What’s one of the most famous things we connect with poker? Body language – the ability to keep a “poker face” (aptly named), the skill to read others and to be unreadable yourself. It’s a big chunk of this game’s charm and a huge reason that it attracted players across the centuries to enjoy it, but when we translate our much-loved game into the digital space… well, do we lose all that?
One of the biggest drawbacks of playing digital games (whether we’re talking browser games at a casino or the best video games of all time) is that you’re not in the same space as the other participants. Ergo, you can’t see what they’re doing.
So, does online poker eliminate the need to think about body language and tells?
Not entirely! There are a number of ways that body language, or at least how you behave, matters in an online poker game, even if your opponents can’t see you at all. Let’s get stuck in.
You Still Have Tells
We all know that commonly quoted stat, 90% of what we say is non-verbal. It’s not strictly true, at least the way most people understand it, but the idea unquestionably has merit! And if you’ve played traditional poker, you’ll know how much body language matters. You spend a lot of your time at the table watching the other players, weighing up what they’re doing (or not doing) and determining what cards you think they hold as a result of these things. But what about when your opponents (and you) are hidden behind screens and you lose things like shaking hands, twitchy eyes, shifting in seats, and more?
Some people think online poker loses much of its character because of these losses, but that doesn’t have to be the case! In fact, there are some fascinating new areas you should turn your attention to. Imagine briefly that you’re playing online poker in Canada. One of the other players seems to be taking a very long time to make up their mind about their turn. That gives you insight into what hand they might be holding and if you play with them enough to start learning their patterns, will help you hone your own decisions.
What they do after the wait can also be informative! Do they raise the bet? Call it?
What about when players are very quick to play their next card? That’s often indicative of a weak hand. Consistent pauses could indicate they’re trying to throw you off.
Who’d have thought there’s so much to learn just from how long somebody takes to think about their move! Knowing this means you can increase your chances of winning against other players and also, crucially, means you can minimize your own tells and throw off your opponents.
Check Out The Chat
Many online casinos these days offer chat functions and if you’re keen to make your digital poker games more engaging, these are your friends. You can whip up a relationship with other players, and this is another avenue that could give you hints about what’s going on in your opponents’ hands. What they say (or don’t!), how fast they type, how long they take to respond. All of these are clues that you can use to give yourself an edge.
Of course, it’s not easy! Although some people prefer writing to talking, there’s little question that it’s harder to communicate things like tone in text, and that means your fellow players may not express as much as you’d hope in their written communications – but even so, there’s plenty of information here if you know what to look for. Do they use emojis? Do they suddenly get chatty before revealing a good hand? Find the patterns and use them to your advantage!
You Can Play Live Versions
For some folks, nothing beats the fun of face-to-face poker… but does that mean you have to go to an actual brick venue? No!
The wonders of technology never cease, and they’ve brought us to a world where we can play live versions of online poker with dealers and other players streamed right to our screens. Simply turn on your camera and microphone and watch others do the same – and you’ve got almost the same experience as sitting in a casino alongside others.
In the future, this is bound to get better still. This is the kind of thing that technology like VR was pretty much born for! In the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to feel like you’re sitting in a glitzy casino hall, lights and music all-included, with virtual projections of the other players seated around the table beside you – and you’ll be able to bring back all the fun of watching for their tells in ways that today’s video streaming can’t quite capture.
And until we get there? Well, the above puts the virtual poker experience on a par with the physical one, and lets you have all the fun of exploring poker tells from the comfort of your home!