Lobby statistics – profitable game selection

The lobby display has some information about the recent character of the game at each table. You can use this information to choose a table that will be the most fun or profitable.

Hands per hour

Tables vary in the speed of the game. The higher limit games tend to play faster, both because players fold earlier and play more quickly. In general, a fast game is more fun to play at but can also indicate tougher competition.

Percentage of players seeing the flop

This is a very useful measure. It tells you how loose or tight the game is. If only 20% of the players are seeing the flop, it means that in a 10-handed game the average flop is heads-up. Since some flops are multi-way, this means that many hands are finished even before the flop. This is a very tight game. In holdem, look for a game where at least 40% of players are seeing the flop. This indicates a weaker field of players. In omaha, you would like an even looser game.

Unfortunately, Party Poker does not include this statistic, but most of the other sites do.

Average pot size

This statistic is an average over the most recent dozen or so hands. It gives you an idea of whether the game is quiet and tight without much raising (small pots) or loose and crazy with several maniacs (big pots). Most players prefer the games with large pots and the waiting list for these games tends to be longer. A game with large pots isn't intrinsically better, but many players associate large pots with the unskilled play of beginners or wild gamblers.

In a $3-$6 game, an average pot size of $30 is rather small and $60 is large.

Player names and bankrolls

When you single-click on a table in the lobby, most sites show you a list of players seated at the table. Once you have become familiar with some of the regulars at the site, you might recognize some of the names. This can help you decide whether the table looks like a good game or not.

Even if you don't know any of the players, seeing how many chips the players have on the table can also be helpful. Some people say that tables where most of the players have huge stacks are not very good games, because the professional players tend to buy in for larger amounts.