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The basics of poker: Table Selection

When you arrive at your local card room or log on to your favorite internet site, the first decision you face is among the most important.  That decision is which game to take a seat in.  One must weigh factors such as bankroll, skill level, and opponent tendencies when deciding which game to play in.  Picking the wrong game causes many problems that are among the easiest to avoid.

When deciding what limit to play you need to carefully consider your bankroll before sitting in a game.  Not all players are created equal, and there is no magic amount of money that is right for all players either.  The widely accepted amount that is necessary for a fixed limit player is 300 big bets (put forth by Sklansky and Malmuth).  This means that if you plan on playing 10-20 fixed limit you should have a minimum of $6,000 to make going broke unlikely.  While this is a good place to start, this amount is not right for all people.  For instance if you play for your lively hood then you need to protect your bankroll much more than an amateur with a high paying job.  In fact, for the player with a high paying job, a poker bankroll may not need much protecting at all.  It can be very hard for a professional player to round up a bankroll from scratch but if securing a new bankroll simply means stopping by the bank then it is not such an issue.  Surely 100 big bets is adequate for such a player.

Although our wealthy amateur can get by with a much smaller poker bankroll, many professionals may want to have a significantly larger bankroll.  The 300 big bet criteria was also established before players regularly played online.  The pace of play, and the aggressive action that is common in many online games creates an environment where a larger bankroll is necessary is one want to eliminate the chance of going broke.  A bankroll of 500 big bets is much more likely to weather the storms of online play.  If you frequent the shorthanded or heads up games then your volatility is further increased so you may want to add 100 additional big bets if you play shorthanded and another 100 (minimum) if you play a lot of heads up.  Another consideration is how loose and aggressive your playing style is.  If you play very loose and aggressive you will need a larger bankroll than someone who plays a very tight style.  These requirements may seem rigid and it should be understood that these are suggestions for a professional or very serious player who would have a very difficult time rebuilding their bankroll.  If you play recreationally and it is not a big deal if you are out of action for a few weeks while you wait for a few paychecks, by all means play with whatever you are comfortable potentially losing.  As you get more serious about poker you may want to have a poker bankroll.  Hopefully these guidelines will help you know what to build towards and what factors to consider when deciding the limits you can comfortably play.  If you already play poker seriously but have trouble managing your money, this may help you realize some mistakes you may be making.  Always know where your bankroll stands and be prepared to move down in limits if you find your bankroll depleted and you should be able to stay at the table and off of the rail.  Everyone must find their own comfort level as far as bankroll is concerned.   If you weigh the factors discussed along with your personal tolerance for risk and your ability to put together another bankroll you should be able to decide how large of a bankroll you need.

*note
For no limit or pot limit games I suggest using 25 buy-ins as the standard and adjusting according to the factors that were discussed.

Another important factor when choosing what game to play is your skill set and abilities.  Poker is a game of relative abilities and that is the only thing that is important.  This is so important and widely misunderstood that it bears repeating.  The only thing that matters is your ability in relation to that of your opponents, not your overall abilities.  If you are the sixth best player in the world then you will be a favorite in almost any game you find yourself in.  You would be a great player by any ones standards and could become very wealthy playing poker.  That was the situation Eric Drache found himself in years ago.  He was, by all accounts, one of the most talented Seven Card Stud players in the world.  In fact, it was likely that he was the sixth best stud player in the entire world.  However, he was frequently broke and often needed to borrow money to play in the game.  Why?  Because he always played with the five best stud players in the world!  Even if you are a world class player, if you routinely play with players who are better than you, they will win your money.

This story illustrates an important point in bankroll management and table selection.  It is important to not only be well financed for a game but to have the skills to beat it.  This may sound simple but many players struggle with it their entire playing careers.  Every time you book a big win you should not necessarily move up to a higher limit if the players at that limit are better than you.  You will need to realistically evaluate you abilities relative to your opponents if you are to be successful.  On occasion you may want to play in a tougher game than you are accustomed in order to improve and test yourself against the competition at the higher limits.  If you do this regularly, without a solid game plan, then it will prove to be very costly.

One of the most widely neglected choices at the poker table involves which table you will play at a certain limit.  You may know you want to play 10-20 Limit Hold ‘em and go to the card room or poker site and sit in the first game that is available.  In a live setting you may not have much choice, but that does not mean you have to stay in a bad game.  If a game is populated by tight, tough opponents you should ask the floor person to put you on a table change list, and they will often accommodate that request.  It is also helpful if you play different games and are willing to play one limit below (and above if your bankroll permits) if the games are considerably better at those limits.  Online there is never a reason to be in a bad game for any length of time.  As soon as you realize that a game has gotten tough, you should be prepared to find a new table more to your liking.  It helps to have accounts set up at a few different online sites, but you should have plenty to choose from as long as you have at least one account at one of the major sites.

Use the information the site provides you to find games that suit your playing style.  Aggressive players may prefer games with large pots (or they may prefer tighter games where they can steal more).  Players who are uncomfortable facing a lot of aggression and tough decisions may prefer a more passive game with smaller pots.  Learn to interpret the data the site provides.  Generally they will provide you with the average pot size, the average % of players seeing the flop, and how many hands the table is playing per hour.  While it is nice to play at a fast paced table the first two stats are the most important as far as table selection is concerned.  The best opponents are loose and passive and you can use this data to find tables populated with these soft opponents.  Generally, the more people that see the flop, the better.  Large pots usually mean that too many players are staying in the pot too long, and this is good as well.  This stat can be deceiving though.  Sometimes large pots will be caused by very aggressive players who do a lot of raising.  You must still pay attention after you sit down to make the final determination of whether a game is to your liking or not.

Picking which games to play in is really not very difficult.  It is one aspect of poker that everyone can do properly.  If you play seriously think about your game and how much money you will need to make going broke very unlikely.  Put some thought into which games you prefer and how to go about finding them.  Everyone has a different style and the key is to find games that suit your skill set and comfort level.  There are plenty of weak players and soft games out there and it is worth your time to seek them out.

Enough of theory? Why dont you take some time to read our online poker section, where we feature the majority of the online pokerooms. We play there, test them and rate them - you can also read reviews and comments of other players and visitors.

Alternatively browse through our other poker articles listed on the site:

Poker Position - Poker Position at the table

Poker Programs - Various helpful poker programs

Sit and Go Tourneys - The ides of Sit and Go Tourneys

FM Ratio - Folding Money or Free Money ratio

Monetary requirement - Bankroll

Hold'em Starting Hands - Evaluation of the Hold'em Starting Hands

Computer Analysis - Computer analysis of the hands

The Bonus Factor - The added bonus factor and its consequences

or see the full list of the articles.