One bit of poker strategy that could definitely use a little more coverage is the concept of time management.  After all, you don’t hear too many people talking about how long a person should stay at a certain limit, how long a player should continue on before logging out during a losing session, or when a person should quit after a huge winning session.

But just because you don’t hear people talking a whole lot about time management in poker does not mean that it’s not important.  In fact, knowing how to effectively manage your time in poker is a crucial skill for those who want to become great players.

How long can you stay focused?

Forget all of your grand illusions about being able to grind for 12 hours a day, and just concentrate on your past for a second.  What is the longest poker session where you were able to stay focused the whole time while still hauling in a profit?  Better yet, think about what your average session is where you can play comfortably without getting bored or distracted.

It’s very important that you be honest with yourself here because there are too many poker players who lie to themselves when answering this question.  If you are a semi-professional player who can focus clearly for 4 straight hours, then this number will give you a good idea as to how long you should play during a big winning session or a bad day where the cards just aren’t falling your way.

Likewise, a recreational player who has a full-time job might only be able to play for 1 or 2 hours a day before losing concentration.  Whatever the case may be with you, make sure to stick with your average session as a guideline because playing too long can force some very poor decisions.

How long to stay at a certain limit

Another concept of time management is knowing how much time to spend at a certain limit before moving up.  For instance, if you are a $2/$4 Limit Hold’em player, and are hoping to move up to $3/$6 Limit Hold’em, you will need to look at your life.

For instance, if you have a 9 – 5 job and can dedicate two hours a day to the game, you should spend at least 4 months at the $2/$4 limit before moving up.  On the other hand, if you’re someone who has saved up enough money and has made the decision to become a semi-professional player, you can dedicate more time to learning the game and thus can probably move up within two months.

This isn’t the early 2000’s – or even the mid-2000’s.  You can’t just jump onto any online poker table, and start dominating the competition like you could several years ago.

There are too many good players in the game today along with too many software programs and strategy books for this to be the case.  So you obviously have to exercise good judgment when selecting your poker tables and here’s a look at how to do that.

Players Viewing the Flop

The most important thing to look at when choosing a poker table is the percentage of players who are seeing the flop.  You’ll find this number in the lobby along with other numbers like how many players are at the table, hands per hour, etc.  The tables you want to play at are the ones with a high percentage of players seeing the flop since this means more multi-way pots, more limpers, and more non-skilled players.

Of course, you also want to make sure that the table has been full the majority of the time so the flop-viewed stat is legitimate; this is where the hands per hour stat is important.

Stack Size

You can also find non-skilled players by looking at stack sizes from the lobby.  By checking out how big each player’s stack is, you’ll be able to find the people who are playing with less chips.  This is important because most good players want to have the maximum stack size allowed at their table in order to get an edge.

Fish, on the other hand, will play with whatever amount they feel like because they don’t care about maximizing any edges.

Start a Table

For those who are good at heads-up, another great way to find a table is to start one yourself.  This way you will be able to wait for an opponent to sit down which is especially good if they are short-stacked.  As the room begins to fill up, you can evaluate whether or not it’s a good idea to stay at the table you’ve created.