Keys to Game Selection

[MathBabe]

This doesn't, however, agree with what Pshabi was saying - he said he likes to keep both the "loose donkeys" and the "passive donkeys" on his immediate right. I know that wasn't the focus of the post - but now that I've got the software up and running and tried out the methods, I'm ready for some fine-tuning.

Actually, I was looking for a more precise definition of 'donkey'. :-) I saw sea ask this a while back, but I'm not sure anyone answered.
Maniac = loose aggressive
Fish = loose passive
Calling station = passive, but not necessarily loose?
Donkey = ??

Mining the data in Party for 25 or so hands before I play has been very instructive. I can find tables that range in average VPIP from 20% to almost 40%, at .50/1.00. There are usually 1, 2, or occasionally 3 people with a VPIP over 40, and 7-9 with more typical VPIP 20/PFR 3 to 8.

I definitely have to move the filtering VPIP up, because of playing full tables. And I'm wondering about the aggression. Frankly, embarrassing as it is, I don't do that well against the more aggressive players. I tend to think I should improve my game, but perhaps with that may fish in the Party sea, I can filter for the ones I naturally do well against?

[Talking Poker]

Again, donkey = bad player. I don't believe there are specific playing stlyes associated with a donkey.... Well, *not* tight-aggressive. But even a good player is capable of making a bad play and "donking" off a bunch of chips. You know, like calling all in with T high, hoping to hit a gutshot. Get it?

Playing at a full table, you'd want to move the VP$IP filtering DOWN, not UP. You are supposed to play tighter at full tables. I think I'm around 27% VP$IP at 6 max limit and 18% VP$IP at a full limit table. So... a "donkey" (in this case meaning very loose preflop player) might be 50% at 6 max and just 35 or 40% at full ring.

Lastly, YES! The most important thing is learning how to play solid, winning poker. Only AFTER you've learned how to beat the various styles of opponents does it make sense for you to target specific players. In the past, you've been very passive, which is a recipe for disaster if you are targeting maniacs.