Online Poker Techniques

[Alan Mendelson]

There was an interesting comment made in another thread about online poker -- comparing it to live poker in casinos.

Most "live" poker in this world is played online. This completely eliminates all that mystique about reads

True. With online poker gone are the "tells" that Mike Caro made his study of, and wrote his book about. But there are other "tells" in online poker including bets, chatter (comments), and knowing the history of how players bet.

With online poker you can't watch a player's eyes or see how he is handling his chips or whether he looks at his cards more than once. But playing the game online and remembering the patterns of players can give you plenty of tells or signs and signals of what a player has or is holding.

At various sites where I play free games (I won't pay for online games because I don't trust the technology of the sites -- they could knock you off the site mid-hand or during the game) I know how many players "play." I know which players tend to raise when they have picture cards, and I know which players tend to go all-in pre-flop based on what pocket cards they might have been dealt. I know which players play small cards and which play only "big cards."

There are different tells in online play.

[coach belly]

But playing the game online and remembering the patterns of players can give you plenty of tells or signs and signals of what a player has or is holding.

You don't even have to remember patterns...you can keep notes and refer back to them while you play...right in the middle of a hand!

Don't try anything like that in a live game.

[redietz]

Realistically, I think playing online at a cash game table with seven or eight other people is asking to get whacked, as your opponents could be skyping or instant messaging their cards to each other. Or you might be up against a co-ordinated table of info-sharing bots. If you have a decent hand, you'll never get true odds.

I think in tournaments this is less likely, but I still wouldn't play anything above movie money.

The history of Ultimate Bet and so on just makes me cynical. The UB folks were blatant and greedy. It would be easy to cover your tracks if you weren't.

[Alan Mendelson]

redietz it is well known that there are groups of players who sit in the same room on separate computers and play in the same games and tournaments. You'd be insane to play for real money in any online casino.

[jbjb]

Agreed and why I like it prohibited. Way too easy to cheat.

[slobdinger]

I consistently beat the low stakes NLH on Bovada.

[coach belly]

I consistently beat the low stakes NLH on Bovada.

I don't think the kids who turned $50 into millions online cheated....they have mad skills.

They know the math for the holds...and use their own special plays to hit big winners.

[redietz]

Speaking of poker, I had an odd moment online tonight. I was playing in a tournament and was first to act. I called with QQ. Two positions away, the big stack raised me 3X. Next guy called. It came around to me; I pushed all in. Big stack called -- AJ. Other guy folded.

I am aware an ace beats me; I'm a tad better than a 2-1 favorite. Flop comes 7-2-2. Okay. Turn comes 2. Okay. I brace for the ace. No ace. I am relieved. Wait. It's 7-2-2-2-2. I lose?!? Yes, I lose.

Not nice. Not nice at all.

[jbjb]

Speaking of poker, I had an odd moment online tonight. I was playing in a tournament and was first to act. I called with QQ. Two positions away, the big stack raised me 3X. Next guy called. It came around to me; I pushed all in. Big stack called -- AJ. Other guy folded.

I am aware an ace beats me; I'm a tad better than a 2-1 favorite. Flop comes 7-2-2. Okay. Turn comes 2. Okay. I brace for the ace. No ace. I am relieved. Wait. It's 7-2-2-2-2. I lose?!? Yes, I lose.

Not nice. Not nice at all.

I flopped a full house in UTH with a 4x bet holding 7,7 (flop was 7,8,8). Turn/river cards were 8,8 and I lost to the dealers 9 high!

[redietz]

Oh, that is a bad one. Much worse. I would have sat there befuddled.

[slobdinger]

Twice in my poker career I've flopped top set and gotten beat by an underpair to the board.

[slobdinger]

The biggest hand I've had cracked is quad 8's. No bad beat jackpot in the joint either.

[Dan Druff]

Yes, it is possible to win playing online poker.

[Dan Druff]

That screen shot was from last month, but I have a similar balance right now, despite cashing out 19k since then.

[Alan Mendelson]

Two "quads" stories:

1. In an online game (free site) five players are all in, four have an Ace with various kickers, and the fifth player has QQ. The board is quad 5s with a Q. The player with QQ can't understand why the players with the Aces had a four-way chop.

2. When I first started playing poker years ago at Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood I was pre-flop all-in with AK and another player had AJ and also was all-in pre-flop. The board had quad-8s. In ERROR the dealer at the casino gave me the pot with AK. I later found out that the two of us should have chopped because we both had 8888A.

[slobdinger]

That screen shot was from last month, but I have a similar balance right now, despite cashing out 19k since then.

My trust in Bovada just went up. Tod, if you dont mind my asking, what are you exploiting on Bovada?

[slobdinger]

Tod, also, do you have an opinion as to why Bovada discontinued the stud cash games?

[slobdinger]

Mike Sexton tells the story of when he was at the final table and moved all in with pocket queens. He got called by two players both holding pocket tens. The flop came QJX. A 9 on the turn and an 8 on the river and he was out of the tournament.