27 Nov 2024 Intermediate This material is for medium-skilled players fish table selection Knowing how to pick the right (i.e., profitable) poker tables is crucial if you want to maximize your income from the game. To win more, you should play at tables with players who are worse than you. To achieve this, you must either improve your skills to surpass your opponents or play against weaker players. Why not do both at once? Your potential profit against any opponent depends on the skill edge you have over them. In live poker, table selection is limited because there are fewer tables to choose from. However, online poker offers access to a vast number of tables, and you should use this advantage to your benefit. Choosing a Poker Room Not all poker rooms are equal. Before selecting a table, first choose the right poker room. Each poker room has its own player pool. When picking a room, consider the following factors: Room type: Is the poker room part of a casino or sportsbook? Can gamblers easily access the poker tables, or is it designed primarily for experienced poker players? The former is preferable. Design: Does the interface feel fun and casual or serious and competitive? Betting tools: Does the room offer quick options like preset bet sizes (e.g., 1/3 or 3/4 pot), making the gameplay more comfortable and multi-tabling easier? Recs friendly: Does the room attract recreational players? Are there promotions, freerolls, bonuses, races, etc.? What makes this poker room stand out? Poker rooms change and evolve over time. A great poker room today could become filled with skilled players in a year. Be flexible, explore different rooms and focus on the one that suits you best, even if it's not the most popular. Tip: Don’t follow the crowd. You can’t win in poker if you play like everyone else. Be independent and make your own decisions as a poker player. Table Selecting Online poker brings together players from all over the world, creating long lists of tables to choose from. But how do you decide which tables will be most profitable? Here are two main tools for table selection: Lobby statistics Recognizing familiar players Lobby Statistics Some poker rooms show table stats in their lobby. While these numbers aren’t perfect, they can give you a sense of how the game is going. The two key stats to watch are: Average pot size Players per flop The 'average pot size' stat shows how much action is happening at the table. If players are making mistakes, larger pots mean more money to win from those mistakes. Poker profits come from exploiting players' leaks, and the larger the pot, the greater your potential win. The 'players per flop' stat tells you how loose the players at the table are. A high percentage means players are entering pots with weaker hands, which usually signals they are more fishy. A low percentage suggests tight players who only play strong hands. In general, tables with loose players are more profitable because it’s harder to win big against tight players who fold too often and don’t make significant mistakes. Recognizing Familiar Players Lobby stats are just a starting point. The best way to choose a table is to know who the weak players are. The more you play, the better you’ll identify opponents who are easy to exploit. Over time, you’ll build a map of players to target and those to avoid. Before you start playing, scan the table list in the lobby. If you spot your favorite recreational players (aka 'fish'), try to sit to their left to gain a positional advantage. Poker is all about finding +EV opportunities and making the most of them. Weak players provide the best +EV opportunities. Conclusion If you want to make money in poker, play as many hands as possible against fish. Choose your tables carefully and play at the most profitable ones. You could be the best farmer in the world, but you won’t succeed if you plant potatoes in the desert. Similarly, table selection isn’t rocket science — it’s common sense.
