The Online Poker Player Resource

Blinds structure

The blinds are what drive the game. The size of the blinds in relation to the players’ chip counts has a bearing on which style of play may be more suitable.

If the blinds are large in relation to a players stack, he is forced to be less selective about the hands he plays than if he has a larger stack, because he will have less hands to play before he has spent the money on blinds. Therefore, we recommend that you choose a table with blinds that are not very high in relation to what you bring to the table. If you play Limit, bring in 50 times the big blind. For example, if you choose a $2-$4 table, do not bring less than $100. If you only have $25, then choose a $0.5-$1 table. Bringing an insufficient stack to the table is a sign of a bad player, and that is not something you want to convey to the other players.

No limit and maximum buy-in

The NL tables usually have a maximum buy-in. We recommend that you always buy the maximum amount. If you feel that it is too high, then choose a table with smaller blinds and a lower maximum buy-in. One disadvantage about sitting down with less than the maximum buy-in at a NL table (aside from the fact that you have to play too many speculative hands to afford the blinds) is that the pros at the table will interpret it as a sign of weakness, and assume that you are a bad player. And most of the time they are correct. Sitting down with less than the maximum amount gives away unnecessary information to your opponents.

Short-handed tables

At so called short-handed tables, tables with six players or fewer, you have to play more hands and play them more aggressively, than at a full table. There are two reasons for this: you sit on the blinds more often (and consequently have to win more hands to cover the cost of the blinds), and the average hand is worse between six players than between ten, so your hands are worth a little bit more. You will still, of course, get as many good starting hands as your opponents, but instead of having the best hand every ten hands, you will have it every six hands. Players who prefer to play many hands and who play aggressively should consider choosing a short-handed table, while more conservative players should go for a full, or almost full, table.

Players at the tables

If you play live or at a casino, you must know the players in order to pick a good table, or alternatively, study the game for a while before taking a seat. On the Internet however, most sites provide information to the players in order to help them pick a more profitable table. It is information about how many players, on average, see the flop and the size of the average pot. If you are a tight player, it might be better to choose a table where many players see the flop and where the pots are big. If you are an aggressive player, it is often better to choose tables with smaller pots, where the players play fewer hands. If you are a tight player you should, above all, be careful with tables where the pots are big, but few players see every flop. That could indicate a ”madman” at the table, handing out free money, which is a good thing, but it could also mean that most of the players are tight aggressive, which is what most tight players prefer not to go up against.