Deciphering online tells uses a completely different set of skills than deciphering live poker tells. For the obvious reason that you have no physical opponent to stare
out, you will need to use alternative methods to figure out your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
How long someone takes to make a bet is a tell, but a tricky one to correctly work out. Especially if you normally focus on Scratch Cards over poker.
The ‘stall’ is an often used tactic deployed to feign weakness. A player with a strong hand will take longer to put that final bet in on the river to pretend they are
bluffing. However, more experienced players use this tactic as a reverse-bluff, so be careful when attempting to read into the stall and avoid it entirely when playing
against a player of experience and skill.
Betting patterns are also a way of trying to read your opponents’ hands. An opponent’s bet which is anomalous to the rest of his bets should stand out to you. A tight
player who suddenly sparks into action with big, quick bets.....alarm bells are ringing! Unless you are very strong, get out of the way of someone like this who has
ramped up his betting.
Players who chat incessantly will almost always be poor and partial to tilting. A player on tilt is a player who is willing to pay you off cheaply. Rude, obnoxious
ramblings in the chat box are a dead giveaway for a player who thinks he is better than he really is.
The fact that online tells are hard to read and decipher makes them all the more important. By using the information above, you might be able to get a decisive edge on
your opponent.