This thread arises out of something Arty said in another thread--that, when the table VPIP drops below 20, he looks for something looser.

So far I've been choosing tables based on how full they are (at least 8/9 when I sit down or join the waiting list) and what % of players see the flop (my max is 20, but I prefer under 10). Do you guys have any comments on those selection criteria, and what are yours?

You have got it upside down. You want to play with people who are loose, playing lots of sub par hands. so High table VPIP - I look for 30%+ at 6max tables. The idea being that your good hand selection is actually enough to win you money vs loose fish at the uNL tables. Ya get me? playing at a table where avg VPIP is 10 is MADNESS !

Oh and I dont care how many players as long as it isnt like 1 or 2 - cause then the VPIP table % is not a true representation

I've always taken it as a high players per flop % being good. It means more players are hanging around to see a flop with questionable holdings and we can exploit that.

Average pot size is an indicator aswell. If the average pot size is big then there may be a calling station, fish or manaic at the table and we want to play with all these players as they are simple to exploit and get money out of.

One last major concideration is stack sizes. I despise playing vs. short stacks in cash. I just hate it. So if everyones 80BB+ deep then im happy.

Through all these together and you should have atleast one fish with a decent stack size who's happy to play with you (and hopefully pay you off for finding them).

Players/flop % correlates strongly with Table VPIP. Low numbers mean fewer flops are seen. In other words, it's a nitty pre-flop game, where someone limps/opens, another 3-bets, first person folds.
While "rock gardens" with low VPIP and low players/flop are great if your game relies heavily on stealing, and being fearless by 3-betting light, they teach you very little about how to play post-flop poker, and also limit your profit margins if you're a winning player, since the pots tend to be small. (Nits tend to only play pairs and big aces, and they usually fold if they miss the flop, so you never win much with straights/flushes with suited connectors).
Another thing is that tight tables don't enable you to grind a load of VIP reward points, since the pots tend to be smaller, so you're not paying much rake. (Until 2012 on Stars, you could earn VPPs by folding every hand. Now you actually have to play some pots!)

As well as looking for high players/flop or Table VPIP, look also for "average pot size". Large pots usually indicate one or two calling stations at the table. You want to sit on tables with them. I say "usually", because sometimes there is a complete maniac that just open shoves every hand. You might not want to get involved with him if you are easily tilted.

FWIW, I tend to only add my name to waiting lists of full tables, unless I spot an empty seat or 2 on a table with some obvious fish.

In summary, beginners should look for tables with:
* Only 1 empty seat or are full, unless you are a short-handed/heads up specialist.
* At least 1 obvious fish and as few regs and short stackers as possible.
* High VPIP (or players/flop)
* Larger pots.

G, do a 2p2 search for 'table selection'.... There is a plethora of threads on this

not entirely correct. it depends on your style. obviously its madness if you're a TAG player as this poster assumes but if you're a LAG, then its favourable as lags would open their ranges up and be able to steal more blinds at tight tables that looser ones.

This could be true, but lets face it, been a LAG player is way more hard than been a TAG, too much post-flop decisions in just one session, even been a NIT is easier. So as I can see OP knows little about table selection and because we are in a Beginners forum, i believe he would not be able to profit on tables with a low VPIP.

not disputing the fact that LAG style is harder to play, has more variance etc however making assumptions that the OP plays a TAG game by default and saying its "madness" to go for low vpip tables is reckless and baseless.

its a binary thing, how can you say its madness simply by choosing a low vpip table without considering the facts first? (im a TAG btw!)

Not really,

No matter if you play LAG or TAG you want your table to have a lot of bad players. So while a LAG would probably show a bigger profit than TAG at a table full of nits both player types will show a higher profit on a table with bad players so it makes sense to table select to increase the number of bad payers rather than exploitable nits.

Thank you, guys. I followed the general advice on table selection and have noticed that my WWoSD line is trending down while my WWSD line is trending up, and I'm making more money this way.

I don't consider myself experienced enough to play a LAG style, although there is no doubt an argument to be made that LAG is superior to TAG if you're an expert.

I read several good post on 2p2 before, try search engine