In English, the word "tell" means an action or gesture that can give information about the strength of an opponent's hand. For example, in live play, you may sometimes notice that when your opponent is violently throwing chips into the pot, he is always bluffing. Signals are of two types. Shared signals mean certainty about certain actions for almost all players. Individual signals mean an action specific to a particular person.
All gestures are generalizations only. For example, many players try to portray a strong hand, confidence and aggression when in reality their hand is weak. Conversely, people often try to portray weakness on very strong cards. However, many are aware of these characteristics of opponents, and use reverse psychology if they realize that you are trying to use the principle of "strong is weak". General signals help a lot as long as you don't know your opponents well enough. Once you begin to get to know a person better, you will be able to recognize his individual body movements.
There are many different gestures in live games, as you can directly see the reactions of the players. Hands shake, look around, blush, scratch their nose, juggle with chips, sometimes they even say something that can give out information about cards. Signals on the Internet relate solely to the speed at which an opponent is placing bets.
Before discussing specific signals, let's look at two ways in which players bet, raise, call, or fold online. The most common and obvious way is just pressing the appropriate button when it's your turn to walk. Another way is to press the special checkmarks on the buttons in advance, and your move will be made automatically to your turn. For example, you can pre-select the check / pass or bet / raise button before your move comes. When you use these buttons, your move is almost instantaneous.
Immediately, I want to warn about a subtle point. If you take a close look at the list of players at the tables, and find that one of the opponents is playing at the same time on two tables, then many of the online signals will not work, as their reaction time will be significantly reduced. Now let's look at some of the signals that are found online.
A check after long deliberation often means weakness.
Many players who “think” or wait longer than normal and then check are trying to convince the table that they have a strong card. They try to portray strength by supposedly "thinking" over whether to put money. In fact, they want you to check, too, and they get the next card for free. If your opponent is going to check-raise, they usually check after a normal, short pause, and then raise your bet.
A bet after much thought often means strength.
An opponent who “thinks” for a long time and then attacks usually has a strong card. In this case, he is trying to show weakness by “doubting” and wants you to call.
An instant bet or raise on the turn or river often means strength.
Many players who instantly put money in the pot or raise have a very good card. When discussing signals, aggressive behavior usually means weakness, but my personal experience shows that most often in such cases the opponent was really strong. Your opponent thinks you think that he would never raise that fast with a good card, which means he uses reverse psychology and raises the bet instantly - so you think he is weak.
I think this play is intended to convince you to call. Don't let this call-forcing strategy work against you. If you don't know your opponent, it is usually best to think of an instant raise on the fourth or fifth card as a strength.
This signal has a different degree of clarity depending on which map it appears on. On the river, an instant raise almost always means the nuts or a hand close to it. On fourth street, the turn, this often means a very strong hand, although some players quickly attack on the turn with the intention of checking the river. A quick raise before the flop also means a strong card, especially from early and middle position, but a quick raise from late position is difficult to accurately classify - perhaps just localization.
I came to the conclusion that it is very difficult to draw conclusions about the opponent's card, who instantly raises on the flop. Some raise on good cards, some on weak, hoping to get a fourth card for free (eg overcards).
An instant check often means weakness.
Many players use the check / pass button if they plan to fold any bet. This is especially true for players who sit on two tables at once. There are several ways to use this signal. For example, suppose you are the last to sit. The first player checks, the second and third player instantly checks. Since the two in the middle are likely to have nothing, bluffing against the first check can be very successful.
Another situation happens when you are the player who checked first. If after you all the opponents immediately checked, there are good opportunities for bluffing on the next card. These draws work especially well on large sites like ParadisePoker and Partypokerwhere the use of the check / pass button is widespread. Also, many players on these sites sit on two tables at once.
Two warnings regarding this signal. Rarely, there are cunning players who use the check / pass button to play their very strong hands in slow motion. Secondly, there is a rather thin line between an instant check and a fast check. Using the auto button means intent to fold on any bet. This is not at all the same as a quick check in turn. Which brings us to the next signal.
A quick check often means weakness. But beware of the check-raise.
A quick check often means that your opponent is weak, especially if there are many players in the pot. However, beware if a player raises after a quick check! When you check-raise, you are most likely trapped, since the quick check was almost certainly done to get you to attack first.
Remember that all signals are generalizations. They work well against unfamiliar opponents since you have no other information. If you have been playing with one person long enough, observe their betting patterns, and preferably write down what happened as a result and what card they had. Does his playing style match the general signals? Does he use reverse psychology? Does he have individual signals? Some may use the buttons for both strong hands and bluffs, so an instant attack from such opponents means nothing.
As a final note, I will say that try not to give any beacons to enemies yourself. There are two methods for this. One is to just make a move at about the same time - always, on any map and street. Another is to change the speed of your game in a completely random way. For example, if the last card is red, make a move in about two seconds, and if it is black, then after four seconds. This strategy can be confusing to observant rivals - those who themselves look for signals ... and do not find.
Source CasinoGames Magazine
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