Poker Psychology - Profit from Using the Table Chat

Although tournament directors in live tournaments do their best to reduce the amount of chat that goes on during the game, talking is as much a part of poker as poker chips. poker psychology is a crucial factor, and since the game began, players have been talking to each other in attempts to deceive, provoke and gain information. Poker is a social game, and the ability to chat with your opponents is so important that every poker room allow table chat with your opponents (you have the option to block this feature). Chat not only helps you get to know your opponents as people, it helps you get to know them as poker players and can give you the information you need to take their chips. Not that many poker strategy articles have been on this subject, so we will give you a few valuable tips.

Live Poker Table Chat

You can gain a lot of information by listening to the chat at the table, even the chat that has nothing to do with poker. A player who is frequently complaining about the score of the football game on television or the result of the last horse race is probably a pure gambler, playing poker for the action and a good candidate to fatten your bankroll. A player who likes to coach, telling everyone why they should have played a hand differently or why they themselves played a hand a certain way, is actually telling you how to beat them. Simply play counter to their expectations and they will do what you want every time. A player who is cursing the dealer, continually asking for new cards and complaining about their luck is usually a very poor player who doesn’t realize that it is bad play and not bad luck that is ruining him and you should be reluctant to leave the table while this player still has chips in front of him.

Online Poker Table Chat

Online poker table chat is a little less frequent since it requires extra work to type words into the box. However, it does happen, usually by one player to complain about how bad the player who just beat him out of a pot is. Keep an eye out for which players are using chat to vent their frustrations, which are trying to demonstrate their skill and knowledge and which may be trying to gain information. If at any time you feel the online poker chat is more distracting or annoying than informative, go ahead and block it. Note that players who say that the sites are rigged and that certain bad beats happen more often on this site than on others or than in live casinos are probably superstitious players who think they are much better than they actually are. These people are great potential targets for the savvy poker player.

Poker Chat and the Play of the Hand

Chat as it happens during a hand can also be a tell. A player who is talking a mile a minute, then suddenly looks at his hands and clams up probably has a very strong hand. He knows he is going to be involved in the pot and needs to concentrate. This can be true for a player who chats online frequently and suddenly stops as well. Try to note how a player acts when he has made a big bet or has a big decision. Some players talk a lot when they are bluffing, others feel comfortable talking when they are strong. It’s up to you to determine which are which.