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Poker Table Selection Strategy
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Table Selection Tips for online poker
Table selection is why professional poker players are able to make a living doing what they do. This is one of the most important articles in our online poker guide. If a good working pro were to go sit at the toughest game every night, they would have a very hard time making a living. Although great players can make money by outplaying other great players, it certainly is challenging and definitely not as fun as taking money from lambs. You don’t have to be a pro to recognize good tables and to exploit them the same way the pros do. You just need to have a little knowledge of what to look for and you can be taking money from lambs too. This technically may not be a real "poker game strategy" article but it is definitely as important as position or hand selection. Lobby statistics and what to look for
Lobby statistics are all those weird numbers you see listed next to the available tables at your favorite online poker room. Whether or not you are privy to this, these numbers are very important and you need to know what they mean! The two most important statistics to look at in the lobby are the players to see the flop statistic (Plrs/Flop) and the average pot statistic (Avg. Pot). The players to see the flop statistic displays in terms of percentage, how many players voluntarily enter the pot and see the flop. You will want to look for a number of between fifty and sixty percent. Even higher is better because what a high players to see the flop percentage means is that the game probably has several loose and poor players involved. These are exactly the kind of players you want to be up against! If you see a number below 40% then this generally indicates a tight game. Now, a tight game could be profitable if the players are tight and passive. If they are tight and aggressive players though, a game like this is trouble and you should look for something better.
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By looking at the average pot statistic, you can get an idea of how big the pots are getting at a certain table. This statistic can indicate a few different things. A high average pot number means that the game is loose but that it might be full of maniacs too. Maniacs are definitely capable of hemorrhaging money, but they can be tough to play against, so just make sure you are ready to throw some chips around if you enter a game like this. The key is to throw those chips around with premium hands! If you find a table with a low average pot when compared to other games in the same limit then you could be looking at either a tight game or simply a passive game. You may want to watch the table to see exactly what is going on. A passive game is an excellent place to make some money, and the right tight game can be as well.
Some table observations you can make
After you have observed the lobby statistics and have found a good game or you have searched high and low and can’t seem to find a game with good numbers, it might be time to open up a prospective table and watch. There are some certain things that you can look for even in the online world that will tell you a story about your opponents. Here is a list of things to look for:
- Look for players low on chips. Most likely they are playing with scared money or they are on tilt. Move in and exploit them.
- Look for chatty players, specifically really cocky ones who never say anything nice. These players are completely full of themselves and very susceptible to a strong whooping from a good player. Be careful, they will come out guns a blazing if you take a pot from them.
- Chatty players in general probably are more worried about something else than poker. Quietly move in, don’t say a word and take all their money.
- Watch out for pro players. Okay it might be neat to say you did it, but why in the world would you want to sit down with a professional poker player?
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