Thanks to the buttons online poker provides its players, tells can be determined rather easily. There are several buttons including check, bet minimum, bet any, call minimum, call any. There is also the Post and Fold / Sit Out button. If a player is sitting out and your poker provider allows he/she to still be in a pot that no one has raised make sure you bet to get him/her out of the hand, especially if it’s just you and the big blind post and folder in the hand.
Study the way your opponent bets. Some players will even throw out specific numbered bets when they hold a specific hand.
Betting Patterns
Here are a few betting patterns and what they might represent.
The check raise events for pocket pairs and flush / straight represent making their hand on the turn. Also note that the player may just bet rather than check raise.
A check raise typically signifies an opponent slow playing their hand or an opponent on a draw trying to take control of the hand. It’s important to know your opponent so you can draw a distinction between which of the two categories they fall into.
Betting patterns may vary from player to player so avoid using this list as your sole idea on betting patterns. A lot of players will habitually bet the same way, possibly the same number of chips even. Betting strong on draws is the most common, especially considering that it’s listed the thing to do by a good number of poker authors, even this website has it listed.
Some opponents may fold every time they are reraised, check with a great hand, always check the river, etc. With Level 1 and lower Level 2 opponents betting small means strong and vice versa.
Look for the speed at which your opponent is betting as well. Opponents who reraise you quickly may be on a draw, whereas if they pause to think, they may be considering folding OR how much to bet with the hand they’ve just picked up. The speed of your opponents bets and its tell will vary from player to player so don’t set anything in stone as an obvious tell on everyone who plays poker.
