Online, is this noticed?

I am reading Hold Em Poker for Advanced Players. One of the things he says about fast and loose play is that you should not agonize or ponder a decision when it comes to your turn. He says it causes the loose players to think about the fact that there are deep considerations to be made and it can cause them to take things more seriously than before.

Do you think this has the same effect online or it is seriously diminished?

Seriously diminished. Lots of people play slowly online. But you should try to play reasonably quickly ... very slow play annoys people, and annoying people typically isn't good for you. You can occassionally use all your time when you have a good hand to 'ponder' a call. Some people will think you have a marginal hand and aren't sure if you should call.

Originally Posted by EricE

I am reading Hold Em Poker for Advanced Players. One of the things he says about fast and loose play is that you should not agonize or ponder a decision when it comes to your turn. He says it causes the loose players to think about the fact that there are deep considerations to be made and it can cause them to take things more seriously than before.

Do you think this has the same effect online or it is seriously diminished?

I think it is true of online games. Especially if you are playing at a table with a couple of semi-thinking opponents. The fish might not notice it, but the semi-thinkers will pick up on it and be more cautious when they play a pot with you.

And annoying other players can be very useful! I personally struggle internally with the ethics of intentionally winding up the oppo (like I should worry about ethics when there's $$$ involved ), but there's no doubt that anything that blinkers your opponent one way or another can act in your favour.

Of course, it can backfire - making a pssive player more aggressive can caus no end of trouble - not only do the start attacking the bluffs you've been getting away with all game, but he suddenly finds that aggressive play is winning him pots!

Having said all that, I hate really slow players, people who don't auto-post blinds and take the full countdown to bet post-flop. Maybe some of them do it on purpose, I don't know. But I tend to mark them down as unprofessional, and am more likely to treat them with disdain - until, of course, I get my fingers burned (and there have been 2 or 3 of them for sure).