Tips for Finding Good Online Poker Cash Games Without Using a HUD
Finding the right online poker cash games to play at can be the difference between being a winning and a losing player. Game selection is very important. To build up an online poker bankroll you don’t need to be the best, just better than the players you’re playing against.
Fortunately, finding soft cash games has never been easier online since lots of poker sites have now banned HUDs, a “heads-up display” that shows detailed statistics about opponents directly on the table. Poker sites came to realize that poker tracking software was driving away the recreational players, so they put in measures to regain this lost player base.
With anonymous tables and quick seating, these recreational players no longer have to be worried about being targeted by poker sharks or full time professionals who are using software to gain an unfair advantage and track their every move, allowing you to sit back and enjoy your favorite online poker cash games knowing the playing field is evened.
Finding Sites that Have Banned HUDs
The key to finding the best online poker cash games starts with finding the best online poker sites that disallow HUDs. Since these poker sites don’t allow HUDs to be used, there will be fewer grinders mass multi-tabling since it becomes difficult to play at multiple tables at the same time and remain profitable without the assistance of software to track opponents.
If you can find games that have lots of bad players that are easy to play against, you will make a lot of money getting in volume at these soft poker sites.
In addition to catering to the recreational players, poker rooms tend to be softer when they have a casino/sportsbook attached to them since these players will find their way over to the poker tables and will be looking to gamble.
Finding the Right Table and Players to Play Against
Once you have found your site, you can sometimes use the poker software to help find players or juicy games. Some poker clients will offer you a series of stats on individual tables. In addition to finding out who is at the table and their stack sizes, you can also find stats such as the average number of players to see a pot and the average pot size of the table.
In this case, you’re looking for tables that are dramatically different from the other tables. You can get an idea of what the average tables look like quickly and when you see tables that stick out, that’s when you pounce. For example, if the average pot size is $3 to $4 on other tables and you see a table with an average pot of $8 to $10, then you know that’s where your action table is.
How can you tell if a bad recreational player is sitting at your table without using a HUD? These players will be the main source of your profits, so it’s important that you can easily identify them. Generally speaking, they will be playing too many hands, limping in a lot to try and hit flops, never folding to 3-bets, never folding their draws, and will usually call down with any pair because they fall in love with their hands. Another sign that a weaker player is at the table is when they buy-in for less than the full amount (less than 100bb) in an online poker cash game.
The good news is that when you spot the weaker players at the table pretty much all online poker sites give players the ability to take notes on the other players. You’ll want to have at least one bad recreational player at your table and ideally, you want to have position on them. There are bad players at every level, sit at those tables and win more money.
Pay close attention to the players at each table. Look for those that are multi-tabling like crazy. Many players, even recreationals, will play two or even three tables. However, if you notice that a player is at 5 or more tables at once, that’s not a mere recreational player.
Start Low and Work Your Way Up
Regardless of the poker site you choose to play at – you’ll find that there are experienced players at the cash game tables even at micro stakes. Because the difficulty of the games has increased over the years, it is a good idea to start and grind at the lowest stakes and only when you are ready, move up to higher stakes.
Your bankroll management and experience in online poker cash games is the key. Winning at poker is all about observing your opponent’s tendencies and making the best decisions based on this information.
Lastly, even though No Limit Hold’em gets the most action at every poker site, it is also important to learn different games because there is often a larger skill gap between the best players and the recreational players at the less commonly played poker variants.