Joined: Feb '08
Location: United States
Age: 51 (F)
Posts: 581
Table selection does not have the glamour of the check-raise river bluff or the thrill of catching that straight flush. However spending just a few minutes choosing the right table can have a significant effect on your poker profits.
Next time you log on to your favorite online poker room pause before you take that first available seat and ask yourself this – ‘What would be the perfect table for me?’. The biggest wins will come from playing with the worst opponents possible. Below are 5 ways in which you can find those bad opponents and give yourself an edge.
1) Look for the Loosest Tables.
Most poker sites show you the average percentage of players in each pot next to their table list in the lobby. Since bad players routinely enter too many pots you should look out for as high a percentage as possible. 35% or more is a good rule of thumb – if you can find a table with more than 50% of players in each pot then join the waiting list immediately!!
2) Which Tables Have The Biggest Pots?
Average pot size is another indicator of weak opponents. This is particularly true when combined with a large number of players in each pot. Bad players often go too far with their medium strength hands and big average pots are a good indicator of this. Look for tables with a pot size 50% or more above the ‘standard’ for the level you play.
3) Opponent Stack Sizes
Once you have identified the loosest big-pot tables make sure you check the stack sizes of the players sitting at the table. If more than 30% of the players are short-stacked (having 20 or less Big Blinds) then it may be more difficult to play good poker. Since pre-flop raising will often commit small stacks to the pot the range of hands you can play against them decreases. The best tables are loose, have big-pots and a majority of opponents with big enough stacks to pay you off fully when you hit that monster hand.
4) Table Position and Player Tendencies
The position of any free seat, in relation to the other players is an important next-step in selecting the best table. If the only free seat is to the right of a big stacked player who raises 6 times the blind every hand then you should look at the next table instead. Ideally you want to have the aggressive players on your right – this way you get to see their actions before you enter a pot. Spending a few minutes assessing your relative position can save you the headache of sitting at a table where you are unable to play hands without getting re-raised.
5) Keep A Buddy List
Some opponents are like your personal ATM. They are just so bad that they loose buy-in after buy-in. Make sure that you are the one benefiting from this. Keep a list of the very worst players and check the tables for them before you sit down. Many online poker rooms let you do this automatically. If you can sit to these players left that is all the better – the combination of a bad player and having position will put you in a very profitable spot.
GL Selecting Those Tables,
Mark Holland is an online poker pro and poker blogger. Aside from writing custom articles for PokerForums.org, he also writes on his blog where you can find more great online poker strategy tips and articles.
Joined: Feb '08
Location: Germany
Age: 41 (F)
Posts: 17
very n1 article.
I have only point against it.
The point of the relative position to weak players isnt realisable in my oppinion. U would have to watch each table BEFORE u join and u would have to wait until a goob seat is open. that is in my opppinion not possible.
On the other side ofc if u are on a table where u are out of position u should think about leaving thats right.
Everything else sounds very n1 to me! good solid post! ty
Joined: Jan '08
Location: Croatia
Age: 47 (M)
Posts: 1308
I was doing that before but stopped doing it, thanks for remainder. Everybody else follow this its the golden rule in making profits. Weaker the players, the bigger your stack is, and bad seat can cost you entire buyin in single hand.
Joined: Jan '08
Location: Netherlands
Age: 60 (M)
Posts: 622
Posted by Predobar: I was doing that before but stopped doing it, thanks for remainder. Everybody else follow this its the golden rule in making profits. Weaker the players, the bigger your stack is, and bad seat can cost you entire buyin in single hand.
Joined: Jan '08
Location: Croatia
Age: 47 (M)
Posts: 1308
It can get boring watching those tables before you choose, and when you choose if its rush hour then someone will get that seat before you do. Thats the problem, and if its not enough theres another thing, what if player structure changes rapidly after you finally got an empty seat. It does happen, so you have to watch entire table and find one table where at least 60% of the players are the one youre looking for. Short way is looking at the stats client provides, problem with them is that they show only last hand played and if someone raises preflop to size that, otherwise loose table, wont call you get false stats on that table, and oppositte, otherwise tight table gets into one of those hands where everyone has something and just calls initial bet, so you think its a loose table and it is not. Quickest way to do that is to adjust settings in client window to show you the tables by names if not by limits so they dont jump around when someone sitts in or leave table. Then take some time and look at those stats to hopefully find one where both potsize and average players per flop suits you. Wait for 5 or 6 hands than pick some of them and watch them for hand or two more to confirm that it is average value and not some spike. It takes time specially if hands are played slowly, Everest poker for example (I think they have longest average time per hand), and thats why i dont do it anymore. I take first available seat and wait for BB to come, in meantime im watching how table is playing, in case Im in BB first hand, im playing it pretty tight and certainly never calling big raise if i dont have the nuts. I dont have the patience anymore to wait that long. Im using shortcuts now. But new players often get caught in some K-Q situation and call a raise from a guy which probably didnt raised entire day, and is holding A-A.
Joined: Jan '08
Location: Brazil
Age: 36 (M)
Posts: 273
Posted by GJmetal:
Posted by Predobar: I was doing that before but stopped doing it, thanks for remainder. Everybody else follow this its the golden rule in making profits. Weaker the players, the bigger your stack is, and bad seat can cost you entire buyin in single hand.
Predobar
If it was so great.. Why u stopped then??
Guess he decided to play Sng Just or MTT's or perhaps hed ecided that he is so good he can play anywhere EHEHHEHE
I Dont follow some of these stuff coz i think its important
Joined: Feb '08
Location: United States
Age: 34 (M)
Posts: 179
this is a solid post.... i always track players that i see who are on EXTREME tilt.....and then play with them and take all their money haha
------------ this is a solid post.... i always track players that i see who are on EXTREME tilt.....and then play with them and take all their money haha
Joined: Oct '07
Location: Poland
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 67
Very nice article. I have read it three times And now I will try to make a little change in my game style. Thanks for this post I hope it will be helpfull
Joined: Feb '08
Location: United States
Age: 51 (F)
Posts: 581
Thanks, I use this tool for myself I mainly use the friends list tool. This helps out alot I play alot of cashgames everyday so I run into those poor donkies playing. every time before i sit down I search for them
And now I will try to make a little change in my game style. Thanks for this post I hope it will be helpfull 
