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Lots of players pick up the basics of poker within a
relatively short amount of time. After all, there really aren't too many
variables to consider when trying to figure out the mechanics of the game. A
relatively intelligent person can pick memorize starting hand strategy and
learn how to manipulate position pretty quickly. If that was all it took to
become a successful poker player, the world would be full of unbeatable games
where the only winner was the card room that took the rake as players shuffled
chips back and forth among themselves. If you've mastered the basics but still
aren't winning as much as you think you should, you probably haven't honed
your table selection skills. Good table selection can be the biggest
difference between a break-even player and a winning player. That's a pretty
simple statement that encompasses a lot of factors, so let's take a closer
look at what makes for good table selection.
In the absence of information about any of the players at a particular table,
the information that most online card rooms provide about the tables is the
best place to start. First you'll want to take note of the number of hands
dealt per hour. This is a great measure of how fast the action is; the faster
the game, the more money you can potentially make per hour. The next number of
importance is the percentage of players seeing the flop. When this number gets
close or surpasses 40%, you're probably looking at a game that's just too
loose to guarantee that you can make money consistently. Anything less than
30%, and the game is probably too tight. Finally, you'll want to see what the
average pot at the table has been lately. The best way to measure this is to
break the dollar amount down into the number of big bets (BB), e.g. in a 5-10
limit hold'em game, an average pot of $40 is equal to 4 BB. The more BB per
pot, the more you'll end up making every time you hold the winning hand.
It's important to note that a higher average pot doesn't always mean a better
table. The key here is the relationship between the average pot and the number
of players seeing the flop. Imagine, for instance, that you have two 1-2
tables available to you at your favorite online card room that look like this:
Table 1: 10 players, 38% seeing the flop, average pot is $20
Table 2: 10 players, 33% seeing the flop, average pot is $13
At first glance, Table 1 appears to be the best because of the $20 average
pot. In reality, Table 2 is probably the better table to play at. To
understand why, consider how the pot gets built in the first place.
At Table 1, there are usually 4 players seeing every flop. If they all limp
in, that's a $4 preflop pot. Assume that two players connect with the flop,
and one bets out only to be raised by the second player. The first player
calls, making the pot $8 total. On the turn the price of poker goes up, so
when the first player bets out and the second calls the total of the pot is
now $12. Finally, on the river the first player bets out and the second player
raises him. If the second player calls and shows his hand down, your total pot
is $20.
At Table 2, there are usually only three players seeing the flop. Again
assuming that all limp in, we've got a $3 preflop pot. If two of the three
connect with the flop and neither raises, we've now got $5 in the pot. On the
turn, when the bigger bets come around, the first player bets and the second
player calls to make the pot $9 total. On the river they both do the same,
making the pot $13 at showdown.
Notice how much more passive Table 2 is - there's little, if any, raising, and
players are willing to call down. When someone raises at this table, you know
they mean business. If you want to make easy money, this is the table where
you want to play the majority of your poker. Aggressive games build bigger
pots, but they also draw more people into every flop, especially at the lower
levels where people will play any two cards. Passive games are easier to milk
money from with even mildly aggressive play, and the opponents there tend to
be much easier to read.
It's worth a little extra time studying the tables available to you before
sitting down to play. After all, it's your own money you're putting at risk
every time you play a hand. Investors always study the companies they buy
stock in, and you should always study the tables you play. Your bottom line
will thank you for it.
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