The obvious difference between playing poker in traditional brick-and-mortar casinos and online poker rooms is that players do not sit right across from each other, removing any ability to observe their opponents' tells such as reactions and body language.

Instead, online poker players have learned to focus more on so called behaviour tells that are not physical in nature. These include betting patterns, reaction time, speed of play, use of check boxes and auto plays, opponents' fold/flop percentages. Since poker is a game that requires adaptability, successful online players quickly learn to watch out for these signs.

Another thing pro poker players look out for is the rate of play. In brick and mortar casinos, the average rate of play is around thirty hands per hour. However, in online casinos the dealing and shuffling are instant, there are no delays relating to counting chips, and the play is considerably faster due to "auto-action" buttons, where the player selects his action before his turn. It is not uncommon for an online poker table to average ninety to one hundred hands per hour.

Every online poker room has time limit for each player to respond before he is declared either all-in or folded. Often the speed of play can be a good “tell.” Typically, a quick bet is a sign of weakness, and a delayed action is a sign of strength, as the player is calculating his strategy with what he percieves to be a huge hand.

Source:  Poker777Staff

Friday, 15 May 2009