Playing poker at any time of the day from anywhere in the world is easier than ever. Whenever you get the urge you can sit down and play poker online. There is always a game going somewhere. The question is, “is there a good game going?” If you’re just sitting at the first table that becomes available, you’re probably costing yourself money.

The United States Constitution says that all men are created equal. I don’t know if that is true, but I can tell that the same is definitely NOT true of all poker games. There are good games and there are bad games, and playing only in the very good ones can have a huge impact on your bottom line. So how do we find these hidden gold mines?

Looking for good games online is much easier than in a casino or card room. This is especially true if you are not a regular in said casino. Finding quality games online can be as easy as looking at table averages if you use stat tracking software like poker tracker. Games with low preflop raise percentages and a high percentage of players seeing the flop generally means you have found a loose passive table. These tables are gold. At some limits and/or times of day though, these wonderful games are hard to come by. This is when you need a more in depth analysis of the table. Buddy lists and player notes come in handy in this situation.

When simple table averages fail to turn up outstanding tables for you to sit at, its may be time to head over to your buddy list. Finding and isolating one or two very weak players at a table can earn you an easy living. If you’re lucky enough to get position on these players you should probably stay at the table until they leave or go bust. The important thing to remember is to keep track of what kind of “fishy” your dealing with. Against a calling station you will play differently than if you had a weak tight player. Just having a weak player on your buddy list may not be enough. Keeping good notes on these weak players should save you some time in figuring out information that you should already know.

Good table selection skills can easily make a losing poker player into a winning player. If that is true, and you are a winning player, imagine what good table selection can do for your bottom line at the end of the day, month, or year.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online, receives Rakeback at Cake Poker, and participates in the monthly Races and Rolls Freeroll.