Please Explain Internet Timing Tells To Me

[nhtool]

I had a hand last night in a NHLE cash game where I check-raised the turn on a four-straight board with the low end of the straight and the villain instantly reraised all in. I laid down my hand because he reraised me so quickly. When you check raise someone in a tight NLHE cash game and they don't even hesitate to come over the top, then I think that's a pretty strong tell that they've got a monster because 90% of the time they're beat and could easily get stacked unless they have something approximating the nuts.

That was my thinking at the time, until I remembered that in a lot of cases my super-quick bets and raises indicate that I have a medium-strength made hand with a strong redraw (i.e., top or middle pair with a straight/flush draw) and I want to be aggressive with it. I generally hesitate more when I have the nut made hand because I want to think about how to extract maximum value.

So, really, you never know that much based on someone's timing.

My conclusion after playing what must be millions of hands of online poker is that by-the-book timing tells are only reliable in rare situations, especially considering that so many players are multitabling and/or playing on crappy connections, but I do think we subconsciously pick up on things much more than we realize.

[DDBeast]

When someone instacalls a dry flop, I find they usually fold to a turn bet.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If your opponent takes a long time to bet, he must have a monster hand, a medium hand or be bluffing.

If your opponent takes a short time to bet, he must have a monster hand, a medium hand or be bluffing.

Anything else?

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT.

Timing tells = total BS

"I have a monster, Im gonna take a long time so he thinks im bluffing"

2 hands later

"I have to bluff, I better take a long time so he thinks I have the nuts"

[/ QUOTE ]
The next hand: mmmm... this is a good cheeseburger... oh [censored]! I'm about to time out!

[WutRUTryin2Hit]

[ QUOTE ]
When someone instacalls a dry flop, I find they usually fold to a turn bet.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the best one so far, ees true.

[ICMoney]

If someone takes a long time to call:

He might have a medium strength hand and will fold to multiple barrels (uNL beware).

He has a monster and are mentally counting your chips.

He is making players at the other seven of their tables wait too.


[b]Just dark tunnel bluff and hope for the best.

[Dur13l]

Timing tells are so reliable. Especially when your opponent is 10 tabling.

[sonneti]

Anyone that calls really fast is usually trying to get you to slow down.. Most casual people players don't multi table so you can usually rely more on their tells.

[BlackRain]

When somebody times out, you win teh monies

[Jamougha]

If they bet instantly then they didn't think about what to do. Some bets require thought to make.

[Mcbrag]

instabets seem to usually be made by some kind of made hand (even if it's just top pair on the flop). Instacalls seem to be made by some kind of made hand that realizes it is probably beat but wants you to know they are going to call through the river anyway and wants you to slow down (i.e. second pair or top pair weak kicker). Delayed bets, calls, raises, checkraises don't mean Jack. There are any number of reasons for the delays. Multitabling, connection lag, answering the phone, petting the dog, whatever. Although many of the low limit donks seem to think that a delay means weakness and dedide to get tricky, losing themselves extra bets.