Before looking at them in detail, I should point out that most of the decisions listed below cannot be made in isolation. Depending on your poker knowledge and the state of your bankroll, you may give additional weight to some decisions over others. In some situations, the answer to one of the questions may be so important that it will override all of the other decisions.

1. Which site should I log in at?

The bigger the site, the more likely you will be to find the type of game and limit you want to play. Furthermore, the greater the potential number of opponents, the bigger the advantage for someone who is willing to scout around to ensure he plays with opponents who make plenty of mistakes.

Small sites will allow you to build up information on a fixed number of opponents, but in my opinion this only compensates for a wider choice of tables if the general standard of play is poor.

Other factors you will take into account when deciding upon which site to play at will be speed of cash outs, customer service, software playability and bonus schemes.

2. What game should I play?

Hold’em is the most commonly played game but that does not necessarily mean it is the game you should play. In the last 12 months, most of my profit has been derived from Omaha hi/lo (O8B) even though most of my hours logged have been at hold’em. The advantage of hold’em is the sheer weight of literature you can draw upon to improve your game. Of course, that literature is available to your opponents too!

With games other than Hold’em you will often find players making more mistakes due to lack of education. With certain games, the mistakes that they make will provide you with a greater edge than Hold’em could offer. For example, I would rather have a player call my EP raise with QQQ7 in O8B than I would have a player call my raise with Q7s in Hold’em.

3. What format should I play?

The choice is between tournament and ring games. The tournament structure will range from a single table Sit and Go (SnG) to huge multitable tournaments.

Ring games allow you to choose a profitable table and take advantage of seat selection. Even if you have not played with the opponents at your table before, the advantage of ring games is that you can usually make general assumptions based on stack size. Of course, if after a couple of circuits you realise that the table you are at is not profitable (or no longer profitable) you are free to change tables.

With tournaments you have no information on any of your opponents (unless you have played with some of your opponents before) and you are unable to make any assumptions until the cards are dealt. However, with large fields you have the potential for a great return on your initial buy in.

4. How many opponents should I play against?

For beginners, I strongly advise sticking to full tables while you pick up the basics. Once you have a greater feel for the game and more experience in adapting to your opponents’ playing styles, then it may be the time to move to the shorthanded tables. Sometimes, even if you have a sufficient feel for the game to succeed in the long run, the short term fluctuations inherent in shorthanded play can be a deterrent for the risk averse.

Shorthanded play requires more decisions and therefore someone will benefit from the additional mistakes being made. The key is not to be the person making them!

With fewer players at the table, playing your opponents (rather than playing mainly your cards) becomes more and more important. At its most extreme, if you decide to try heads up play your optimal strategy will depend almost entirely on the playing characteristics of your opponent.

5. What betting structure should I play?

The three main choices are Limit, Pot Limit (PL) or No Limit (NL).

Most beginners start out after watching poker on TV and mistakenly believe that NL is the way to go. However, I would advise anyone taking up the game to start with limit. By starting with limit you can get a feel for pot odds and starting hand requirements, essential skills for any format of the game.

Once you have progressed as a player, you can then decide to make the switch to PL and NL. If you do decide to play NL, I can tell you from experience that as you progress towards the higher limits the standard of play is extremely tough (especially in larger buy in SnGs). Fortunately, there never seems to be an end to the poor players willing to take a shot in limit ring games and that is why most players who play online for a living derive their income from limit ring games.

6. What limit should I play?

This decision is a function of the size of your bankroll, your ability and the profitability of the tables on offer.

Many people forget about table profitability and will not even think about playing a table at a limit below their usual limit. For example, even if your have the bankroll to play 5/10 it would be foolish to play the table with the 22% see flop percentage and 48$ average pot when there is a free seat at a 3/6 table with an average pot of 50$.

7. How many tables should I play?

Just like I advise beginners to play full limit ring games, I also advise them just to play just one table whilst they are picking up the basics.

The truth is that you “should” achieve your highest big bet per 100 hands figure (bb/100) playing a single table. However, you will be limited by the number of hands you can play if you only play one table.

In my opinion, many players underestimate the hit their bb/100 takes when they add additional tables. This is particularly true when the standard of the opponents’ play is reasonable or better.

At high limits I would never play more than 2 tables of hold’em. However, I am quite prepared to have four or more full O8B tables open because the game is more mathematical and to a certain degree (at full tables), less opponent dependent.

To conclude, it would seem logical to make the decisions which will provide you with the most profit. That is not to say that profit should be your only consideration. Your decisions will be influenced by other factors such as the amount of time you have to play and the need to gain experience so as to improve certain aspects of your game.

One factor which influences many players’ decisions is a need for “action”. In a lot of cases, this need for action can distort the decision making process so much that it becomes the most important factor. I know many players who log on, go to the x$/y$ section and sit down at the first 4 x$/y$ 6 max tables they can find with available seats. If you are one of those players, you should really ask yourself whether you are taking every step to maximise your profit.

In next month’s article I am going to look at some less obvious decisions and how they too can provide additional profitability. Until then, try putting your thinking cap on well before you have posted your first blind.

For questions about this article for the author, or comments regarding this article, please visit this thread in the ITH Forums.