Choosing the right table

[hc422709]

I am a pretty Tight passive(ish) player at heart, I probably won't call raises of $0.06+ with anything other than AA,KK,QQ,JJ,10's,AK,AQ,AJ,A10,KQ,KJ,QJ so I don't want to join a game where there is a lot of action pre-flop. I notice that Pokerstars show the table stats, Hands Per Game, Average Pot, Players Per Flop. Which stats are indicative of the tables I will be comfortable in?

thanks

[omahilo]

if the average pot is high then you wont want to play that one because there will be lots of money flying around.

I actually join tables with the highest average pot because I like to see lots of money flying around.

[hc422709]

grr.... that sucks for me... That means if I get a good hand at one of those low average pot games, and bet... they will just fold :'(

[Talking Poker]

Umm..... so join the high ones and change your play from passive (losing) to aggressive (winning).

Seems like a no brainer, no?

Also, you should give more details in your posts like this, namely: Are you talking about limit or NL? I'm assuming ou mean Hold'Em, but there is a pretty big difference between limit and NL when it comes o what kinds of hands you can call raises with.

[hc422709]

NL ...Sorry, bare with me... only have about 10 posts
hm, Interestingly enough, I always seem to lose money when I play aggressive

[JDMcNugent7]

read a poker book before u do anything.
harrington on hold em would be good for u.

[juiCe[3x]]

Usually I'll look for a table with a high average pot because if you can hit a big hand most of the time you'll get someone to call you down or even try to bluff you and you can rake in a big pot.

[murkosk]

You mean that aggressive players are winning? Could you please explain this?

[Zybomb]

Umm....wow

I'll give you the real short version. Maybe someone else would like to give a more detailed answer.

When you bet you have two ways to win.

1- By showing down the best hand

2- By making your opponent fold

When you check and call (i.e passive play) you have only one way of winning: By showing down the best hand.

When you let others bully you and fold to their aggression, you are giving them pots

When you only call rather than raising , you are winning less money in the pots that you win, and you aren't finding out where you are in the hand, so you are losing more money on the pots you lose.

[juiCe[3x]]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I seem to have a lot of trouble at showing aggresion and stealing/taking down pots. When i miss a flop and know my opponent misses the pot i seem to not bet anough and always get raised. Is there a way to steal more pots pre-flop / post-flop by raising more than I do? I usually raise 3-4X the BB pre-flop and try to bet 1/2 the pot but most of t he time i think its obvious that i miss the flop when i try to steal the pot.

[murkosk]

You can afford to play aggresive when you are playing in cash games or high buy in tournament, but not on freerolls. You are always facing 3-4 callers and on metter how much you bet. I m realy looking forward to TPL3.

[Talking Poker]

I couldn't disagree more. Make sure you know the difference between the words "aggressive" and "reckless." Aggressive doesn't mean "bluffing" - it means "betting and raising" as opposed to "checking and calling." If you are sitting around playing "passive" poker (that's the opposite of aggressive), you're not going to get very far, freeroll or not.

You just can't sit around and wait for monsters - especially in tournaments, and ESPECIALLY in low limit (like $0) online ones where the blinds are moving fast.