Chat rooms have become commonplace on all kinds of digital platforms. They are a complement designed for socializing and allow you to interact with the people present in the rooms in real time to replace the interpersonal treatment that you would have face to face if it were a face-to-face situation.
The case of online poker is no different, and chat rooms have gained a lot of popularity in this kind of games because they make the interaction between opponents much more relaxed. This, for example, does not occur in physical poker rooms and is considered by many as an evolution of the classic poker concept.
However, professional players, experts in using all the tools at their disposal to achieve an advantage that allows them to beat their rivals, use the chat rooms themselves to deceive the other players or try to manipulate them to extract some kind of information that will be useful to them during the game.
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The use of support resources to gain a strategic advantage
The deal between players is key in many poker games. It’s an aspect that can make or break a game, and although in online poker it was thought until recently that this strategic component could not be exploited because of the characteristics of the digital format, savvy players have found a way to simulate something similar through integrated chat rooms.
“Undoubtedly, it is a way to reinvent online poker because it replaces the traditional face-to-face and body language reading that exists in conventional poker and moves those reading and bluffing tools to the digital plane, which makes online poker maintain its strategic base and allows any player to deal with the rest of the rivals either by courtesy or by interest, adding an extra component to these games”, explained from PokertimeClub, one of the reference apps whose work is focused on the organization and hosting of virtual poker rooms.
The most advisable thing to try to maintain harmony in the game room is to use this resource responsibly, something that is not always achieved given the fondness of some players to trolling. “Poker has always been a gentleman’s game and that essence must remain in any variant or modality of this game. This applies to online poker, and one of our tasks is to ensure the smooth running of the rooms and the resources we make available to players,” they explain.
As a general rule, when a player wants to get information about players, he starts by testing the waters and discovering their moods. “The most vulnerable are always the ones who are angry about a change in their luck, so it’s best to reduce interaction with the other players if we are going through a slump,” says the application team. “In fact, there are players who even use the chat as a way to let off steam, often without realizing that they are providing invaluable information to the other players in the room, so it’s best not to be impulsive. You have to have enough self-control to manage this type of frustration on your own,” they say.
But the effect that these attitudes have on the game also travels in the opposite direction. “This can be used to deceive the players, transmitting an image of weakness or frustration so that the rest take more risks in the bets”, they explain from PokertimeClub.
Typical abbreviations in an online poker chat game
As in all chats, there are methods for writing expressions or complete sentences using abbreviations. It is very convenient to know them in order to learn how to manage in the chat of an online poker room and deal with the other players in an agile way. “You should also think that a novice gives himself away when he uses the chat the first few times and does not use the usual abbreviations, giving clues without knowing it and thinking that he is just being polite in public,” they comment from PokertimeClub.
“While some abbreviations are in general use, others can be demonstrative of the player’s level of experience and the sharks will always be on the lookout to try and make the most of the player’s situation,” they say.
Some of the most commonly used abbreviations in these chats are as follows:
– gl = good luck. It is said to wish good luck to a specific player or in general.
– gla = good luck all. To wish good luck to all the players in the room.
– gg = good game. A compliment to acknowledge the quality of an opponent’s game.
– wd = well done. Another way of expressing an opponent’s good play during a hand.
– wp = well played. A synonym for the previous one, although it is the least used form.
– gh / nh = good hand / nice hand. Two ways of recognizing an opponent’s play with that hand.
– vnh = very nice hand. Very nice hand. Another way of saying the same as above.
– n1 = nice one. Same meaning, but a simpler way of saying it.
– np = can mean “no problem” or “nice played”. Usually used for the first option.
– nb = nice bet. Good bet, one more compliment to pay to an opponent.
– rofl = rolling on the floor. Used along with LMAO and LOL to express laughter or amusement.
– ffs = for fuck sake.
– ty = thank you. Can also be used tx or tyvm (thank you very much).
– uw = you’re welcome. No explanation needed, huh?
– ul = unlucky. When you are not being lucky or want to remind a player of his bad play.
– sb = small blind.
– bb = big blind.
– pp = pocket pair. Also known as pair in hand.
– mtt = multi table tournament. Is widely used in online poker.
– tptk = top paire top kicker. Another way to say top pair.
– zzzzzz = is an onomatopoeia to express boredom.
– brb = means be right back, and is used to say that you are going to return to the game in a moment.
