Everyone who plays online poker knows what it is like to sit down at a table only to find that all of the good players have moved or everyone is leaving you alone pre-flop. If you are short on time, most sites will let you speed open multiple tables looking for action.
winning at slots in a casinoAction? Sometimes all we ask for is just one single raising war before bedtime. But if you want - no, need! - to create some action at your current table, the quickest way is for you to move. And to do that, you’ll first have to figure out which players in the game are more likely to call stationers and who might be persuaded to open-push with marginal hands. In other words: Who is the fish at the table?
How to Spot a Fish at Your Poker Table
Spotting a fish at a poker table isn't as easy as it used to be.
Spotting a fish at a live poker table is getting harder and harder as new players learn quickly and old players die off slowly, but overall the total number of fish in any given live game grows ever more rare.
Head over to the online poker tables, however, and you're still likely to find enough amateurs, hopefuls and straight-up bad players to keep even the dullest and most unskilled grinder afloat.
So how do you spot these players before you take your virtual seat? Look for these six signs of an online poker fish:
1. Brand New Player
This one's pretty self explanatory. Most poker sites offer some sort of bonus for new players (check our best poker bonuses here).
They often have a specific tab or filter where you can see all the newbies. If you're interested in making some cash while the getting is easy, this is the best way to go. These players quite often will bet decent sized amounts to many different players pre-flop, showing nothing and leaving after only an hour or so.
A lot of these players just came from the free ring games and have very weak skills. Some won a small satellite and have no idea what hit them. Most of these players will be aggressive pre-flop and usually all-in on the flop.
Blackjack Secrets Every Serious Player Needs to Know - PokerlistingsBe careful when playing this type of player as they can catch a card or two and play better than they really are. Also watch for players who seem to always be all in. They may have an alternative account.
Many sites now prohibit more than one account per player but plenty still exist so don't be afraid of calling such a player if you are ahead. He may look scary, but if it's not his second bucks he's playing with, then it's yours when he hits you with that SUV card.
Fast-fold poker is an exception, though, as you never actually share hands with your opponents and therefore can't observe their tendencies or playing style. So don't stress too much about trying to figure out what newbies are doing in that game.
2. Low Volume Player
A rule of thumb in holding information about other players at a table is this: The less players interact and talk with each other the easier it is to stay under the radar and manipulate them.
South Dakota Casinos to VisitA player who doesn't observe and adjust to what's going on at the table will show his hand more easily to everybody, because although he might fold to a raise from a difficult opponent, he probably would have called or even pushed with the same hand against a fish.
Therefore, a smart thing to do is seek tables where this kind of player is predominant. Of course, you should avoid tables where such a player is the only fish, because eventually he's going to figure out that he's the only one giving away money and say goodbye.
But if the other players are tight and show down fewer hands than the lesser experienced ones, there's a good chance you can get in there before he figures it out and get some of those easy calls or pushes.
Seek tables where this kind of player is predominant.
Once you've gotten what you came for, leave the table before he does. As a side note, this also applies to skilled players. You won't beat a table where the average skill level is significantly higher than your own, but you can definitely find some tasty pots at such a place if the fish is less observant of the other players' behavior.
house edge casino3. Doesn't Seem to Pay Attention
Frequently, you'll see players at the table who obviously did not observe the previous hand's actions; that is, players who push all-in during the next hand's betting phase, ignoring the fact that they just called your last all-in with a worse hand only a few seconds ago.
Or perhaps a player folds a hand without looking at his cards. This kind of player is normally a very big fish and will make liberal use of his stack, no matter whether the odds are in his favor or not.
Of course, sometimes a player gets bored and just starts pushing all-in with random hands - this is known as freerolling and is defined as a fun exercise, not a serious online poker strategy. But if a player is just button-mashing at random, you won't be able to freeroll him - he'll push before it's his turn, or reach for another beer before the hand is over.
To get maximum value from a spacer like this, you should try to avoid getting into confrontations with the other players at the table. When you're not dealing cards, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
These players usually feel quite happy to give away several buy-ins in a row and will rarely remember (or care) whether it was you or someone else who sent them to the cashier. On the other hand, if you manage to dodge the trucks driven by the other players, you can score big profits in the long run by simply getting out of the driver's seat once in a while.
Casinos Near Naples, Florida - Touts & Reviews4. Always Calls, Rare Times They Raise
When watching the action at your table, you'll notice a distinct pattern in the play of about 80% of all the players:
- Really tight, only playing the best hands
- Occasionally, they'll raise or re-raise (RR) when they think their hand is the best
The rarely raise, but when they do it's a strong hand mentality is deeply ingrained in beginning and low-limit players. It's hardwired into them by years of seeing cowboys and marshals on TV and screen - a legacy of the Wild West, where drawing on somebody was considered bad manners unless you were sure you had the best hand.
These players will almost never bluff, and you shouldn't expect them to. Instead, wait for them to come to you. When the time is right and the other players seem reluctant to put their money behind their strong holdings, don't hesitate: push! Most of the time, you'll get all the chips.
Occasionally, of course, you'll run into a nasty card dead with no hands stronger than pocket sevens, and in a fit of desperation you'll decide to show the sevens to "trap" the timid soul. There's a good chance he'll see through your ruse, though, and lay down something even remotely stronger than dirt.
This play has a stigma attached to it, so use it with caution. However, if the timid player has been showing weakness for some time, it might be time to fire up the old S-L-U-S-H special!
Use the seven magic beans with caution, though.
100% Charity - Winning at Online Casinos and Giving it AwayOne last word about timid players: As mentioned above, you should never base your own decisions on what the timid player does. He's the last person at the table to pick up on anybody else's playing changes, and waiting around to see what he does first will cost you a lot of money in the long run.
Pay attention to how the other players act when they're not trying to impress the timid soul; study their verbal and nonverbal tells, and try to detect patterns. Finally, when you're absolutely certain nobody's looking, feel free to peek inside your opaque chip stack. You might be surprised - some opaques have both white and red chips in them!
5. Tries to Be Aggressive Station Raiser
At every table you join, there will always be at least one player who likes to raise with anything - especially if it's folded to him in late position. At limits $10 and below, such players are usually easy to read and even easier to manipulate.
For every one of these players who got in , read five more library copies of Texas Hold' Em For Dummies, all of which were opened and discarded equally hastily. The typical For Dummies series book is renowned for its bold, primary-color design and large, clear fonts.
Casino Review UK - Slots & Other Games to PlayThese books feature lots of pictures and cartoon balloons filled with advice like "Yay! You just won a pot!" or "Boo! He checked limped his button." By carefully watching the expression on this player's face while he studies the cartoon about the bunny rabbi who wears sunglasses and picks up pots without even looking, you'll be able to tell what he just raised with.
If he's frowning because the jack of diamonds got the better of the eight of clubs , then you know he's holding a medium to strong hand. But if he's wearing his "Big Poppa Pump" t-shirt (a Xmas present from his older sister), then you can be fairly certain he's raising with anything - possibly including the Xmas turkey.
These players will frequently pump-fake you, trying to make you believe they're raising with nothing. Don't fall for this ploy, or they'll start bringing in mediocre hands for a roll, claiming they've found your tell - the little hair that you missed when you combed your head this morning.
No, in all seriousness, you should treat aggressive raisers like this with the respect they think they deserve ... until you're sure they don't have what they're representing. Then you should call them out, show them how it's done and invite them to "get their own website."
6. Gets Frustrated and Starts Playing Crazy
Even the biggest, burliest road warriors were once cub scouts, learning the meaning of G.I.F.T. (Great Idea Fully Implemented Tomorrow ). Unfortunately, most online poker ubercubscouts have already reached the _Fully Implemented**)** stage, typically right after they've just lost an important hand.
Ways You're Sabotaging Your Chances to Win at the Casinos- (AVOID)From this point onwards, it becomes virtually impossible to reason with them, as their cognitive functioning has regressed to the point where logic and reasoning skills are replaced with a series of randomly generated sounds roughly resembling poker terminology .
Don't waste your time trying to understand what they're saying - just keep your eyes peeled for the inevitable result of this mental regression: the CrazyPHase._
During this psychotic episode, the ubercubscout will play every hand that comes his way, with absolutely no regard for position, previous action or the color of the deck. All hands are created equal in the Crazy Phase, and every hand is deserving of immortal glory ... or at least a roll.
Is this kind of player profitable to play against? Absolutely. Is it easy money? Not particularly.
Unless you carefully analyze the ubercubscout's earlier play (which can be rather difficult once his ID has devolved into a random string of numbers and letters), you might end up running headlong into a slowboat packed with Marine life. That kind of surprises hurts, trust us.
More often than not, however, there's plenty of value to be had in the Crazy Phase. Just be sure to stick to straightforward, workaday vehicles like Chevys and Fords; renting a Porsche or a Lambo is apt to get you bent out of shape ... and maybe even devolve _you_, into an ubercubscout. Trust us on this:
Want More Tips on Spotting Online Poker Fish?
We could go on forever talking about the weird and wonderful ways in which online poker fish can behave, but hopefully the above breakdown gives you a solid starting point for recognizing and reacting to the various species of cyber-cardplay.
legit online casinos usaRelated Reading:
The better you get at identifying potential paydays, the more profitably you'll be able to milk the weaker players at your tables. For more tips on spotting fish and reeling them in, check out . If you're still new to the game yourself, you can also find
Once you've mastered all of these tactics, you can move on to . Until then, though, we suggest sticking with the Cripple Creek Casino - the lubricated grannies with the slot machines there are absolutely positively guaranteed to have explosives in their purses. ... Okay, that last part might be a slight exaggeration. Maybe sticking to the online poker rooms is a better idea.
What's a Fish in Poker?
In the world of poker, a fish refers to a relatively inexperienced amateur player who loses money to better players over the long term. A fish typically plays too loose, calling too often and failing to fold weaker hands even when they're facing a bet from a stronger player. They may also make impulsive bets or raises based on emotions or tilt rather than sound strategy. While a fish can sometimes win big pots through luck or better cards, their overall losses will continue if they continue to play at a level higher than that of an amateur. Understanding fishing in poker is key to maximizing your winnings in the game.
[RANDGROUPLINK]**_*'_Xmas _**is used here as a euphemism for "Turkey," since in many households the holiday bird is as much a part of traditional celebrations as shouting "Merry Christmas!" at inappropriate moments.