How to Understand if Someone is Bluffing in Online Live Poker?

Understanding when people are bluffing and being able to make the right call is a big part of poker and one that many players are not good enough at.

Whether you play poker in a live setting, online, or in one of the online poker rooms that allow you to see your opponents via webcams, picking off players’ bluffs can make all the difference in your bottom line.

While some may think it takes a special kind of courage to make that “hero call” or that making such calls is not a good idea in the first place, there is definitely room in poker to make light calls against certain types of opponents.

Keep reading to find out when and why you should make calls even with marginal hands and what you should be paying attention to if you want to know when a player is bluffing.

Picking Off Tells from Amateurs

When you are playing against amateur players, especially in live poker games and online games with webcams, you should definitely be looking at their facial tells and body language.

The truth is that it is very hard to remain calm while bluffing unless you have done it a million times as the blood starts pumping faster and the adrenaline rush caused by the immediate danger you find yourself in can be enough to make anyone exhibit some tells.

If you are facing a bet from your opponent, which could potentially be a bluff, make sure to take your time and allow them to sweat for a bit if they are bluffing.

If you’re careful about choosing where to play and pick sites 10CRIC Real Money Poker, you can expect to find many amateurs playing just for fun.

Bluffing and online poker

Any body language tells they might exhibit will only get worse with every passing second. Use this time to your advantage and try to make them feel as uncomfortable as possible.

Many times, amateurs who are bluffing will act extremely strong, start talking smack or do other things to indicate their strength. In reality, they will be very weak. After all, advertising strength when you are strong is not the best idea for the most part.

Bet Sizing Tells

Bet sizing is one of the biggest indicators of bluffs and value bets in both live and online poker, especially when you are playing against non-professional players.

To determine whether a bet is for value or a bluff, you may need to know a bit about your opponents, as different players have different tendencies.

Some players try to bet big when they are bluffing while making small bets for value in order to get called. On the other hand, more timid players may try to bluff you with a very small bet to try and buy the pot cheaply.

Understanding how different players behave in various situations and what types of bets they make when they have it versus when they don’t could make you a ton of money in the long run.

As always, being aware of your surroundings and keeping track of your opponents’ tendencies will bring you the desired results.

Every Word Matters

Poker is a social game, and if there is any type of interaction between players, it will convey some amount of information.

Sure enough, players will use “speech play” to try and throw you off your game or make you do what they want, but you should also be able to use their speech against them.

For the most part, players tend to speak more when they are bluffing, while those who have the goods tend to keep their mouth shut.

Spotting poker tells

Serious players will usually not say a word while playing a hand regardless of their holdings, but you may be able to get some info if you chat up the recreational players.

If you are playing online with webcams, it can be a good idea to ask them what they have or whether they are bluffing and hear what they have to say.

Every now and then, they might just say the wrong thing and allow you to get away with making a very light call.

The Math Matters

Sometimes, it doesn't really matter if your opponent is bluffing or not, simply because you are getting odds that you can't miss out on.

When the bet is small, and you only need to be right once in a while to make the call profitable, it may be time to close your eyes and throw in the chips.

If you are having second thoughts, make sure to implement the other things I mentioned in this post and try to get any kind of a tell that might lean you one way or the other.

Folding when the odds are particularly good and being wrong can be very painful, so make sure to bluff catch a lot in such spots, especially if you have cards in your hands that block your opponent from having the actual nuts on the board.