Table selection

When playing online poker, every now and then you will find yourself in the position of simply not being able to beat the table you’re playing at.

This situation can get so frustrating, it’ll often lead to tilting. The reason? most people are way too action-hungry upon logging on to a poker room. They quickly shuffle through the limits/stakes, find themselves a table at their preferred limit, where there’s an open seat and they start playing.

All the while, they’re completely unaware of the fact that they’re missing out on one of the most important off-table edges online poker provides them with: table selection.

Being a winner in online poker doesn’t mean you’re an invincible monster of a player, able to beat anyone, anytime, and anywhere. You may well be successful playing against certain crowd, and in the same time be a loser in a different environment.

One of the most basic concepts poker strategy is built upon, is to maximize the time you spend playing under favorable conditions and minimize the time spent under fire. By not taking advantage of table selection, you do nothing to maximize your odds.

Online poker gives you excellent opportunities for table selection. Just think about it like this: if you walk into a live poker room, you’ll probably only find 1-2 tables at your preferred limit. If all seats are taken, you’ll have to wait it out in the lobby, or at the bar. By the time you get an idea whether or not the table is right for your style of play, you’ll have spent quite some money.

In contrast, in an online poker room, you can click on any table and watch the action unfold without the players being aware of your presence. You can make reads, figure out the whole table and even choose position, with a little bit of patience.