Advice
You have probably noticed that you can chat with your opponents while playing poker online. Is this recommended or not?
The chat - a world apart...
The chat is available in a small window in the lower left corner like in the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker rooms, but can take much more space like it does in Winamax (a retractable window). Online casinos are very popular these days.
Talking about a chat over a game of poker is sometimes the most hilarious comedy or the most dreadful tragedy. Whether it is at a bad beat or the player hits the keyboard too hard or the two players are discussing about "Celebrity Farm", one can read everything during a poker chat.
It is strongly advised not to talk too much during a game. Many players use the chat to destabilize the players and announce "a hand" by writing for example, "A8" (which stands for Ace-8). By no means should you believe what these players write. The chances that a player actually has what they write they have are very low, so consider they had never spoken and play your shot as you would normally. This is a way of bluffing players seem to be more and more interested in.
A good player can chat with their opponents if they are sure of their game. Daniel Negreanu, for instance, speaks at a poker table in order to read his opponents. Why should it be different online? First of all, the chat is a totally different world from the real one, a world where players express their resentment and no one can see their reactions. Of course, you can read an opponent by their way of writing: these are called tells in online poker!
But the comments posted in the windows are often meant to cover tracks during a game. The chat is becoming rarer and rarer and more serious while it generally depends on the limit and the type of game you are playing. The conversations are much more random if the limits are lower. Do not overdo it because you will provide guidance to your opponents, especially during intense parties where important bets are made. Stay focused at all times.
Shut up and play!
Feel free to delete a conversation if you feel oppressed by it and accept only the important messages. This option is available in the largest poker rooms. However, note that some rooms do not allow you to hide the discussions at the table. For instance, this holds true on Winamax. However, you can retract the window to the right. Well, this is a big flaw poker rooms should remedy and fast.
Whether the limits are low or average, the information provided is often banned because it is either the result of a player’s frustration or an attempt to "mislead" the players (induction in error).
In conclusion
It is much safer to play against an opponent that expresses themselves live at a table rather than against one that expresses themselves online.