My Black jack code

It has often been quoted that the 10th best poker player in the world would lose money if she played only with the 9 better players.

What many online poker players do not realise is that this quote is not only very relevant to them, but ignoring this vital point can actually cost money!!

Table Selection in online poker is as important a skill as selecting which hands to play. After all, the profit in poker comes from opponents making mistakes - it really pays to find the tables with the weakest opponents, whatever game and limits you play at. Below are 5 key tips that will help you select the right tables:

Online Poker Table Selection Tip #1

Most online poker sites display statistics on the percentage of players who see each flop in their main lobby area. Look for the tables with the highest percentage, 35%+ is a good rule of thumb. Strong players see less flops - so this is a good indicator of weaker opponents.

Online Poker Table Selection Tip #2

Average pot size is also displayed by online poker rooms. Here we are looking for a larger pot size. This indicates that you are more likely to get 'paid off' when you hit a big hand. A combination of #1 and #2, large pots with a large percentage of players seeing the flop, is ideal.

Online Poker Table Selection Tip #3

Once you have identified some target tables look at the stack sizes of opponents already seated. If there are more than 2 'short-stacks' (between 10 and 20 big blinds only) it may be worth looking for another table. Short stacks can make playing post-flop difficult and will tend to make the larger stacks tighten up when they are involved in a hand - since your objective is to take the big stack's money you do not want this to happen!

Online Poker Table Selection Tip #4

Keep a 'Buddy List', when you see particularly bad opponents add them to your buddy list (where your poker room supports this). You can then search for buddies before selecting a table and make sure that you sit down with the very worst opponents.

Online Poker Table Selection Tip #5

Take notes and act on them! Make notes not only on your opponents starting hands, look for how they play drawing hands (such as straights and flushes) and small pairs. Once you have a good number of notes at a particular site you can use these to help you select the best table. For example if you have a note that a player is very loose pre-flop then you should be more willing to take a seat to his left than one to his right.

GL at the Tables,

Mark