Picking a No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Table
Play at tables that have eight to ten players with full stacks
Because the foundation of our beginner holdem strategy is to pay as little as possible while waiting to double up on a monster hand it is very important that you play a full ring game. If you sit at a $1/$2 ($200 maximum buy in) table with 10 players you’ll pay $30 in blinds for every 100 hands. While a table with 6 players will cost you $50 for the same 100 hands. Our holdem starting hand recommendations are based on the odds so in order to keep the odds in your favor it is very important that you play a table with at least 8 players. Playing at full tables also helps you get lost in the crowd. It will be harder for the other players to notice that you’re only in pots when you have a great hand. In fact, if you play our strategy you’ll be like a lion waiting in the grass to strike. Everyone will be paying attention to the crazies at the table when the lion in the grass lunges.
Maximize the amount you make by keeping your stack full
When you sit down at a table always bring the maximum buy in. When you hit a monster hand at a $100 no limit holdem table you want to get a full $100 into the pot. For this reason you should always reload while playing so your stack is full. You also want the other players at the table to have full stacks. Don’t sit at a $25 no limit holdem table if most of the other players only have $15 because this will significantly reduce the value of the hands you make. Once you double up on a table try to stay there. If you double up on a $50 no limit holdem table you now have $100 you can possibly double to $200.
Keep the cost of playing low
One of the most important factors in picking a No Limit Holdem Poker table is what it costs to play. Since this poker strategy is all about paying the least amount possible to make a monster hand you want to find a site that has small blinds in relation to the maximum table buy in. For example, Full Tilt Poker's $50 maximum buy in poker tables have a 50 cent big blind and a 25 cent small blind. This is the type of poker site you’ll want to play. Other poker sites have blinds as much as $1 on as $25 maximum buy in table. These tables should only be played when you want to play a fast paced, heavy raising, loose game. This type of game is not consistent with our beginning player strategy and we don’t recommend it for beginning poker players. As a result, if you play our strategy you’ll want to avoid poker sites with expensive blinds.
Play at tables with buy ins that match your stake
In order to play this strategy you’ll need ten times the amount of the maximum table buy in. For example, if you only have $100 that you can risk on poker you must play a table with a maximum buy in of $10 or less. Fortunately, sites like Full Tilt Poker have games with a 10 cent big blind and a $10 maximum buy in. This is an excellent place for a beginning no limit holdem poker player to learn the game because a big mistake will only cost you $10. Check our deposit bonus page for a comprehensive list of poker sites. As you increase your skill you’ll see your stake rise and you can slowly move up to higher limits. This strategy plays well on tables with maximum buy ins up to $200.
Lower limit tables are more loose and cost more to play
Beginning players should start at lower limit poker tables. If you’ve never played online before we recommend you start at a $2 to $10 maximum buy in table even if your stake is large enough to play the $200 tables. However, you should be aware that lower limit tables are more loose and cost more to play. Lower limit tables have larger pre-flop raises and more players stay to see the flop. Our starting hand recommendations state that you should play any pocket pair for a moderate size raise. On lower limit tables you’ll often find the pre-flop raise larger than what we recommend calling. In addition, the lower limit tables have more players calling pre-flop raises and seeing the flop with hands like 65s. This causes your pocket pair to decrease in value because the odds of being beat by a straight or flush increase dramatically. For these reasons we suggest that once you know the strategy, are comfortable in your ability to play it correctly, and have a big enough stake, you should move up slowly through the limits until you reach the $50 to $200 maximum buy in.
It is critical to playing this strategy that you have a big enough stake to let the odds turn back in your favor
The reason you need ten times the amount of the maximum table buy in is bad beats. With our strategy you’ll be all in on many occasions where the other player draws out on you. Other times you’ll have all your money in the pot when you’re already beat. The odds of this happening are low, but the odds play out in streaks. If you’re playing $50 no limit poker it is possible that you have a streak of bad luck that gives enough bad beats to lose $400. It is critical to playing this strategy that you have a big enough stake to let the odds turn back in your favor. Remember, this strategy is based on the odds, but it often takes patience to let the odds play out. If you play this strategy correctly you’ll come out ahead in the long run because the odds will eventually play out.
Play multiple tables
Once you’ve learned the strategy and feel confident in your ability to read the board you can maximize the amount of money you make per hour by playing multiple tables. We strongly believe that when the odds are in your favor you make more money by playing more hands. Our strategy is so easy that playing multiple tables is not difficult. Most of the readers that we’ve heard from play between three and twelve tables. We recommend that you play only one table until you are confident that you can read the board quickly. It is important that you play fast because one of the biggest online tells is taking too much time before placing a big bet. When I see a long wait before a big re-raise I’m almost certain the other player was verifying his hand and trying to figure out how much to raise. As a first multi-table step play only two tables until you're comfortable then increase the number you play slowly.
