When to change tables

[taketwoagain]

While playing online at what point do you leave a table in search of better cards? If I don't get good starting cards do I move after 20 hands, 50, 100? Or do I just wait and figure that the cards will eventually find me? It seems at times that a cetain seat at the table never sees good hands in a given session. Is that possible or am I just not being patient? Any thoughts?

P.S. Thanks for the feedback on an earlier post. I'm new here and am impressed with the sincere desire others have shown in helping me achieve a higher level of play.

[scotnt73]

cards dealt should have nothing to do with table selection. its all about you OPPONENTS.

[bisonbison]

Your cards are random. You must come to terms with this fact or you will be trapped in a frightening medieval world of hexes, omens and portents.

Never change seats because of cold cards. Never change tables because of cold cards. Never ask for a deck change because of cold cards. Never blame the dealer because of cold cards.

[LetsRock]

I know what you're saying. I have plenty of sessions that I feel like I drew the "rotten" seat, the seat that might just as well be the muck pile.

What everyone else has said so far is true: regardless of how it feels, there is no such thing as a "bad" seat, table or dealer. If the cards are running that bad, they'll follow you all over the universe, regardless of where you sit.

You should choose to play or not play based on what opportunities your opponents are going to give you to win, or whether you're playing solid or not.
Don't buy into the unlucky seat theory - it is total nonsense.

[MaxPower]

I was going to make some kind of snide remark, but I decided to be nice instead.

There is nothing you can do to control the cards you are dealt. Changing tables, cards, seats, standing on your head, berating the dealer all will accomplish nothing. The sooner you stop thinking about things like this, the sooner you will start to improve.

I know its frustrating when you are dealt junk for hours on end, but there is no way around it.

If the game is good I will stay in and wait for my opportunity. If the game is bad, I'm not playing well or not having any fun, I will move to another table/game or quit.

You need to be extremely patient to win at poker. Stop thinking about things that you cannot control.

[unome]

I agree with what has been said before, however, I will add one thing that supports moving tables. If you tend to be aggressive preflop and the cards aren't cooperating (people call you down and keep on winning), sometimes it feels like a move is a good idea-- new players, maybe less likley to call you down in a situation where at the previous table they would have called you and rivered you.

The bottom line if it psychologically makes you feel better, then do it. Just realize that it's your play and not the cards or the seat that are contributing to the losses. Maybe with the move you find yourself in a game where people are folding a little more often and hence, you start to gain some confidence and play better.

[dirty_dan]

I'd much rather sit in a seat and get complete crap for hundreds of hands than get fantastic second best hands.

[Uppercut]

I play low limits at Party and I change tables for 2 reasons, neither of which has anything to do with the quality of the cards I am receiving. The reasons are

1) the game has become short-handed (I know that this can be very profitable, but I am not comfortable playing with less than 7 people on a full ring table)

2) the table becomes extremely tight (folded around to the blinds, a single pre-flop raise takes down the pot, one bet after the flop causes the others to fold, etc.) I like loose tables.

Honestly, it has never even entered my mind to switch tables because I am getting crappy cards. The cards are completely random.

[TimM]

Often when it feels like i am getting crappy cards, it's really because there is too much pre-flop raising. It's not the cards that are the reason I'm not getting to play many hands, but it can feel that way. That's when I change tables.