By Jann Sabin

We all know that game selection is crucial. To select the best game, we have to evaluate our edge and which games offer us the opportunity to exploit it.

I play better against experienced players (that doesn’t necessarily mean good, just people who know the game).  These players can read the story of a hand, and if you can read their read, you can tell a story that will work in your favor.  With an illiterate player who doesn’t even know the alphabet, attempting to tell a story is useless and takes away one of my tools. It’s basically the “don’t try to bluff a clueless player” idea.

I also look for long levels.  Many experienced players don’t have the patience for these levels and don’t really know how to pace themselves. I won’t be going out with just a pair at the 50-100 level with 50 minute blinds and good stacks, but many players will. I try to get up against them with a real hand when they have top top and can’t fold.  Look at the WPT blog of the hands at the just completed game at the Seminole Hard Rock and you’ll see that the caller of shoves who just has top pair almost always loses.

Another edge that’s good to have is quickly reading the table and getting an idea of where your chips will be coming from. It seems to me that there are still many players who don’t consider what you might have , especially since they see things from their perspective and they know they frequently have nothing. And I appreciate it when players give me advice….they’re basically telling me how they play which I’ll use at some point.

And as long as the levels are decent enough to not require that you have to gamble too much too early pre flop, I like to play against super aggressive can’t help themselves players, the ones who just have to 3 bet every raise or 4 bet shove. They are generally very short or very big, more likely roller-coastering, and with good level structure, I’ll have a strong hand and hope they’re in it.

So I look for experienced aggressive players who don’t have a lot of gears.  Give me a table of fish and I’m totally confused most of the time. And tight players get boring and are non-profitable.

What’s your edge?

Jann Sabin is a poker player, writer and blogger as well as a marketing specialist. You can reach her @ jann@brandbooster.com.