Assessing a table

How long does it take for you to decide whether a table you've joined is worth staying at.

Table selection for me is quite minimal, usually just use the % of players to the flop as a guideline. The limits I play at pokerstars means that I don't have prior information about many of my opponents, so usually give it about 50 hands or so before I can assess whether the table is good or not?

Is this too long? Am I sitting at a table losing money for not leaving the table sooner.

What are people's general credentials on assessing a table?

I usually want to have position on at least 1 fish, and try to stay away from any aggressive people directly on my left.

After you sit at a table, what processes do you go through? Nothing too hardcore, it's only 5nl, so I'm not going to be studying a table for a few orbits before sitting down with bona fide notes on everybody, even if that is the best way!

Cheers.

I play 10 nl mainly and starting 25nl, but 10 is my main stake ATM.
I face a lot of the same regs( like maybe 2-3 always on at the same times) since I play at pretty much the same times. Some of the regs are real predictable, some I just avoid. If there is one fish with a decent stack, IMO always worth staying, unless some agro with position abuses you. I think in 15-20 hands you should get an idea if the table is worth staying at. At 5nl I think you can pretty much expect fish at most tables. For example, if I am at a table, then there I know there is at least one fish, so I can stay......lol

Since I use a HUD if after 20 hands everyone is tight, I leave unless someone is obv. bad. This is on poker stars. I find that 49 of 50 tables are ok. At Merge, I have many tables with tight players, but find the tight players are just not that good. I am speaking 6 max. I will try to bully a lot and see how it goes. If I get away with it, well, I stay till they give me a reason to leave.

I had a reg who I have 600 hands on sit on my right yesterday, he opened the button, I 3 bet from the SB, he folded and immediately left the table. That made me feel pretty good.

if you have a db, first get table scan turbo (TST), its free.

When you sit try to have nits on your left and loose players on your right. Try to avoid short stacks altogether but if you have to keep them on your right or across.

If its full of regs i leave after my hud pops up. No need to have a small advantage when i can switch tables and find a good target. Not sure why theres 5 regs on a table to begin with either.

If theres an unknown to your right you can stay and see what he turns into. One way to tell if hes a reg is by how many tables he is playing. Less tables, more likely bad. TST shows this as well.

No matter what stakes you play make sure table selection is top priority. Table selection alone is probably your biggest cause of a good winrate.

If you dont have a hud then 50 hands is fine. Its not like you are losing much by staying for 50 instead of 30. You only pay a few blinds difference. And dont assume you are losing money by staying at a random table. You are probably better than at least half of the guys so you are probably profiting in theory.

With no hud take tons of notes and notice if anyone limps. Limping is a tell of a bad player as well as less than 100bb and more than min buy in. Some min buy in players are 'pro' short stacks and not just autofish.

I can usually tell within afew hands. If anyone open-limps they get marked as fish and I enter every pot they do. If someone takes a line I wouldn't have took they get marked as fish. I really don't think it takes long to decide.

dooydoo said:

if you have a db, first get table scan turbo (TST), its free.

When you sit try to have nits on your left and loose players on your right. Try to avoid short stacks altogether but if you have to keep them on your right or across.

If its full of regs i leave after my hud pops up. No need to have a small advantage when i can switch tables and find a good target. Not sure why theres 5 regs on a table to begin with either.

If theres an unknown to your right you can stay and see what he turns into. One way to tell if hes a reg is by how many tables he is playing. Less tables, more likely bad. TST shows this as well.

No matter what stakes you play make sure table selection is top priority. Table selection alone is probably your biggest cause of a good winrate.

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Ditto

If it's live I look for limpers their stack sizes and were they are sat.

dooydoo said:

if you have a db, first get table scan turbo (TST), its free.

Click to expand...

Didnt know about this. It looks really cool

Thanks

99% of the time, a table is worth staying at. Sit to the left of big stacks and if you are single tabling, pay attention to every detail of every hand.

Learn to adjust to every type of player and break down their betting patterns.

rcsmith4 said:

99% of the time, a table is worth staying at. Sit to the left of big stacks and if you are single tabling, pay attention to every detail of every hand.

Learn to adjust to every type of player and break down their betting patterns.

Click to expand...

I'm no bumhunter, but this wrong.

Well you are constantly adjustting but in one orbit you should have been able to assign some sort of read to most of the players (5 or 6).

The 2 main things I am looking to assign up front is an individuals playing style and skill level (mostly determined by the awareness they exercise) . As I am there longer I can get more detailed.