Table selection

By Philip Tuck

Maximize your profit by picking the right game at the right time

One of the most critical considerations for the skilled player is the game they are choosing to sit in. In the online age it is all too tempting just to get on every available waiting list and just sit down in the first game(s) that come to hand. Yet just as you throw away bad cards when they get dealt, so you should often discount certain tables when you look at them, not just leap in as soon as you can.

There are two key considerations when looking at which tables to sit at. The first is the type of game running. If you look carefully, you will quickly see that often hold’em will not be the best game available. Take a look at any major site right now for example, and you will see that most of the best high stakes games will be in Pot Limit Omaha, an action game that seems to currently attract more fish than the Hold’em tables. By becoming proficient in all the varieties of poker, you will be able to take advantage of the best style of game available, and profit accordingly.

The second consideration is one that is unique to online poker - that of table statistics. Here are the key stats that online sites enable you to quickly and easily review before you sit down at a table; with a short guide to what you should be looking for:

Average Pot.

This statistic really speaks for itself. You usually want to be looking for tables with the highest average pot possible. This suggests that the players at the table are gambling hard, taking risks, and playing large pots with marginal hands (after all, they can’t always have aces) - all great features when looking to maximise profit.

Players seeing the flop.

This is an invaluable tool in judging how tight or loose the table is playing. If this percentage is low, it suggests that the table is playing quite tight, with many pots resolved pre flop - usually not great for maximising profit. If this stat is high, it typically suggests the table is overly loose - which typically makes it easier to win large pots due to the constant influx of chips pre flop from players with marginal hands.

A table with a low average pot, and a low players per flop stat will nearly always not be worth sitting in.

Hands per hour.

This is a much overlooked stat by many players, but one which is very useful. It may often be worth sacrificing a little on the average pot and players/flop percentages in order to drastically increase turnover. In the case of a table that looks slightly worse than another, yet is playing twice as many hands per hour, it will probably be worth sitting in the faster game - the extra profit generated per hour by playing so many more hands is well worth a small sacrifice in game quality.

Try and balance turnover with potential profit to find the best game available.