Selecting the Right Online Poker Table

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• on Feb 02, 2024

Table Selection

While browsing your favorite site for a poker game to sit at, do you look at the things needed to ensure that you will make the most money possible? Meaning, can you tell the difference between tables that can make you some money versus a table that will leave you just as broke as when you first sat down? By looking at things like the flop percentage and how many hands are played per hour, you can get a perception of the table before you even sit down at it. You may hear some people call this table selection. For your convenience, we have provided below a few tips to keep in mind when looking for a table.

Why is Table Selection Important?

For the hobby player table selection may not be too important. For the pro player who needs to earn a living, however, it may be very important. If you are going online to earn some money, you need to shop around to find the best tables for you. In case you are unaware, here are a few things to look for when selecting a table.

What is the percentage of players seeing the flop? You will find that the higher the percentage, the looser the table. This will be easy money for you as you can switch gears and take advantage of the less-than-par hands that most players will be playing.

How big are the average pots? If there is more money in the pot, you can potentially win more money. This is also important because when combined with the flop percentage you can get an approximate idea of how far the hand is played. The average pots combined with the flop percentage can also give you a very idea of how big the average bet is as well.

How many hands are played per Hour? If you are unfamiliar with the big round thing called a face and have hands that rotate around it pointing at numbers, that is called a clock. Most of the online rooms will tell you how many hands on average are played per hour. To put this into perspective, there are 60 minutes to an hour so if you play 60 hands per hour that is one per minute. If you play 120 per hour, that is two every minute. The more hands that are played per hour the more money you can potentially make.

When looking for a room, these are only a few things that you need to look for. This is really no different from window shopping as you are simply trying to find the best room for you to play at. Doing homework like this will make you more money in the long run.

This is a picture taken from Full Tilt Poker. While looking at the Fink Table you will notice that on average 2.5 players are going to see the flop and contribute to an average pot of $30. When you perform the math this will tell you that this hand hardly ever goes past the flop, and at times, it will go to the turn. (2.5/FlopX$6=$15 per flop) So in short, a minimum bet would see the flop and a pot-size bet could end it on the turn. This is not bad at all since you can figure that every 2-3 times you will see a flop. You can very well have the potential to win upwards of $30 per hand and if you take the number of hands played per hour and figure that you will be playing in almost 40% of them, you can have the potential to make upwards of $1,200 per hour. This is exaggerated of course and assuming you will win every time, but these numbers are what you are looking for before you sit down at a table.

Actual Game Play

When you have picked out a table to sit down and play at, it is crucial to observe the table for a few minutes before you sit down to play. You will want to see who the aggressive players are, everyone’s chip stacks, what seats are available where the stronger players are, and how tight or loose the game is overall. Before you sit down to play, here are a few things to look at first:

If there are aggressive players at the table, you will want to be sure you can have a position on them. You will want to be on their left.

A great seat to sit in, with a weak tight player is to his right. You can then apply relentless pressure.

You are looking for lots of weak cards being played, and the possibility of those players being outkicked.

Weak plays, calls, steals, raises, and various bluffs.

The great thing is that if a table does not seem to be going your way, get up and move. There are plenty of tables to play at, and many will offer the numbers you are looking for to make some money. In closing, we hope that these table selection tips help you with your table-choosing needs and that you can choose a table with minimal to no effort.