Table Selection on PokerRoom network.

[BenA]

In the recent Haupt post about table selection, I asked how his advice which seemed particular accurate for Party, might work for Pokerroom sites, where the pool of players is much smaller, and often you only have 3 tables to choose from at a given limit. I was given some excellent answers, but I would like to share some extra advice that I have recently learned.

It had not occured to me that having a smaller pool of players, only a few thousand frequenting the limits of 1/2, 2/4, and 3/6, was actually an advantage. The recent addition of Poker Ace to my computer has seriously helped me understand this.

I can't believe how long I spent being a 'lazy' poker player! I didn't even realize that I often blanked out when I was not in a hand, just reflexively used semi-bluffs and value bets regardless of extra clues, and basically pulled in a tiny win rate while wondering how my standard and correct decisions didn't seem to pay off that much. For the last month, I decided to be involved ALL the time, taking extensive notes on every player in the Player Notes box, gathering information about how they bet, hand ranges, bluff capacity, PF looseness, etc. Combined with the Poker Ace stats overlaid right on the table, and my understanding of individual players has grown exponentially. It is because the pool of players is so small that this becomes an even greater advantage: I see many of them so often, every day even, that I begin to gain a sense of a player that is far greater than their stats.

Recently I've made excellent value bets when I might have checked, picked off bluffs, folded when a specific player led me to believe I was getting reverse implieds, waited for the turn to raise, and so on and so forth, all because I know specific players penchants.

When I select a table, I have flagged all players I want to play with, as well as those I don't. So I don't have to sit down first, read their notes and see their stats to know a) If the table is lucrative and b) where I want to sit. Plus I now feel comfortable moving between the 3 betting limits.

My win rate has substantially increased, and though it is only a small sampling, I am convinced it is because I have finally taken the active role in the games that we all should be doing. Talking on the phone, chatting in the boxes, drinking too much beer, changing the radio, and staring blankly at the screen are all sure ways of making sure we lose value.

I hope this helps those of you who, as I did, weren't totally aware of how much focusing intently on each and every hand (as best as you can do when multi-tabling at least) and gaining reads is a substantial part of winning this game. ABC poker alone just doesn't cut it at these tables anymore.