Picking your ideal time to play poker is another aspect of proper game selection. It will help you find the profitable spots and games that will give you the highest expectation, and this will help you make more money.
So, where do we find the soft spots to make the easy money? Whether you’re playing online or live, there are a few sure-fire bets.
Jump to:Where’s the Easy Money?
1. Drunk people. Here’s the bastion of bad decision making. Playing against drunk people makes for some seriously sweet, easy money. While drunk players may think they’re the best players in the world (just like drunk dancers think they’re the best dancers on the planet), they’re not. Their game and limit selection is compromised, and so is their playing.
2. Recreational players. People who don’t study the game or play the game regularly offer up easy money since they are not going to be as skilled as you. And since they often come packing money, they’re insanely lucrative to play against. However, unlike the drunk players, you need to give rec players credit, since they do have their faculties about them, and will usually pride themselves on doing their best.
3. Weaker regulars. These are the players you see at the tables often, and who aren’t putting in the time and effort to improve their game. Their leaks are still unplugged, and because you’ve been playing against them regularly, you’ve taken notes, and know when and how to attack their weakness.
4. Slackers. In other words, anyone who doesn’t work as hard as you. This obviously makes ‘slackers’ a relative term, since to a more advanced player who studies hardcore, you could be a slacker, and be seen as an opportunity to make money. Which is why it’s important to keep learning, and striving to get better. You may think you’re the biggest fish sea, but there are also a lot of sharks out there. Do your homework, and watch your back.
When is the Concentration of These Players the Highest?
Knowing this will help you understand when you can really maximize your expectation.
1. Evenings. A lot of these people have school or jobs, so they don’t have time to play or study during the day.
2. Weekends. For the same reason mentioned above, most of the soft action can be found on weekends. People are not only at home, but they have all day and night to play…and drink.
3. #FreeMoneyFriday. Friday evening, a few drinks in, and someone decides they’re Stu Unger and logs on. Bingo: you’ve got an opportunity to make some sweet, sweet cash. And remember timezones! Just because it is not Friday evening where you are doesn’t mean it’s not Friday evening somewhere.
4. Promo time. When poker sites run promotions, it attracts a lot of rec players and jackpot hunters. The action is soft, and you’ll be ready.
Most of this information is directly applicable to cash games and sit ‘n’ go’s, since you can choose when you want to play, and you can select which line ups you want to sit in and choose from the ones that are offered.
About MTTs…
MTTs are harder to predict since the field is huge and you don’t have control over who you play against. If you want to get value from MTTs, think about timezone, and how long the tournament will last. MTTs are a really long grind unless they’re turbo or hyper turbo. A lot of new players don’t realize this when they register, and they may have somewhere they’ll a few hours in, or they may not have the energy to make it through a long night.
So, if you’re taking your game seriously, you want to register for tournaments that start late in the countries of your competitors. On sites like 888, there’s a flag beside each player so you can see where they’re playing from. If it is a six-hour tournament, and it starts at 10 pm or midnight in the main demographic you’re up against, that’s a good spot for you. Most people are not at their freshest in finest in the most lucrative, late stages of the event, which will be between 4 am and 6 am.
For tournament play specifically, I’d say Saturday and Sunday are your best times because that’s when you’ll have the most rec players and weak players. Evenings on those days are also ripe with people who’ve been drinking.
Above all, remember to not use these soft spots as a catch-all cushion for shoddy playing. If you want to win consistently, you still have to put in the work, and strive to constantly become a better player. You’re not going to be the only wiley player looking for easy pickings in these spots, after all, so you need to be on your A-game.
