Table Selection in Online Poker 2021

Some poker players are good, others are not. Which one would you rather see as your opponent in a money game? The answer seems obvious. However, many players do not attach importance to this question. They are ready to challenge any opponent and are confident that they can outplay him. Indeed, there are not so few strong rivals, and they do not like to share money. Therefore, the choice of tables for the game is a must for a player who approaches poker professionally. In this case, the more weak opponents at the tables, the greater the winning distance. In this article, you will learn useful tips for table selection in online poker and understand how to play profitable compositions more often.

Why is it important to look for good tables?

Weak opponents automatically increase your winnings. Thus, time and effort at the table are spent more efficiently. Of course, you can choose places at random and constantly play against the regulars. Or you can take the time to find a weak action and raise your win rate by 2-3 big blinds per 100 hands. However, it makes sense to play poker without selecting only at micro stakes. There are always a lot of hobby players here. Therefore, regulars are not a big problem for a trained poker player yet. Nevertheless, we can still justify the search for the best options here.

At medium and high limits, most of the opponents are regulars. They are well prepared, so it is difficult and almost pointless to compete with them. Indeed, you won’t have a serious skill advantage against them. This will lead to the following situation:

• It’s hard to show a solid win rate;
• Due to the reduced win rate, variance fluctuations increase;
• For a good win, you have to play long distances;
• The drop in concentration during the game is instantly punished.

As a result, you run the risk of plunging into a war against the regulars. Only the room always wins in it – after all, it will receive the maximum rake. Having 1-2 weak players significantly changes the game dynamics in your favor. It is still important here to show A-play, extract value, and fight regulars when circumstances warrant. However, the advantage over the field becomes more noticeable, and the win rate is higher. This is why table selection in online poker is so important in online poker sites in the USA. 

Table selection in online poker: How do you find a good table?

The best table is the one at which you have the most advantage over your opponents. You don’t have to be superior. Thus, a game with three strong grinders and two recreational players offers good winning prospects. However, playing with five weak regulars is usually considered unprofitable. Below we list the basic points that you need to pay attention to to win more at poker.

• Reference. Most of the advice here is geared towards cash players. However, some of the tips apply to single tables as well.
• Looking at the table statistics. Many poker rooms show general statistics already in the lobby. In order not to sit down, to assess the dynamics at the table, the main indicators are displayed in the lobby:

1. Average Pot. The larger the bet, the higher the likelihood that there is a maniac in the game or a few weak players who are ready to call a lot post-flop.
2. The average number of players on the flop (Players / Flop). Strong opponents play relatively tight. Therefore, the higher this indicator, the greater the chance of seeing hobby players.
3. Average game speed – the number of hands per hour (Hand per Hour, H / hr). However, the listed characteristics do not reflect the exact picture and depend on third-party factors. For example, a large average bank or high Plus / Flop can cause multiple coolers in a row. Learn How to make a million in online poker and make real money in Intertops Poker.

Additional factors

Indeed, the number of hands per hour is always high at short and incomplete tables. And if the game started only a couple of hands ago, the number remains high by inertia. Besides, it is important to mark good opponents for future victories during the game. The next time you will immediately see your opponent in the table preview. It is impossible to remember all weak players by nicknames, and color marks will simplify your selection. The simplest markings can provide for the division of enemies into two types: strong and weak. Additionally, the former can be marked in red and the latter in green. Advanced labeling distinguishes several categories of opponents: strong, zero, or negative regulars, answering machines, maniacs, nits.

Moreover, the presence of a position in poker affects the win rate as much as the presence of inexperienced opponents. It’s easiest to play against an inept opponent to your right – postflop you always make decisions after him. If he sits to your left, the advantage will be minimal. Indeed, superiority in skill can be realized out of position, but it will be lower. Other participants will have more opportunities to isolate a weak opponent. This is how table selection in online poker works.

Simplifying table selection in online poker

• If you have a large hand base, you can use a program that will find the best tables for the game itself. To find weak opponents, the program uses the database of hands collected through Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker. Several popular utilities for easy poker selection:
• Magic Seat. Script for automatic landing to weak opponents, supporting 888poker, and MPN, Chico, WPN networks.
• TableScanner (built into HM2). One of the most popular selection tools. It allows you to set rules for selecting the best opponents from your hand base and hooking up to them.
• Smart Table Scanner. Powerful program for selection at Intertops Poker tables and iPoker rooms. The creators are announcing support for PokerStars, Chico, Pokerdom, and WPN in the future.
• Smart Table Scanner Window.

The policy of most rooms is focused on the protection of recreational players, and these programs may be prohibited on some online poker sites in the USA. It so happens that they are not included in the official list of prohibited software. However, the security service requires them to be abandoned on an individual basis. Therefore, it is better to clarify the permissibility of using a specific program in the support service.

To sum it up

We hope that some of the methods we have outlined above will help you improve your search for weak players and take better places. Indeed, ignoring the table selection these days is a very serious mistake. Moreover, you should spend roughly 50% of your poker time looking for bad players and places to their left. You can know all the latest trends, better poker strategies, great reading opponents, and so on. Against thinking opponents, all of this will only help you raise your win rate a little. You can no longer break the game with crazy profits at limits above nl10 if you are not preoccupied with the idea of ​​finding bad players and playing with them most of your time.

Many stubborn and ignorant players deny the fundamental law of poker. However, you cannot create high win rates against players who don’t make many blunders. Yes, of course, if you can balance the game perfectly against every opponent in every situation, then you can win without a table selection in online poker. Do you believe that? We don’t. The real money in this game will always be made against very bad players. Thus, learn about Online Poker Tendencies 2021 and make real money in Intertops Poker.

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