What makes the truly great online players so consistently successful? Being continually observant of not only their opponents’ patterns, but also their own. Last month I discussed how the use of the automatic action buttons might stereotypically be a sign of weakness, but that occasional use at the correct time can hide serious strength. To conclude the idea that you can create situations in which your opponents think they are using the information against you – when really you are setting them up for a fall – I want to deconstruct that most seemingly basic of online tells: speed of betting.

Many players, if they feel they are behind and drawing, will take a fair amount of time to make their decision.