Table Selection

Table selection is probably the most under used strategy in poker. The people you're playing against can make a huge difference to your bottom line. It's important to make sure you go to your table confident you have an edge on your opponents and understand how they play.

Lobby Stats

At first, all basic table selection takes place in the poker lobby.

Average Pot Size: The larger the pot, the better the table. It's always great to play at a table with a lot of action and this indicates how aggressive the table is.
Players to Flop: Look for tables with a high percentage of players making it to the flop. The more players seeing a flop, the looser the games are and the more likely the table has a good number of recreational players.
Hands/ Hour: If a table is moving fast and a lot of hands are being played per hour it's likely these are filled with experience players. Slower games are generally dominated by novices who take time to deliberate over their decisions, are talking in the chatbox and generally enjoying the experience.

Player Search Function

Most poker rooms have a player search function. It's useful to take notes of players that you enjoyed playing against and do some routine searches each time you're online. The iPoker Network has a buddy list feature. You can add any player you're playing against to the buddy list and search to see what players on your buddy list are up to any time you're online.

Stack Sizes

Here is something that isn't regularly discussed online, but will help massively with your table selection. Good players tend to buy in for 100bb's, the maximum buy in. They want the maximum on the table because they want the ability to exploit their opponents in big pots and win the maximum amount possible.

There are also players who buy in for 20bb or 30bb and use short stack strategy. These players can be considered fairly competent.

If you find a table with a lot of odd stack amounts between 50 and 75 big blinds it's likely these players are not serious and you want to sit at their table.

TableScanner is software that scans poker tables based on your Hold'em Manager database. It will display custom stats and hopefully help you find some soft tables to play at. TableScanner is for sale in our Discounts & Mods area at a discounted price.

Site Selection

Site selection is just as important as table selection. Some poker sites have tougher player bases than others and part of our job at iPokerVIP is to help our members find the perfect fit. Read our site and network reviews and have a look at what iPokerVIP members have to say. Ultimately, table selection can be made significantly easier if you're playing on the right site.