getting reads in online poker

[kgrad5]

what exactly do you look for in looking for a tell in online poker? just betting pattern? can anyone give me an example?
thanks

[LeftBack]

Matthew Hilger wrote a book specifically dealing with hold'em online. He has some info on tells:

http://www.internettexasholdem.com/

I haven't read it in a while.

One of the obvious tells is someone who acts instantaneously because they checked a "next action" box. Since most experienced players don't do that, it's limited.

How about someone who buys in with 10BB? Do you think they're going to be tight? Some times, it's entirely the opposite.

What about someone who shows cards? Is it vanity or inexperience (forgot to check the "muck" box)?

Chat's annoying, but it tells you who might be tilting. You can watch it in PP hand histories without distractions. It also identifies potential participants for raising wars.

[B Dids]

First thing I do when I sit down- check PT and make notes of their VISP.

Don't do too much at once. If I'm multi-tabling, I'll only have PT, party and media player open. No web browsing, no TV, nothing to distract me from what's going on.

I try to only post in the BB, so that I've got a free orbit to watch folk's play.

Just watch how many hands they play if I don't have them in PT. After two orbits you'll get something of a feel for their hand selection. A big part of this is using the HH to see what people are showing down and betting with.

I always look to see

-once they've limped, are they seeing a flop regardless of a raise or a 3-bet?

-if they're in the blind, will they defend?

-will they go to showdown with middle pair?

-will they bet their draws?

-will they 3-bet preflop with monster hands?

-do they think they're tricky, do they try to "make plays"?

-will they slowplay good hands?

Make lots of notes, but don't be afraid to correct them. If I've got a note on somebody, I'll pay them extra attention to make sure their read is right. I know that I'll occasionally make a suspect play right when I set down to throw people off on their reads, so I want to make sure that they don't do the same. The guy that 3-bet with bottom pair might not always be a maniac.

Anything beyond just betting is hard. Sometimes you can tell if somebody is using an auto-raise or auto-fold button, but I wouldn'd put a ton of value in that.