Online Poker Chat Box Tells

If you have ever played online poker you probably know a little something about the chat box. Without a doubt, it would be safe to assume that the majority of poker players online probably never even touch that chat box. For some however, it is there biggest flaw in their online poker game. Believe it or not, the chat box can be the best way to gain helpful information about your opponent. It can also be the best way to give off helpful information to your opponent.

Gaining Helpful Information

There are a handful of players that you will play against who seem to look at online poker as a way to meet new people and have a good chat. If you pay attention, you can gain a ton of information in a variety of different ways on your opponents. The first and most obvious would be when your opponent talks about things related to the current hand, where he may give off information that will help you understand what he has. For example, he may say something like “be careful I have the nuts”. Not at first you might not know if that means he has a strong hand or weak hand, but if you pay close attention then you will know the next time he says something like that.

Another way to gain a lot of really good information is by listening to the story tellers. Some players will sit there all day and talk about previous hands and why they made the decisions that they made. Some will even go as far as telling you about their entire poker session at a previous poker table. What they and many others at the table do not realize, is that this player is giving you the most valuable information ever-his thought process.

When you can understand and truly know the thought process of your opponent, you really can know what is in his or her hand. When you know how they think, you can stop and think about what they would do in that position based on their thought process. When you know what they did in a bunch of other situations, it is not hard to guess what they would do in similar situations. This is the most valuable information you could have on an opponent.

Giving off Helpful Information

The best way to make sure that you are not doing what was outlined above is to keep away from the chat box. You should always pay close attention to the chat box, because you want to get that information when it is handed to you. What you do not want to do is start typing in there and engaging in conversation that will end up beating you when all said and done. Unless you are saying “good hand”, “good game”, “good luck” or “thanks”-just don’t talk.

People think that you cannot get a tell on someone online. While it may not be as easy, it is still very possible to get some very good tells on your competition. One of the easiest ways to do so is by just simply observing. A good place to start is with that little chat box that so many seem to ignore.