What Is Poker Table Selecting?

Table selecting is simply the act of choosing which table you are going to be seated at. In online poker it has become a bit of an art process because players understand the importance of having a weak player at their table. The fact of the matter is that poker is a zero sum game (with a large rake being withdrawn) and that makes it very difficult to win at. Unless their is significant value in the game or their is an incredible rewards program it is difficult to be profitable. Following the recent PokerStars VIP Changes it is even more difficult to win without a weak player around. Poker networks all over the world have been cutting back significantly on player rewards, which has had the effect of intensifying poker table selecting. Here are a few of the primary methods that players use to table select.

1) Poker Lobby Scan: By looking through the lobby for tables with high percentage to the flop or high pot averages you are more likely to find action tables.

2) Start New Tables: This is one of the oldest and most effective ways to find action. Often if you start a new game a weak player will come an join.

3) Look For A Player: At high stakes games in particular this is a very popular technique. Once a weak player is identified players will attempt to follow them around and play wherever they are playing.

4) Computer Software In Poker: In today’s games computer software has become increasingly popular for table selecting. You can expect a post on me in the near future where I discuss this in further detail. This is the cutting edge of table selection in online poker today and is highly controversial.

Poker Table Selection and The Poker Ecosystem?

A lot has been made about the effect that poker table selecting has on the poker ecosystem. I do not feel that poker table selecting has had a significant effect on the volume of poker being played. Obviously, if a bunch of regulars would just sit and play each other (all basically losing) while the house made money on the rake, volumes would be higher. However, this is simply not a realistic expectation. Most regulars are trying to beat the game (some are effective and some are not). I would argue that the intensity of poker table selecting in today’s poker environment is more a product of the poor position of today’s poker economy than it is the cause. Lots of player (in particular on two plus two) seem to love to run around trolling about how table selectors are causing the downfall of poker, but that is so far from being the case. Best to think of it as the symptom not the disease. There are far more powerful forces at play that make the poker economy difficult today and those need to be overcome.

How The Poker Economy Is Broken

For the past decade there has been a fundamental problem with the way that the majority of poker operators ran their businesses. Instead of recognizing that they needed recreational players to have a long term sustainable business model, they instead overly focused on high volume regulars. This led them to compete against each other to give out the most in player rewards to players who were in many cases already significant winners at the game. Poker operators would have been far better off reinvesting those dollars toward recreational player rather than wasting them on regulars. If we look today at one of the networks that has had the most success growing their business it is Bovada. Their model is much more attractive to rec players (no rakeback for regs, max 4 tables, and fully anonymous).

In my article on Daniel Negreanu Leaving PokerStars I referenced an interview he did where he basically said the exact same thing that I am. A classic example of the broken model is that many operators are raking microstakes games at an absurdly high level and rapidly driving away new players. Over the next 5-10 years I would expect a significant transformation to take hold across the poker industry. Only once this broken model is repaired will we once again start to see growth in the industry – dare we dream for another poker boom…..

Table Selecting Strategy

Seat selection is incredibly important and you want to sit as close to the left of a weak player as possible. Why? Because it will allow you to maximize the # of times that you are able to play pots against this weak player with position. As we all know position in poker is incredibly important. In many ways your position matters more than your absolute hand strength. Ideally you will be able to play in a highly exploitive manner with position against a weak player. I discuss position and exploitive play frequently in my book exploitive no limit holdem. A great deal of poker literature in recent years has been focused on GTO poker, which has led many players to take their eye of the ball of what is important. I am a huge fan of GTO (but its applications are limited), and I have found through many years of experience in this game (see my article a Insights After A Decade In Poker) that the more creatively and exploitively a player thinks about the game the better they will do.

An important part of table selection strategy involves getting the Jesus seat. You will frequently hear this term and it simply refers to the seat to the immediate left of a weak player. It is the most profitable or least unprofitable seat (depending on your perspective) seat to be in. Generally the only way to guarantee you will get the Jesus seat is to have tables up already that are being played in and join when a weak player joins. Unfortunately, this can also be incredibly time consuming and one needs to weigh the benefits of table selecting in poker with the amount of time and mental energy that is consumed.

Best of luck at the tables! Oh and please pickup a copy of my book :).

-ThePokerCapitailst (No nonsense, no ads, straight talk on poker)

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10 Poker tips – Learned From A Decade In Poker:

1) Playing exploitively is the key to success. Far too many people are distracting themselves focusing on GTO ranges when they should be finding their edge and maximizing it. To the extent that learning GTO means understanding basic ranges so you can deviate from them where appropriate, fantastic… However, if you are failing to think creatively and exploitively about the game because your mind is immersed in GTO, then you have a problem.

2) Adapt or die! In my 10 years in the game I have played multiple games. At times I have played tournaments, limit hold’em, no limit hold’em, pot limit omaha, and occasionally even omaha hi/lo. The best players are the ones that are able to reshape themselves as necessary to play in the game that offers the greatest opportunities. Don’t be afraid to explore new opportunities if they present themselves.

3) It is easier to be a TAG vs a LAG over time. I have seen a lot of young players come and go who played a super LAG style of play. Unfortunately, if you are a LAG there are often many more marginal situations to deal with. Some players don’t deal well with these situations – this is particularly the case when they are running horribly. So, in the long run most players are better off putting themselves into positions where they have a more clearly defined edge. Personally, I think hybrid TAG / LAG players are the most effective because they are able to toggle between the modes depending on the situation. In situations where there is a very high value player at the table they will be a LAG, but at the end of the day when exhausted they may act more like a TAG. I consider myself to be LAG / TAG hybrid who generally leans toward being a LAG. Frankly, I just can’t help myself lol.

4) Managing your bankroll is extremely important. Every player needs to find their own ideal strategy, but it should be clearly defined. I like to have a “primary roll” and a “backup roll” that I can play at smaller stakes with in the event I bust my primary roll. This allows me to be a bit more aggressive with my primary bankroll and maximize opportunities. What size of roll is appropriate for you will depend on the games you play in and your skill level. The higher your win rate the less downside variance you will experience and the lower your winrate the greater downside variance you will encounter.

5) Managing your emotional state is important. It is easy to get too high or too low in this game, and over time you need to strike a balance. Shorter sessions can help to keep your emotions in check, and I always recommend exercising and a generally good diet.

6) Your red line matters. Any tight player can show positive showdown winnings, but only high quality players are able to have flat or positive red-lines while maintaining positive showdown winnings. In my experience it is good to have your non-showdown winnings be close to the flat-line.

7) Learn to fold top pair hands. This is an issue that many beginning poker players struggle with. In particular it may be difficult to get away from top pair good kicker and even small overpairs. However, if you are only in a raised pot it is generally best to proceed with caution unless you are up against a very weak player.

8) Don’t fix your ranges (3 bet, 4 bet, fold 3 bet, flop c-bet %, fold cbet %, etc, etc) too much. This ties in a bit with #1. Your ranges should vary dramatically at times depending on the opportunities that present themselves.

9) Don’t overplay your draws. Keep in mind that most draws are at an equity disadvantage and putting too much money in while behind is never a good idea. There are times when it makes sense to play draws aggressively early in the hand to exploit huge weaknesses on later streets. However, I see far too many players just slinging chips in with draws when they should be more passive with them. Bottom line: unless you have a reason to play a draw aggressively wait until it hits and then put the chips in.

10) Sweat the small hands. Over thousands of hands the little decisions add up and often exceed bigger hands. In fact, big hands often play themselves while small situations are more complex. When you are conducting hand reviews make sure you find a balance between big hands and small.

I could go on, but for now that is it! If you get one thing from this post just remember to think exploitively!

-ThePokerCapitalist (No nonsense, no ads, straight talk on poker)

The post How to Win At Poker – Insights After A Decade In The Game appeared first on The Poker Capitalist.

Mental Illness In Poker

Ah yes, mental Illness in poker is a topic that nobody particularly wants to discuss. The thing about “mental illness” is that it generally comes with an incredible stigma attached to it. Many people suffer from various levels of anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, drug addiction and personality disorder. One of the most common stigma’s is that somehow if you suffer from mental illness you are simply weak. Poker players tend to be a pretty unforgiving lot overall, and I know right now you are thinking if you are suffering from mental illness don’t player poker! Yes, I think we can all agree that is a good idea. Keep in mind though that sometimes when people slip into a state of depression they may not even be aware it has happened to them.

Anyhow, I am writing this blog because I know many people struggle with mental illness and I want to shine some light on the issue. I am fortunate to have never suffered from mental illness, and I hope to remain that way for the remainder of my life. Having said that, I recognize the debilitating effect it can have on people’s lives and hope that those who suffer are able to find help.

How Mental Illness Effects Poker Players

I don’t know. If you have personal experiences with this feel free to share them. Obviously, every persons story is unique and the game will effect them in different ways. My personal opinion is that this game is only suited for players that are in a stable mental state. I always say that if you have emotional turmoil in your life that is probably not the best time to be at the tables. Some examples of times to avoid the tables are when the girl friend breaks up with you, parent / sibling / close friend or family passes away, or any other event that is causing an upheaval in your life (like moving).

Does Mass Multi-Tabling Cause Mental Illness?

Dusty Schmidt wrote an interesting blog a while back about his personal experiences. In fact, he claimed that his brain was negatively altered by playing a huge number of tables over extended periods of time. I think it is pretty fair to say that mass-multitabling for huge numbers of hours like PokerStars Supernova requires is a high stress job that will have consequences on your brain and health. What exactly those consequences are….. Well, this is where things get a lot more tricky. I doubt that anyone will ever do the research to find out the answer to this question. All we have is a few guys and their personal experiences to rely on.

IMO, the answer to the question I pose is no, mass-multitabling doesn’t cause mental illness. However, I do think it is possible that poker could serve as a trigger for it given the high stress it places individuals under. It is worth noting the effects it has on your body and the brain. In particular, I believe that long sessions are both mentally and physically exhausting. There has been some great research done recently that shows sitting at your desk for extended periods of time is not healthy. So, if you are going to be multi-tabling away it might make sense to get yourself a standing desk and at least eliminate some of the physical toll. I am a believer in the mind body connection and think that what is good for the body is good for the mind and what is bad for the body is bad for the mind.

Does Poker Reduce Your Ability To Focus? 

So, this is one of the frequent issues I have heard brought up by players. You’ll often hear statements about how I used to be able to sit down and read a book, watch a sporting event, watch a movie, etc and not get bored. Some mass multi-tabling pros feel like none of these events come close to stimulating the brain in the way that playing a dozen or two dozen tables at once does. Is this a bit of a case of the chicken and the egg though? Will we ever know which came first? Are people who naturally struggle to focus drawn to online poker and multi-tabling? Good question, and I would lean yes on that question. There are a good number of action junkie types who love to play 20 tables at once.

Does Poker Cause Sleep Trouble? 

Long ago, I worked as an Investment Banker for JPMorgan securities, and to this day I remain good friends with a number of traders. Interestingly, that many of them have (admittedly) become quite addicted to constantly monitoring the markets. This addiction is a difficult one to deal with because it has a bit of a positive feedback loop rather than a negative one. Quite literally, it pays to pay attention to the markets non-stop. Especially early on in ones career it is often viewed as essential to gain as much experience as possible. However, I have also known traders who wake up 2-3 times in the middle of the night to check the markets on a frequent basis, and can’t roll out of bed without finding out what the S&P futures or JPY/USD cross is at. If trading is causing insomnia that probably isn’t such a good thing…. I think it is safe to say the same thing goes for poker :).

For those of you who think I am just bashing on poker and the effect it has on the brain, I am not. In fact, I am well aware of the addictive nature of many activities that are present in our daily life (think cell phones). My point is simply don’t be in denial and stay aware of how certain activities may have an effect on your daily life. If you play poker late at night and are struggling to sleep, it might be helpful to consider moving your playing time to an earlier time of day. Unfortunately, that may effect your results – late night action does tend to be good!

How Poker Effects My Mental State

1) Poker leads to incredible emotional highs and lows. I am an even keeled person, but this game can still get to me. When I am winning the tendency is to feel good and energized, and when I lose it is hard not to feel a bit bad. I try never to get too high when pots are going my way or too low when things go poorly. I do subscribe to the philosophy that if a session is going horribly and you don’t feel well quit! Playing your C game simply doesn’t cut it in today’s challenging poker environment.

2) Losing for relatively long stretches of time can be quite upsetting. This is particularly the case because I am competitive and strive to play my best continuously.

3) The stress of constantly having flickering screens and dealing with opponents who are trying to take my money can make me a bit irritable. I’ve often found the most annoying sessions to be the ones where all the players around me seemed to be hyper aggressive and 3betting a ton, but they always had it….

4) Tolerance for bad beats dips as the length of a session increases. The longer I play the more annoying bad beats or a stupid reg play that works out for him will be (in my experience at least). Early on in sessions I am generally able to shake this kind of thing off no problem.

Five Mental Tips For Poker Players

1) Short sessions – as I mentioned earlier this will help to ease your frustrations

2) Hit the gym. I think this can have a significant positive effect on your mental state and ultimately your results at the tables.

3) Decompress after a session for 10-15 min. I have found this can significantly reduce any stress that I might carry over from the poker tables to other events in my life.

4) Limit your losses at high stakes games if you play them. Not doing so can result in feeling bad for an extended period of time about your results. Stop loss limits aren’t always necessary at your ordinary stake level, but I feel they are quite important when you jump up games. I suggest no more than a couple of buy-in loss if you are playing more than 1 stake level above your normal game.

5) Breathe. Especially after winning or losing a big pot or a series of pots make sure you take a few deep breaths. This will help to keep you calm and focused at the tables.

That is it for now! Hope you found the article interesting. Be sure to check out my book which is on sale right now :).

-ThePokerCapitalist (No nonsense, no ads, straight talk on poker)

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5 Reasons To Quit Poker

1) You are losing too much money. The reality is that most players lose at poker, and in today’s poker environment even some previous winners are no longer profitable. In the past year and a half I have seen a couple of long term winners (“professionals”) at the game who were breakeven or worse over 6 months… That is pretty darn nasty and can be devastating psychologically. If you are struggling that much with the game my advice is simple, just quit….

2) Action is dying; look no further than google trends for the word “poker” and you will see just how much the game has declined. The volume of mid and higher stakes games has fallen off even more dramatically than the industry as a whole. So, while there are still a good number of micro and perhaps even low stakes games running there is no upside.

3) Poker rewards programs have been scaled back dramatically. I remember playing the game and receiving significant rewards from poker operators (limosine pickup in Vegas, significant Christmas gifts, etc). Today? I am lucky if I can get customer support to reply to my inquiries…. lol. The vast majority of poker networks are struggling so much to survive that they aren’t putting the necessary attention into customer acquisition and retention.

4) This may be the most significant of this entire group, but what is the opportunity cost of you playing poker? I believe that almost anyone who plays online poker profitably can create more value in society and make more money in a different industry. I will qualify this by saying it applies to the US, Canada, and Western Europe at least. This may not have been the case 5-10 years ago, but it certainly is today. Even if you are making slightly more at poker today than you can at some other job, that edge will not last. Trying to play poker until the game is literally extinct doesn’t make much sense IMO. The ship is clearly sinking, it might be time to look for some alternatives. Is there a life jacket laying around? Better yet, is there another boat you can jump onto?

5) It isn’t fun anymore. Yep, I know it was cool when you were 22 and could sit on your laptop raking in money at 2am. Is that still cool when you are 32 and want to have a family? What does the wife think about the fact you don’t have health insurance and are paying $20,000 annually for a family plan in the US? Yeah, suddently playing poker isn’t quite as “cool” as it was when making $5,000 on your laptop seemed like you won the lottery. Mortgage payments too? Yep, those are things that happen to older people…. Poker can seem a whole lot less “fun” when there are real bills to be paid and the industry is in steady decline.

I know a lot of players are considering quitting poker because of the challenging environment. Only you will know if that is also the correct decision for yourself. If you are still grinding it out best of luck out there and I hope my book Exploitive No Limit Holdem helps you a bit. For those of you that quit, good luck in your new ventures!

Paul

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5 Reasons Not To Double Barrel

1) Your opponent is a giant calling station. Generally, it is safe to say these are not good players to double barrel – I can think of a few notable exceptions, which are players that like to call call and then fold rivers. Rule of thumb is don’t bluff the station!

2) High fold to flop c-bet number. If this number is over 50% I would be cautious about double barreling because your opponents range is quite nitty. This is especially the case if they start with a slightly lower than average VPIP (below 22%).

3) The hand started off as a multi-way pot. Most of the time when 4 players see the flop, if your opponent calls your flop bet their range will be quite strong.

4) The board is draw heavy (3 parts of straight or flush down) – this is especially true against players who will chase mediocre draws.

5) Your opponent is super sticky/aggro once money is in the pot. This / having a low fold to turn bet % is not an uncommon trait among the super aggressive young generation – my recommendation is to avoid turn equity spew by weighting your turn c-betting range a bit toward the stronger side.

 5 Reasons You Should Double Barrel

1) Overcards peel off on the turn. Generally, overcards are good cards to continue betting on the turn. Ex. Flop is 10 7 4 rainbow and a K rolls off on the turn. Obviously, an A is even a better card for that – it works especially well against the player type that likes to “put you on high cards” and play low junk.

2) Your opponent has a low fold to cbet number but doesn’t seem to make it to showdown frequently. This suggests they either fold on the turn or on the river – both of those scenarios work well for us. In this case a double barrel bluff can be used to setup the “triple barrel”.

3) It will boost your red-line / non showdown winnings if done appropriately. Having a one and done c-betting strategy will get you nowhere against solid aggressive regulars.

4) When you have a strong amount of equity and there is little chance of being check raised. It sucks to be check raised when you are behind, but have a hand that might force you to call (due to pot odds and/or implied odds). Examples include flush draws + gutshot, overcard + flush draw, etc. If you knew that you would be check raised the solution is simply to check behind and realize your equity.

5) Your table image is loose. One of the common mistakes nits make is they play super nitty and then decide to try to pull off a double barrel. Unfortunately, because their opponent knew they were a nit by the time they call a PFR and a flop cbet their range is incredibly strong, and the double barrel fails. Try to double barrel when you think your opponents ranges are wider. Generally, when you have a more aggressive image at the table players will start to call your cbets lighter – that is the perfect time to start widening your double barrel range.

If you haven’t already be sure to check out my book Exploitive No Limit Hold’em. Hope the tables are treating you well, and let me know if you have any questions.

Paul

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