Experienced Texas Holdem player has got many effective tools he can use to improve the results. But there is another important thing you should remember. I want to underline the importance of a wise choice of Texas Holdem table. Don ‘ t be surprised . Table is crucial . Therefore don’t forget to choose the table wisely. It is very easy to do if you play online Texas Holdem poker.

Define your Texas Holdem style before choosing tables. You have to be aware of your own skills, strengths and weaknesses. Having such information will help you to choose suitable table. For example, if you are tight player you should look for loose table, because you know that your raises will be called. Even when you have monster cards there is a good chance of facing bluffing opponents. At the other hand, if you are a loose-style player who tend to raise quite often, you should look for tight table. In this case your opponents will fold if you play aggressively.

But there is a problem. How can you define if players at the certain tables are weak or strong? It is not as difficult as you might think. You should focus on statistics of % players/flop, average size of pots, hands/hour.

Let’s take as the example No-Limit Texas Holdem 6 max

If you are a tight-aggressive player you would prefer to be at the table where you can place big bets having AA, KK, QQ , AK etc . And of course you want your opponents to call your bets. 6-max tables with player/flop %55-65 are ideal for you. But it is not easy to find such table with high limits. And you should avoid playing at tables with player/flop %35-40 because there will be too many tight opponents and playing against them hopeless.

Now let’s move to the next indicator – average pot size. You should look for tables with huge pots because size of a pot is always related to size of stakes. And I think that the size of your stake should be equal to the stakes of your opponents. But it can be a problem because there are min and max buy-in limits. Therefore you cannot use as much money as some of your rivals who have won already. I advice you to check several tables with the same buy-in size and number of players. Then compare average pot size.

For Pot-Limit or Fix-Limit Texas Holdem poker best tables are with %50 players/flop. And the players should have stakes equal to max buy-in size. For example, if max buy-in is $100, look for a table with $80-$120 stakes. In this case you will have a chance to be all-in with $100.

Now it is time to analyze percentage of hands played per hour (h/hr). Many beginners think that it is good if this figure is high. They say that pace of the game is high and they can start to win in a minute and will make much money soon. This statement seems to be reasonable. But if you analyze it more carefully you will find out many disadvantages. If the players are able to finish hands very fast it means that they make decisions immediately. Therefore you can make a conclusion that your rivals are skilled Texas Holdem players who do not need much time to think. On the opposite side, you can join 6-max No-Limit Texas Holdem table with 60% players/flop and 150 hands/hour. But I bet this table is full of maniacs and the game will start only after the flop.

And now it is time to make the conclusion. I advice you to keep an eye on your opponents. There is a feature of adding players to the list of your friends available at many online Texas Holdem poker rooms. Do not add there only your friends. I believe that you should also place there weak rivals. They should be your friends! And as soon as you see your “friend” playing Texas Holdem somewhere just join the table!

Also recommended:

1. How to select a suitable Texas Holdem game
2. Your public image at the poker table 1: introduction
3. Table Image: Tight Play
4. Table Image: Introduction
5. Lobby and Table Selection in online poker rooms