Whether it is while you are sitting at the table or away from it, you need to take advantage of all the extra opportunities that come your way to make money in poker. More than likely, you are unaware of the few opportunities that are available to you prior to taking your seat. What I am referring to is table selection. Table selection is far more than just picking an open table to sit and play at. You are probably aware of the numbers on the side of the room name. Well, these numbers tell you many things such as how loose a table is, how much money on average is in the pot every hand, and how many hands have been played per hour. Using these numbers can maximize the amount of money you make while minimizing the time that you are sitting at the table. Provide below are some explanations as to why table selection is important.

Why is Selecting the Right Table Important?

While your weekend warrior could care less about what table he sits at, the pro however, should care very much. Finding the right table for you is similar to window-shopping. You are trying to find the best bang for your buck. Here are a few things that you need to be window-shopping for.

How many players are going to the flop? Or in Stud based games, how many players are seeing 4th Street? This will give you an idea of how many players fold pre flop. If the percentage is very high, say 4% or higher in a 10 handed game, you are looking at a loose table. Now, this only determines that the starting hand ranges are loose and no way guarantees the rest of the hand is played like that.

You will want to look at the pot size. Although it is only an average, you should still have a good idea of how much money you could earn in a hand. If you combine this knowledge with the percentage of players to the flop, you can start to see how loose the players themselves are. If you have 20% (2 players) going to the flop in a $.50/$1.00 game and the average pot is $200, then you know that the game is super loose. However, if the pot were only $6 then you would know that the table is pretty tight.

Are there many hands played per hour? You will want to concern yourself with this because a table that play 120 hands per hour has a lot more potential for making money than a table that only plays 50 hands per hour.

These are only a few things to look at. You will also want to go to the room and look before sitting down. It is important to see if there are loose or weak players as well as good players. If you are hoping to make extra money, it may be in your best interest to sit down at a table that is full of weak or loose players. You will want to find a seat in position against these players (on their left) so that you can apply lots of pressure. If you happen to sit at a table that is a bit more difficult or too tight, get up and try to find a better table. Remember, time is money.

Using the picture above, you can have a good idea of what you are trying to look at. You will notice that the table with the highest percentage of players to flop also plays the most hands per hour. What you may find odd is that the average pot is smaller. While this may seem like a bad thing, you have to remember that you are playing more hands per hour so you will be potentially winning a pot of this size more often then the first two tables. All of these tables would be "ok" to sit at. Out of the three, the second one would be the best to sit at. You have an average of 2 players building a pot to $60 every hand. The potential to win money is huge with over 100 hands per hour.

This picture is only a small example of what you can find. There are tables everyday that are full and at least 60% of the players go to the flop. You will want to find these tables, find a good seat, and go to work. The great thing about understanding table selection is there is minimal effort involved with great rewards. In closing, we hope that these tips have helped you increase your cash flow by choosing the correct table to sit at. It is important to remember that little things like table selection can have a huge impact on your cash flow. These little opportunities make a huge difference to poker players.