Online Table Selection
 

Every book that has ever been written says that table selection is a critical aspect of maximizing your win rate. I find in B&M casinos I am quickly able to assess the better tables and get on those lists. However, online I have never successfully figured out how to gauge the best tables. I've tried looking purely at %players seeing flop assuming looser is better. I've looked at pot size assuming bigger is better. I've tried to target a couple of known fish and sat at those tables. But none of those approaches seems to have really proven out over time and not all sites provide all information. More often than not, I seem to be chasing a ghost. The numbers reported are long gone by the time I sit down. None of the poker handhistory software seems to allow you to analyze the table composition in best winning sessions.

Recently, I have simply sat down at the first available table given myself about 100 hands and if I'm not making any head way moved to the next random table 'til I find something profitable. How do you approach finding the best tables on line?

Re: Online Table Selection
 

Playing 6-Max I open the top 10 tables in terms of avg pot size then run these for 30 min MIN., usually closer to 45.
Then I take a new look at avg pot size and start with the highest with a look. I don't play if there are two stacks bigger than 2 buy-ins. I open GT+ and put my name on the waiting list. When a seat becomes open I look at seat selection. I do not allow good LAGs in the two seats to my left. I try to find a table with avg. pot of 20BB. Also, I do not sit at a table with 3-4 short stacks. I may be on 3-4 wait lists to start. If there's a long wait I may find any table with a seat open and play while I'm waiting. I've done this before and ended up staying at that table.

I may change tables 3-4 times as table conditions change, but only to one of the tables that I've got running on PT. The basic point is I want a read (30-40 hands) before I take a seat. I try to allow an hour to find a table.

Re: Online Table Selection
 

I put myself in the waiting list of the 5-6 tables with the bigger average pot first. After that I usually sit in the first non-full talbes that I can find. When I'm sit in a table I check the players with playerview or whatever as soon as I can. If theres no more that 2 soft spot in a 6 max table I quit (but its unusual). I will often open up to 6 tables when I begin a session and filter them to the 4 best tables also. I just think that observe a table before sitting in is usually a waste of time. I sometimes dont enter a table when its filled with good regulars.

Re: Online Table Selection
 

I do almost the exact same thing. However, if you are doing this, you really should get PokerAce Hud. GT+ was a pain because I had to select a player to view the stats, with PA-H all of the stats are already displayed on every table. It allows you to keep ten good tables up at all times.

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I just think that observe a table before sitting in is usually a waste of time.

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Then you aren't doing it correctly, because it only takes a couple of secs. Or you're just way better than I am, I need that edge [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: Online Table Selection
 

I developed this method of table selection when I was a limit player, and it was extremely sucessfull then in terms of finding the best possible tables.

The 'Rat Trap.' I sit down at a totally empty table and wait for people to come to me. The first opponents who sit down are usually the worst players on the site, for some reason I can't explain. They are bad at poker, and the fact that the game is heads-up or very short magnifies thier badness.

Soon a few more people show up, these people tend to like short tables becasue they are lucky at running them down. But you're better than them at SH play, and you end up taking thier money. When yet more people show up, everybody (except you) is now a fish out of water, literally. And the avg pot are usually quite high, along with high table-average VPIPs. Tables I started this way in limit invariably ended up being as juicy and delicious as a porterhouse, and they remained so longer than other tables.

Disclaimer: I did this constantly at limit, but I haven't done it as much at no-limit. But try it, you may like it.

Re: Online Table Selection
 

you guys must be professionals with lots of time to be selective. I usually only have 2-3 hours to play a session. looking for 45 minutes is out of the question, ESpecially since the table composition changes SO quickly, what may have been a good table 10 minutes ago may now be a bad table (by my definition) to sit at.

I usually get on the wait list for the top 5-6 bigger pot tables.. sit down at the first one available. I play tighter for the first 2- orbits untill i have stats on all the players. If everyone is a nutpeddler then I move on. The only real requirement is that there be at least ONE donkey at the table willing to mix it up with J6s utg.
Then I usually say to my wife (if she is watching) See this guy.. (i point to the screen) I want all HIS money.
When somebody else cleans his stack up.. I move on.
My general comment to the rest of the table is..
"well there goes my ride" then change tables.

Oh yeah and, when he doubles up on someone with J6s i usually type in ... HOCHEE MAMA!!hahahhaha

Re: Online Table Selection
 

Interesting idea Grunch. I may have to try that out to mix things up in my table selection and also work on my HU game in the process.

Re: Online Table Selection
 

I pretty much just do the same thing as mindflayer, but I don't play tighter for the first 2 orbits (often I have stats on at least two of the players already).

Re: Online Table Selection
 

I just sit down at whichever has an open spot, then after 20-25 hands I make a judgement if it's a good table or not. Depends on alot of things but basically if I feel like I have an edge over atleast 2 players (either because they play too many hands, they are predictable and easily abused, and/or I have position on atleast one of them). If I feel I don't then I leave, there's usually loads of tables so finding another one is no problem.

Another thing I just started doing today was open up like 10 tables, sit down at 4 (my standard) and see if they're good. If not I change whichever sucks to the next one on the list, and hopefully I have 20+ hands on each of the players at the new table already. Repeat until all 4 tables are good.

Re: Online Table Selection
 

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you guys must be professionals with lots of time to be selective. I usually only have 2-3 hours to play a session. looking for 45 minutes is out of the question, ESpecially since the table composition changes SO quickly, what may have been a good table 10 minutes ago may now be a bad table (by my definition) to sit at.

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It only takes a couple of minutes to do. Open the tables before you intend to play. I never open them when I am ready to play, I don't have that much time either.

As far as the table composition changing, it is not that fluid. I am looking for a certain player behind and a couple of fish at the table. Finding both is always easy to do.