Table selection

I have been talking a lot about table selection lately. I believe it is one of the strong points of my game, and I believe after ABC poker and bank roll management, it is the most important skill. However, many micro players think you should look for the toughest compatition. After all, the point of playing in the Micro's is to learn and get better, not make money right?

I will agree that you will improve more playing against better players, and you make more money table selecting. So, by this line of reasoning, you should look for the toughest tables and get better! And if we were talking about 1 session, then that would be the end of the debate. But poker is a long term game. Many grinders play literally hundereds of thousands of hands a month, so a few hundered hands at a tough table is a fairly insignificant sample. But lets look at some examples.

Player A chooses to play the toughest tables, but is a small winner. Say 1bb/100, which I would think is a pretty damn good win rate if you are looking for the best players at your level.


Player B chooses the softest tables they can find. This player wins at a rate of 5bb/100 (this is my slansky bucks over the last 50K hands). They table select for 3 fish and good position, but still play with good players.

Over the first 50K hands player A improves more than player B. Using the 20 buy in rule for taking shots, player A is now 20% of the way to moving up. Player B is now taking shots. Suppose it takes Player B 50K hands to get a foot hold on the new level. At this point player A is 40% of the way to taking shots at the next level, while player B is now comfortable at the new level. Player B is still table selecting, but as the play level is better, is now learning at the same rate (and has been for the last 50K hands) as player A. Player B's win rate has been cut in half, so they are now winning at 2.5bb/100.

Player A keeps grinding it out, and over the next 100K hands is now 80% of the way to taking a shot at the next level. Plpayer B has won enough to take a shot at the next level. At this point Player B is now playing better competition and is learning faster.

And that is why it is important to table select.