Online Poker Psychology

The winner of the 2007 World Series of Poker is a 39 year old psychologist from California. Jerry Yang tells reporters, while posing with his $8.25 million in winnings, that his secret was aggressiveness. He would study the players to find their tell, and use that against them in the game. Using his skills as a psychologist, Yang was able to analyze and eliminate every player he came up against, up to the very end.

What most poker amateurs don't know is that online players use the same strategy. They study their opponents to find a tell-a weakness-only to use that tell to eliminate the player. Obviously there is a difference in live poker and it online equivalent when finding tells. With a little patience and keen observation, an amateur online player can use the strategies of the pros.

As in live games, online poker requires that you know your opponent, without letting them get a "read" on your own playing habits. Playing too liberally or too conservatively can be hazard to any player. Experts suggest mixing the two styles to throw off your opponent. In the process be careful to look for someone doing one or the other. A conservative player will fold easily if pushed. Liberal players usually bluff too much and aren't paying attention.

Another good online poker tell is the amount of time each player takes to play. If a play is made with only seconds of hesitation, then you can be assured that your opponent is using one of the games' predetermined options. These options, according to LaunchPoker.com, include the commands "raise any" and "call any". A player that is using this option is a distracted player, usually one at work, surfing the net, or playing multiple sites at once. It doesn't take long to figure out if a player is using these options, if they are, take full advantage. Other tells include excess chattiness which also is an indication of a liberal player; also constantly loading the "bankroll" is a sign of a bad player with money to burn.

No matter what venue you play, take a cue from poker champion Yang. Taking the time to study your opponents can pay off big time later in the game. Even on the online tables, find the tell and aggressively shut that player down. And don't forget to watch yourself, alternating styles so that the others can't read on your tell. Oh, and a little bit of luck along the way just won't hurt either.