Time: Is It An Online Tell?

One negative aspect that is inherent to online poker is the lack of tells that can be read on your opponents. You have no face or physical actions to watch. Most online poker experts will tell you to pay attention to the time that a player takes to make an action. I don't believe this is necessary at all, and will usually lead you astray.

A lot of players play multiple tables, don't know what they're doing, or are distracted while they're playing. So if they take a long time, this isn't a tell. But many players think they are being astute by watching how much time you take. Use this to your advantage. If you're last to act with a big hand, consider hesitating and making a smallist bet. Your opponents probably won't put you on much. Or try betting instantaneously. They also might believe that you are bluffing. If you have your opponent covered in chips, try betting exactly the amount that they have left. They'll usually fold.

 

Clearing Online Bonuses

Online poker is booming. Poker sites want to do whatever it takes to get you to go with their sites a common promotion is the initial deposit bonus. Depending on which site you play at, you will typically receive between a 20% and 100% deposit bonus for making your first deposit bonus. Larger poker rooms usually don't need to offer as large of a bonus because they are not as desperate for new player traffic as some of the startup poker sites.

Players new to online poker should be aware that usually this deposit bonus doesn't mean instant cash that's put into your poker account. All players should read the fine print on any given bonus page from the poker site. Bonuses are usually dispersed slowly - rewarding you for playing a certain number of hands at their site or contributing a certain amount to the rake.

For larger stakes players, this may be somewhat insignificant. Their table usually contributes the maximum rake, and their bonuses are cleared quickly. However, smaller stakes players may have a difficult time clearing these bonuses without employing certain techniques. For example, if you feel comfortable playing at a looser table, you should consider looking for tables with higher average pots while you're clearing your bonus. A larger pot will mean a larger rake and more bonus credits to the players. If you enjoy playing multiple tables, that is a perfect way to clear bonuses quickly. Play 3 or 4 small games simultaneously to greatly reduce the necessary time to clear the bonus.

 

About the Author

Joshua Heilpern is a contributor for several poker strategy websites. He also runs Online Poker Room Reviews - an original poker strategy and review site.