Extreme Game Selection

Bloggers / Chris Edwards / 03 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

Game selection is a simple concept for the poker player - out of all the games or tournaments on offer to you, find the one you are able to beat the easiest.

For the serious online player this means opening the lobby of their chosen poker client and finding the ring games with the highest average pot or with the weakest lineup. They then open as many tables as possible, knowing that they are a favorite to win all the money at each one.

For a professional in Vegas, they will have specific days and times to attend various casinos for when they know the games are good. They will also be able to watch a random game for a few minutes to see if they should sit down. If the $5/$10 NL game at the Mirage looks full of tight regulars, they might go check out the $3/$6 NL game next door at Caesers Palace. If they find a table full of exploitable fish they will have more chance of winning money even at the smaller stakes.

For these players game selection is easy, but what about the enthusiastic amateur player who lives in Berkshire, England and want to play live? You need to have games to turn down before you can select one to play in. A few years ago the only poker I knew about was at my local casino, but with all the tournaments being rebuys geared towards gamblers with seemingly empty pockets and the cash game being £1/£2 NL with a minimum buy-in of £50, it was an expensive learning curve.

And learn I did. I learnt that betting money I didn't want to lose meant that all my opponents had an edge over me. I was then lucky enough to find a 'free' poker league played in pubs, but with some serious prizes given to the best performers it meant some serious competition. With no money at stake it meant I was able to hone my game and gain some serious confidence. However, when the UK gambling laws changed and the pub leagues either shut down or stopped giving away big prizes, I was back to square one.

Other casinos in London spread similar cash games to the one in Reading, but these attracted some real sharks. How could I play in games where I was not the best player? With not playing not being an option, I decided that I would need to have different strategies against different players. Even with one or two bad players a game can be profitable. So if I was to face off against one of the sharks I would reduce their edge against me by playing very tight and ABC or by taking some bigger risks. Against the bad players however, I would open things up.

So if the only game available is one with some good players in it then apply some extreme game selection and play in it. This theory can also be applied to mixed games, e.g. if your playing HORSE against a Limit Hold'em specialist then play tight in their game to reduce their edge, then attack them in your better games.

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Evaluating your game - Ben Grundy