Use a Poker Table Scanner Already

If you are reading this, then chances are you aren’t using a table scanner full-time or with any regularity.  It simply comes down to maximizing your potential edge.  Whatever your win-rate might be, even if it’s 1 BB/100 without adding in bonuses or rakeback, that’s fine.  I just want you to take that number and add 0.5 BB/100 to it.  That’s my educated guess of what using a table scanner will do to your win-rate if you are the kind of person who multi-tables cash games.

Let’s just see what the math says about my estimated addition to your win-rate even if you play micro-stakes games.  For the $0.25-$0.50 (50nl) player over the course of time, +0.5 BB/100 means:

0.5 BB = $0.50
1 BB/100 = $1 profit per 100 hands played
1.5 BB/100 = $1.50 profit per 100 hands played

Let’s say you really hit the tables hard and get in 40,000 hands per month:

40,000 hands at 50nl for a 1 BB/100 win-rate = $400
40,000 hands at 50nl for a 1.5 BB/100 win-rate = $600

You’ll notice that you just added 50% more income!  You will also notice that the $200 in extra profit more than pays for the cost of the various poker tracking programs that exist.  $200 per month over the course of one year is $2,400, which, when added to your bankroll, is more than enough to take a shot at 100nl games or cash out for one heck of a vacation.  I think, given my modest estimation of 0.5 BB/100, that the investment in a table scanner is justified.

If you are completely unfamiliar with the concept, table scanners are programs that work with your hand history database and go through tables given certain parameters.  It will sort through stakes, games, number of players, or whatever else you can think of and then report a score for each table.  Typically, these “scores” come from a preset algorithm made by the table scanner's programmer.

You’ll sign into your online poker site of choice and then fire up your table tracking program.  I can’t really suggest one over another, but basically think if you are already running PokerTracker 3 or Holdem Manager, then you should use its associated scanner.  Both are awesome, work great, and give you a free trial that is long enough to show you its tremendous value.

Alternatively, you can use the one at PokerTableRatings.com, which is pretty good for a look at which tables are the best.  Once you run your tracker, you’ll get back a report of all of the tables that meet your criteria.  You can then sort them according to their “fishiness,” meaning the tables with the most fish go on top.

Straight from the table scanner program, you’ll be able to join a waitlist and get into the juiciest games possible.  It’s absolute nonsense to think that you can win more by sitting at a table full of regular nits.  Sure, if you are good enough, you can beat those guys. But, there’s no way that you are better off at a table like that as opposed to one that has amateurs who don’t care about dumping off stacks in the name of fun.

The merits of using a table selection program are obvious. By all estimations, it’ll increase your win-rate, especially in the long-run if you don’t see an immediate ROI in the first month.  Don’t get lazy and think you can do this on your own because, frankly, nobody can do it better than the system can for you.