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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Table selection

I have long been of the opinion that table selection is one of the most important factors in winning online poker, but recently I have been reviewing exactly what makes a 'good' table.
My natural game is pretty tight (I'd like to say tight/aggressive, but one out of two aint bad) so I normally look for a pretty loose game where I will still get callers when I raise for the first time in three orbits.
Using PAHUD I look for tables where 2 or more players have a VP$ of over 40% with a table average VP$ of around 30%, or higher if possible.
The difficulty then comes with the fact that nearly all the pots I play are bigger than average, and with a couple of calling stations on the table, after a raise with maybe two callers, and a continuation bet with one caller, or maybe more, I have odds to call with almost any drawing hand, which can start to get expensive when I miss (and I miss a lot of draws).
I have been wondering if there is a better way to play, maybe by picking tighter tables to play on and playing more hands, a more LAG style.
This way I get to play more hands, see more flops, for less money, and once people see me playing more junk, I should get called down even more when I do hit a hand.
I'd be interested to know how any readers pick their cash tables, is the loosest game always the best ? I notice that from time to time, there is a big queue for a particular table for no apparent reason, I guess there must be a big fish sat there to have 7 or 8 people waiting for a seat, but I don't see the need to join a queue that long, as surely the fish is the first to leave and by the time 6 or 7 people in the queue ahead of you are seated any value must surely be gone.
If anyone has any strong views either way on this please post a reply.

4 comments:

Wildcat said...

When you see a high average pot bearing in mind the blinds, it's generally a good sign that it is a very loose table and is worth joining to play tight aggressive.

Anonymous said...

I read somewhere to take very little notice of the lobby avergaes as they aren't very accurate at all and to actually open the table you're interested and wacth for a few orbits before sticking your money down at the felt.

Wildcat said...

It doesn't always follow that it will stay that way (average pot), as obviously some of the players go bust quickly, however it is a good indication at that moment in time, which is why you often get high waiting lists on those tables, most players like the idea of being on tables where no-one takes any notice if you play like a rock.

Unknown said...

I agree but wining in poker game that sometimes depends upon the poker tables . To win the game skills and luck are the most important factor not the table. But some time the seating at poker tables helps in winning the game.