Using the available tools to reduce poker game lag time...
DEFEATING LAG TIME Blessed are the Nerds for they shall inherit the Web. The trouble with online poker is that it’s so high tech we expect ever faster more seamless games flowing in entertaining and profitable fashion one after the other. One of the smartest pieces of software that enables swift progress through a game is the pre-action button. These are essentially buttons you can click prior to your turn to act to indicate the action you intend to take when your turn comes around. This is a clever and extremely efficient piece of kit which overcomes the problem of “lag time” during a game of online poker. Even if you are naturally swift in your reactions it takes up precious seconds to click your action button. These decisions and reaction times all add up at a table of ten players and collectively they slow down the momentum of an online game. On the other hand, if a majority of players at a table are using pre-action buttons it turbo charges the game which makes the whole experience much more dynamic and speedy. You can even use pre-action buttons to auto-post your blinds when they fall due. This again is a big time saver. Similarly you should familiarise yourself with the Sit Out button which enables you to alert the dealer if for some reason you need to miss out on the next hand being dealt.
HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS Activating the Sit Out button will mean you are dealt out of all games while you go for a meal or whatever you need to do. It’s easy to re-enter the game when you are ready. When you return, just check the box and another button is generated automatically reading: “I’m back! Deal me in!” Neat, eh?
GETTING TIMED OUT Using the pre-action buttons protects you against being “timed out” by the site. A lot of new players are unaware of just how many seconds are ticking by as they ponder what actions to take. This can result in the player concerned being automatically timed out. Most sites allow fifteen to twenty seconds for decisions to be taken. From the moment you see the ACTION button displayed the countdown begins. If you are timed out your hand is automatically folded, so timing online is a critical factor. It’s easy to see why this needs to be the case. Games would simply grind to a halt if all ten players were allowed to take unlimited time over their actions. A major part of the appeal of online poker is that it’s fast and furious so all these time saving devices work in favour of fun and fair play.
FINALLY A RECENT E-MAIL Q: Isn’t bluffing essentially lying with the deliberate intention of trying to trick another person out of their hard earned money? A: I could say No! It’s just a fun game! But there’s always the chance I’d be bluffing.
