Table Selection - What to Look For?

[Xhad]

Table selection is not worth your time until you're playing at least $2/$4. A tough micro table is an educational opportunity.

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I think a more important thing to learn is to leave a table if it is bad or your seat is bad.

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QFT

[unterfish]

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Table selection is not worth your time until you're playing at least $2/$4. A tough micro table is an educational opportunity.

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I think a more important thing to learn is to leave a table if it is bad or your seat is bad.

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QFT

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Xhad is right - as usual [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[kerowo]

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Table selection is not worth your time until you're playing at least $2/$4. A tough micro table is an educational opportunity.

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I think a more important thing to learn is to leave a table if it is bad or your seat is bad.

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QFT

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So you shouldn't worry about table selection until you find yourself at a bad table you could have avoided by selecting a better table to begin with?

[Xhad]

There are enough tags and nits on every site I know of that it takes very little time for a good table to turn into a bad table. The best tables I've ever been at were either brand new tables, or tables that had just turned good and the lobby stats weren't reflecting it yet.

There's also something to be said for learning how to beat rocks.

[jaxUp]

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There are enough tags and nits on every site I know of that it takes very little time for a good table to turn into a bad table. The best tables I've ever been at were either brand new tables, or tables that had just turned good and the lobby stats weren't reflecting it yet.

There's also something to be said for learning how to beat rocks.

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I'll chime in on behalf of wookie here. It can be great to sit at a table with only 2 or 3 players going at it. Often you find these will develop into great tables, and it gives you a chance to develop your SH game

[unterfish]

Poker Stars
Limit Holdem Ring game
Limit: $0.25/$0.5
10 players
Converter

Pre-flop: (10 players) Hero is BB with T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]
<font color="#cc0000">UTG raises</font>, 8 folds, Hero calls.

Flop: 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] 4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] (4.4SB, 2 players)
Hero checks, <font color="#cc0000">UTG bets</font>, <font color="#cc0000">Hero raises</font>, UTG folds.
Uncalled bets: 1SB returned to Hero.

Results:
Final pot: 3.2BB

Beat the rocks!

[bravos1]

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Someone who plays higher than .10/.20 and .25/.50 will need to speak to that, but I'm imagining that you would always pick a 30 vpip over a 20 vpip table.

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Not always. Please keep in mind that a "great" table may not be so great. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

examples:

Table 1 - over all table VPIP is 35
open seat is 5
seat 3 : 19/11/2.5
seat 4 : 21/9/1.9
seat 6 : 62/26/3
seat 7 : 45/11/1
rest of the seats make it avg 35 VPIP

Table 2 - over all a 22 VPIP
open seat is again 5
seat 3 : 51/35/2
seat 4 : 46/11/1.5
seat 6 : 14/8/2.5
seat 7 : 11/7/1
rest of the seats make it a 22 VPIP

Which table is better for you to sit at? Why (there are several reasons)?

Table selection is no where near as important as seat selection.

[Gib]

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Table selection is no where near as important as seat selection.

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Seconded

[rkidwell]

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Table 1 - over all table VPIP is 35
open seat is 5
seat 3 : 19/11/2.5
seat 4 : 21/9/1.9
seat 6 : 62/26/3
seat 7 : 45/11/1
rest of the seats make it avg 35 VPIP

Table 2 - over all a 22 VPIP
open seat is again 5
seat 3 : 51/35/2
seat 4 : 46/11/1.5
seat 6 : 14/8/2.5
seat 7 : 11/7/1
rest of the seats make it a 22 VPIP

Which table is better for you to sit at? Why (there are several reasons)?

Table selection is no where near as important as seat selection.

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I'm going to take a stab at this. Table 2 is a better table to play at here even though the VPIP% is lower for the table as a whole. On Table 2, you will get to act after the 2 "loose" players most of the time, so when they limp a lot of hands, you can raise with your premium hands, resulting in the tighter players that act after you likely folding (or if not folding, allowing you to narrow their starting hands down a lot more precisely than a looser player's starting hands) and also resulting in the loose players likely calling your raise to the flop. On the post-flop rounds, your seat will allow you to act after these players most of the time, which should allow you to take advantage of your good hands. On the other hand, Table 1 has a higher VPIP, but given the PT numbers on the two "loose" villians, you are less certain how they will act after you. The two loose villians have a wider range to raise, 3-bet, etc. pre-flop and it may be harder to put them on a hand post-flop.

What did I screw up?

[Chapter7]

In addition to what has already been listed, I will check players stack sizes.

While not always the case, I will often run into players who routinely will buy in for like 20BBs and subsequently bust out.

I realize better players don't need as large of a stack to play in a game but my experience has been that at the microlimits, it seems more like it is soon-to-be donors looking to limit their losses from the start.