when you have so many chips left. This player most likely has aces or kings and is trying to get you to think he’s making a play at the pot.
If he shows a bluff, it’s no big deal. You lost 300. Move on to the next hand and wait for a better spot to take his chips.
Remember, these are guidelines, not rules. Not everybody that bets quickly is going to be bluffing and not everybody that overbets is going to have aces. You have to watch your opponents and see how they handle the aforementioned situations.
Of course, in order to get better at anything, you need to practice. Once you play 2,000+ hands, you will see similar situations come up and you will be able to handle them appropriately.
