table selection on party is like the stock market

[dark_horse]

i've noticed an easily repeatable trend on partypoker. lots of people add themselves to the lists of the tables with the highest average pots. let's say the 1/2 tables that are $17 and up have heavy lists during peak hours. $22 or $23 is the highest i've seen. so these lists get quite long, sometimes up to 20 names. once you get on the list and you make your way up, by the time you score a seat, the table has gone cold because all the "sharks" (if you can call them that at 1/2) have gobbled up all the fish already, and you're left swimming around a 25% average flops seen table. before you know it, you check your table's average pot size on the table list and it has dipped way down to $10. so you put your name on the top lists again, and so forth.. this can go on all night, and get quite hectic when you're multi-tabling. i've found that i like to join the tables that are not at the top of the list, but those in the upper-middle class. so if the peak tables are at $18, i'll look for a table that's at about $14. then the action seems a bit more stable.

anyone else notice this? any points or advice to add? how high up in limits does this phenomenon exist?

[MHarris]

I know a lot of posters on here make a buddy list on Party of players with really loose stats and just follow them around.
Regardless of the average pot size, all the 1/2 games are profitable if you play well postflop, because the majority of your opponents do not. Same goes for 2/4, and to some degree, 3/6.

[dark_horse]

Yeah, when I see someone playing ridiculously, I immediately buddylist them. It's the first thing I check when I log on! They are my special money friends.

[steaknshake925]

Can you check what tables your buddies are playing on from your buddy list? Party doesn't seem to let me do this. Do you have to manually go to each table to see if your buddies are playing in them?

[stanky]

click table search, click player search tab, click tab next to name entry that says buddies. It will list the buddies that are logged into Party, click on the box next to their name and do a search.

-Pete

[ethan]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you check what tables your buddies are playing on from your buddy list? Party doesn't seem to let me do this. Do you have to manually go to each table to see if your buddies are playing in them?

[/ QUOTE ]

options->search for tables->player search

[stanky]

I noticed this trend too. By the time you get a seat your playing against tight agg. rather than the fish.

During none peak hours I will sit down at a table thats not yet full and hope that the fish come to me, it works pretty well because I'll check the average pots of the tables I'm at and it will often be up towards the top.

-Pete

[rdu $teve]

I noticed this trend a while ago too. My biggest problem playing 1/2 during peak hours is getting 4 full tables, there are always open 6-max seats, but never full table seats. When I finally do get 4 tables going, I keep an eye on the table VP$IP, if it gets to low, after about 20-30 hands, I move on. I wish party listed the players/flop on the table selection window.

I normally try to search with my fish list (my name for the buddy list). But they keep changing to other games like stud, omaha, PL hold em; I guess they lose to much at limit hold em and figure a game change will make them win. stupid fish

[sfer]

Over the long term, the equities in the US basically increase without boundaries.

[chief444]

9% per year on average. But it's a pretty good comparison since usually by the time the majority of a stock is held by institutions and makes the front page of the Journal, it isn't as good of an investment.

Seriously though, I find about the same results if I just look for tables just based on high average pots.

[stigmata]

Join a table with very few players (2-5), but a decent average pot. Usually it will fill up (pretty quickly during peak hours) with players who have chosen the "Join any table" option, rather than "Fishermen". During poker rush hour, even sitting down at an empty table works just fine.

Then you can play a little short handed, whilst also waiting on some of the shorter waiting lists for a full game. This works for me and has improved my short handed game.

Word of warning: there are some "short handed sharks" who hang around at the semi-empty tables (at levels where ther is no 6 handed), hoping to get a heads-up/short handed advantage at players who waltz in. However, they arent actually that great, but you will see them there alot. Might want to steer clear of them for a while....

[sfer]

9% per annum is still increasing without boundaries.

[chief444]

Yes. I was agreeing.

[MRBAA]

Dow 36,000, baby!

[Bluffoon]

The best stocks are exactly like the best tables. They both have a lot of free cash flow.

[sfer]

Eh, don't mind me. I feel like being bdk3clash today--pedantic and anal-retentive.

Anyway, I'll be serious and suggest that adding bad players to your buddy list and following them is very worthwhile. So is sitting to their immediate left when you have the opportunity.

[chief444]

Actually, that's something I should be doing, but never bother to do. So believe it or not this post is probably the most helpful one of the day for me.

[Octopus]

[ QUOTE ]
anyone else notice this? any points or advice to add? how high up in limits does this phenomenon exist?

[/ QUOTE ]

It exists at every limit I have played. Right now at Party 15/30, the longest waiting lists have 14, 11, 9, 7, 6, and 5 people. There are 20 full tables with nearly no wait.

If no one on my buddy list is around, I usually just take the largest pot tables with no waiting list (or at least, no longer than all the other tables). At about half these tables, I leave after a couple orbits in search of greener pastures. The other half turn out to be at least passably good.