Using the Chatbox

Talking to Players in Chat

Online poker has allowed poker players to spar with each other far more often than they ever would in a casino. If you constantly berate a player in a brick and mortar casino there is a decent chance that they will try to physically hurt you. Most players don’t want to actually fight their opponents off the table, so these confrontations are rare. Online, however, everyone seems to be the toughest person alive. There is no shortage of players who constantly make threats on other’s lives.

Some players are just funny to watch in the chat box. They might get unnecessarily angry at the most pointless things, and these types of players are generally not a major worry for most online players. It is a part of the online aspect that makes online poker unique, I mean where else can you tell someone that you would like to stick their head in a blender without any repercussions?

Some of the most famous online poker players are known for their chat box rampages. Ziigmund, a popular high stakes player, is known for his fits of rage that are on display in the chat box from time to time. This is what draws spectators to the tables. Sure, it is fun to watch players battle for $200,000 pots, but it’s hilarious when they are screaming at each other in chat.

Even Mike Matusow, primarily a live game player, likes to express his emotions in chat. The chat box certainly adds a lot of value to the online poker experience, for spectators and players alike, but you can also make it profitable.

Using Chat Correctly

Most players advocate a “no chatting” policy, and this is definitely a game plan worth considering, but there are other options as well. While you might not be instigating anything in chat yourself, it is inevitable that another player will say something to you at one point or another. Now, if it is an insult or something that is just meant to start a fight you can just let it go. The types of comments that you really want to look out for will give you some insight into how someone plays.

For example, if someone says “Man, I folded jacks there,” you will have something to work with. You know what hand they folded (assuming you believe them), but you can now work to gain some more information. A good way to go about this particular comment would be to say something like “Oh yea?

What types of hands would have been good enough to call with?” If you are lucky they will reply to you and tell you everything you could possibly want to know. This is a fantastic way to gain reads on players that you otherwise never would have been able to pick up on.

Try to avoid starting a fight with other players at the table because it will often make it difficult for you to play a hand against the person you are harassing. They will sometimes switch up their play against you and it will make it difficult to determine what they are doing. They might have been passive before, but now they could be overly aggressive just because they are angry at you.

SUMMARY: Player Chat Boxes

The chat box is one of the greatest parts of online poker and adds an element that you can’t really find in a casino. If you use the chat box correctly it could be a great asset to your game, but if you use it incorrectly it could cost you.