Improve Your Online Poker Play - Wait Before You Click

Don’t always use the Advance Action tab even when you know what you’re going to do before it’s your turn to act. The Advance Action boxes are the little tabs that come up on your computer screen with options such as Bet, Check, Call, Call Any, Fold, Raise, Raise Any, and Raise Pot. In online poker, you have a chance to click one of those buttons before it’s your turn to act, whereas in land-based games you don’t have that option.

The Advance Action button is a nice feature in that it speeds up play. If a player knows she’s going to call, she can click the Call tab and instantly be entered into the pot when the action gets to her. (This action is nullified if someone in front of her raises the pot.) She doesn’t have to wait until her turn to make her decision. The same thing applies when she wants to fold or raise. If someone raises in front of you, your Advance Action is no longer in effect. A tab will appear that forces you to wait to act until it’s your turn in the betting sequence, just as you must do in a traditional casino.

There are tells that you should be aware of in online poker. One of the Advance Action tabs reads “Raise Any.” When you’re planning to raise the pot no matter what anybody else does, you can click that tab. Be forewarned, however, that when you click the Raise Any button, observant players will recognize that you have a big hand because you didn’t take any time in making your decision. This is one of the big tells in online poker. Essentially, your opponents can tell that you have a strong hand because the Advance Action tab lit up instantly, telling them that you intended to raise.

You may not be able to see the whites of your opponents’ eyes online, but you can tell something about the strength of their hands by their advanced betting actions. Don’t give your actions away— wait until it’s your turn to act, especially if you have a big hand.