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LOOKING ONTO LOOSE PLAYERS
If you sit down at a table of ten and at least one-half of the players are more practiced than you, you will fall behind. If one or two of the players are better than you, you have a clean chance of taking some dough home but this is still not a paragon situation. Your profit is going to be dictated more by the composition of the table than the types of cards you are dealt. You can’t control the cards – you can select your table and move if it gets ill-favoured.
How do you know?
As we have been advocating, the great reward of online poker is that it allows you to observe the table before you act. Once you have chosen what seems to be a somewhat loose table, you begin to carefully observe. The best recommendation I can give you is, if you would like to be a achiever, spend at least 15 minutes. Many would propose spending leastwise 30 minutes -before commencing play.
This may seems like a lot of time to invest – but once you begin to play, you will have a clear approximation of who you need to outsmart and who you need to milk to win.
Our clear but cunning table rating system Here’s a uncomplicated scoring system we apply to evaluate how ‘winnable’ a table is:
We assign each poker player a number from 1-10. Ten (10) is the loosest player – a novice, someone who wagers wildly and show mediocre cards at the showdown. One (1) is for the tightest opponent. Somebody who plays and wins systematically, can’t be bluffed out, has amassed substantial winnings, makes sane decisions, does not play every hand.
Assign each player at the table a number from 1-10. If you are not sure from watching what their grade is, score them higher than you would guess. They are likely better players. On a piece of paper or in your head, brand the table with these numbers. When you get a chance to, always play down card from the two best players on the table. This is a winning position. Now add up the numbers and divide by the total players.
1+3+7+4+5+1+1+10+9 = 4.5
If the average of the table is 6 or better, do not play.
There are too many adept card players for you to be a consistent winner.
Even an average of 5 can bring down your chances. What you are seeking is a table where most of the players are looser than you.
The lower the number the better.
First it Giveth (The vital info in front of you)
Participants who never muck on the first two cards even when it costs them, are loose. A higher percentage means a much looser game. Most online poker rooms, such as
All online poker rooms also show the average pot size. You do not necessarily want to play at the table with the highest average pot size, since this may indicate a lot of raises going into the pot. For loose-passive games, choose a table with a relatively high flop percentage and a reasonably average pot size. Some other factor to look at is the number of poker players at the table. Most internet tables are ten-handed, which means you will have to play comparatively tight.
Forever and always take position into account and call (or even better raise) before the flop with premium cards or good drawing hands. More opponents means added competition, so you will have to stick to the premium and better drawing hands only.
At a six-handed (aka shorthanded) table, you are able to play substantially looser than you'll be able to at a ten-handed table. The side effect of this is that you will undergo more variance (the swings in your bankroll will be greater). Some players choose short-handed tables because you get to see the flop more often, and hence have more shots at winning the pot.
Aggression in poker has far more power at a shorthanded table. You cannot sit back and wait for AA or KK when playing shorthanded. Tip from the Pros
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