Most players at the mid-levels and above have mastered the concepts of pot-odds, values, position, pocket strength and all the other basics. But how often do they really utilize one of the biggest advantages that online poker offers? Online cardrooms differ from live games in a multitude of ways, and most live players find transitioning to online to be a bit daunting, but the most glaring difference is one I think is too often ignored. When you see pros playing at the highest levels, it looks like they can see through their opponents’ cards at times, especially when they’ve played their opponents frequently. Most online players think that image and playstyle and all that are just not as important in online games as in live rooms, but that’s just wrong. You don’t need to be a pro at the WSOP to be able to utilize your opponent’s style to your advantage. Just observe a player’s patterns long enough and you can often anticipate certain tendencies and tells. All you need to master this aspect of poker is some patience and a notepad, maybe even an Excel spreadsheet if you want to get really fancy.

Recognize

The first step in knowing your opponent is to determine their style. There are countless bits of text on this topic and everyone has probably heard of the most common playstyles – tight-passive, tight-aggressive, loose-passive and loose-aggressive. Most online rooms offer some sort of “notes” option for specific players, so every time you play against a name you’re familiar with, write down what you see! By constantly jotting down quick notes on a player’s style, you can differentiate their real tendencies from their more rare actions. Most players also change up their playstyles over time, so when you keep a log on someone over a period of months, you’ll be able to know how they played in prior games, how their style has evolved or regressed, what their preferred style is in certain situations, etc. All this information is extremely important in recognizing a player’s strengths and weaknesses.

Observe

Although people tend to switch up their tactics in tournament play based on the blinds increasing, the size of chipstacks, the player pool and other factors, most people tend to stick to the same general strategy. If you notice that player A pushed heavy preflop just to show an A9 offsuit in the showdown, take note. Chances are they’ll do it again. If player B is always raising in late positions or on the buttons, make full use of this when the opportunity arises. Timing becomes important as well since many player’s have certain tendencies that come out in response to particular events. For example, some players may follow all their strong handed big-pot-wins with a bluff. These little tidbits are always useful in anticipating what a player will do.

Anticipate

By recognizing a player’s general style and observing them in action, it’s not unreasonable to anticipate a good chunk of their moves. The more data you’ve got on a player, the easier it becomes. Play with someone enough and you may even know exactly when they’re on tilt. It’s not often you hear of chip bullies turning into passive players, or tight-passive guys turning into loose maniacs. When there are just a few people left in a tricky hand, any and all information you’ve got on your opponents could help you out immensely.

History repeats itself at the poker table as often as it does anywhere else. Always be prepared with as much knowledge as you can gather – chances are it will be your most important weapon.