Lobby and table selection - Advanced
Table selection is greatly underestimated in poker most would think that selecting a table to play at is a very easy task but there are some things worth knowing during selection to give you the ability to select a table that can yield the biggest profits for your game. Poker is a game where every edge possible counts and as professionals would tell you effective table selection is one of those edges that separates the winning players from the loosing players.
The first aspect of table selection is finding the table itself, before you consider joining a table you should look at its status which is normally located along side the table name in the lobby, from here you will see the important information necessary to make your decision
The 1st thing you should focus your attention on is the average pot size of the table this will tell you the pot sizes over a period of time it is best to go for the tables with the biggest average to try and gain the best profits.
Secondly before you sit at the table it is useful to look at the flop percentage at the table this will tell you the tables where the players are playing more mediocre hands more regularly the higher the flop percentage the better as tables with low flop percentage are generally tight tables and do not offer as good a chance to earn a profit from.
Another aspect of table selection is knowing the players that are on them. If there has to be one thing that I would say nearly 3 quarters of all players do not know. It is who they are actually playing against; because most players just play their own cards.
When you join a table you should be on the look out for very loose/aggressive players who likes to bet big on every opportunity you will also come across the tight players who will only tend to call bets if they find themselves with the nuts, you will be able to identify these players fairly quickly and will need to adapt your style of play to the player.
- loose/aggressive players – these sorts of players are a gold mine they do all the work for you, just don’t fall into the trap of trying to bluff them as this will not work the way to play them is to wait for a good hand and trap them with it.
- Tight players – when involved in a pot with a tight player you will undoubtly be enticed to bluff them, as they will most likely fold to your bluff unless they are carrying the nuts. You should always push these types of players in the blinds until they make a stand, these are the easiest types of player to play as they tend to be the most predictable.
- Finally we come to the Tight/aggressive players you should try to avoid playing a hand they are involved in unless you have a Premium hand. As these players have developed the style that most winning players follow
The final aspect of table selection is the time in which you play it is not necessary to play at these times but they can help generate better profits the best time is in the evening. Most people work from 9-5 give or take, after work people will play as a recreational activity, not to make money so these players tend to make loose calls both pre and post flop and also a bit later during the night you will get drunk players. This is ever more so during the weekend. It Is best to try and utilise these times as it can help aid healthier returns from poker.
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