anyone has any help on reading players online?

[melinda1978]

i find it hard to read players, so thepro's here help out please. thanks

[Lance]

i find it hard to read players, so thepro's here help out please. thanks

This is the last thing you should focus on.
It is not great advice, but there are many other skills which are more neccessary to know to become a good player

[melinda1978]

like what? i really have struggle since joining the online world, dont know if maybe im not playing the right games but i find it hard to win, every one calls with crazy hands and beat me lol

[RockyMoose]

I've posted this before, and been poked at for saying so, but I still think it's a great read:

If a player "thinks" for a long time, and then bets or calls, he has a big hand.

If a player "thinks" and then checks, he is weak and will fold to a decent sized bet.

[rong]

Sorry Rocky, but I think thats rubbish.
In fact, I think most people either watch tv or surf the net while they play or multitable to the point where timing is meaningless (im playing 4 tables right now)

The most important points are touched on in the other simultaneously running "reads" post. ie watch what cards they play, frequency of play, raising tenbdancies etc

[TonyB73]

i find it hard to read players, so thepro's here help out please. thanks

This is the last thing you should focus on.
It is not great advice, but there are many other skills which are more neccessary to know to become a good player

LOL

Reading players/hands is the one single most important skill you need to become a good poker player (generally, I'm not talking specifically about SnGs).

There are many other skills which are necessary, but without this you'll never, ever be more than mediocre.

[dontezuma]

i find it hard to read players, so thepro's here help out please. thanks

This is the last thing you should focus on.
It is not great advice, but there are many other skills which are more neccessary to know to become a good player

LOL

Reading players/hands is the one single most important skill you need to become a good poker player (generally, I'm not talking specifically about SnGs).

There are many other skills which are necessary, but without this you'll never, ever be more than mediocre.

Um, this is the SNG forum, therefore, the discussion isn't general. In SNG's, player reading is largely irrelevant, while hand reading is important. It's important to know who at your table is a grinder sitting at 6 other tables and who is single- or two-tabling, because grinders aren't likely to be running a complex multi-street bluff in the second level of the $16 9-man STT. They are likely to be playing optimally and for value. That's why they are winning grinders. They can lay down AJo in the BB to a shove raise in the 50-100 level and shove 7-2 on the button two hands later.

Learn that skill, and you'll win consistently. Reading players online (he waited 13 seconds to call - is he strong or weak) is - as suggested - pointless in SNGs.

[melinda1978]

thanks and pokershark is helpfull, thanks

[Lance]

i find it hard to read players, so thepro's here help out please. thanks

This is the last thing you should focus on.
It is not great advice, but there are many other skills which are more neccessary to know to become a good player

LOL

Reading players/hands is the one single most important skill you need to become a good poker player (generally, I'm not talking specifically about SnGs).

There are many other skills which are necessary, but without this you'll never, ever be more than mediocre.

Yea, this is the stng forum, it means we are talking only about stng.
I dont think that multitabling pro player needs to read another players when his 20 tables are running simultaneously.
ICM, high blind play are more important matters for him.

ya its difficult to find someones strength online.......

I use Tournament Indicator in SnGs it's a powerful tool to help profile players when used correctly.the V.P.I.P. percentage plus the aggression factor number combined with the players win loss streak can help me put them on a hand to a remarkably accurate degree.Also for SnGs learning about I.C.M. is a must.SnG wizard being the best tool to quickly learn how to apply this in your play.The quiz mode is like having a paid coach give you a test after each SnG to see if you made the proper move in each hand.

[Wolle]

I'm hardly a pro or even a semi-pro, but here's my approach anyway:

The first thing is to be observant. Don't let yourself be distracted by a lot of other things (e-mail, tv, and the like). Instead, observe the play even when you're not in the hand.

First, note who's playing lots of hands and who's in fewer hands - loose and passive players. Start with those sitting close to you, if necessary. Then take note if certain players seem to raise and bet a lot - the aggressive players.

This should give you enough information to help you on who to steal against when the blinds start to rise. Don't get stubborn with your read, though. A lot of people change style on or near the bubble, so you'll need to keep looking for changes.

On top of this, I like to make note of who's min-raising and min-betting, cold-calling too often, chasing straights and flushes they have no business chasing, and whatever looks interesting.

Finally, if you see someone limping when the blinds are getting high (200/400) and above, try to figure if it shows weakness or strength. It's easiest if they show down a hand, but if they do it habitually, it probably shows weakness. In that case, you can profitably attack their high-blind limping with a raise.

This is plenty for me (playing 10+1 on Party, YMMV).

[Sprayed]

You will play less post flop in a shallow stacked tournament. You will also play less hands in a STT due to trying to make it in the money. Therefore, you will learn to read hands based on how tight or loose an opponent is by how many pots they open and from which position. By playing tourneys, you will lack experience in reading hands post flop.

If you want to learn to read hands for post flop play, play cash or HU SNGs. You then can combine board textures to how tight or lose a player is and play back accordingly. This is a skill that I lacked a long time due to being a tourney donk. I'm working to change that currently.