Body language is the tell tale signs you display under various situations. Poker tells is the body language of poker and is a useful tool to help you read your opponents hand and what their next move might be. But what about online poker? When you play at an online poker room, the rules change when it comes to poker tells. 

Physical signs in general require a keen eye to pick up, which would make picking up on tells online virtually impossible. But there is a way. Since you can't actually see your opponent online, the only information your can use is: 

• the speed of their actions
• the significance of their actions
• how it compares to their past actions

Online tells you should look out for 

Following is a list of general online poker tells you should look out for. Remember the general rule of thumb when it comes to poker players: strong opponents pretend to be weak while weak opponents pretend to be strong. 

Long pause, followed by a strong raise 

While this is a popular trick used by most players, it is also the most obvious. The scenario goes like this: You bet and your opponent pauses for about 10-15 seconds before raising you. Don't fall for this. Sometimes your opponent may legitimately think you are bluffing so he raises you, but most times your opponent has a big hand. 

Instant automatic raise that is usually very strong 

This one is exactly how it sounds - your opponent raises fast, without thinking twice. Occasionally this may be used by bluffers, but most of the time is used by a player who is confident in their hand and willing to bet or raise regardless of the action. At this point you should consider folding or check-calling this down, but no matter what, it is best you be careful from this point on. 

Instant automatic check with a weak folding hand 

This is a straightforward tell as most players only use the autocheck button when they are ready to fold. Sometimes players are willing to call after auto-checking, but you will hardly see someone check-raise with an auto-check button. 

Odd number bet 

Quite a regular fixture on internet no limit games, you should not take notice when a player does this. Some players do this to throw their opponents off, some do it to make their bet size seem bigger, while others do this as an attempt to get you to fold. 

Opponent quickly calls your bet 

Opponent will do this to seem like they are not afraid of your bet. Using reverse psychology you can determine whether this is a ploy to throw you off or not. In this situation you should continue betting as normal. Some players do make quick calls when they really to intend on calling the river, so it is up to you to decide. 

Remember that experienced players will often give away poker tells as a way of fooling you into thinking you know their hand. If you decide to try deliberately giving away tells, be sure to target the right opponent. 

Conclusion 

By observing your opponent's strategy online you will see that you don't actually have to see another player in order to read their strategy. These methods of game play are easy to pick up on if you are really serious about the game. 

Author bio 

This article was written for how Volcanic Gold  and offers tips into playing online poker.