Table selection on Party

I've been at this poker thing for almost a month, mostly for the bonuses. Initially I was up about $150 just in winnings playing the $0.5/$1 tables but have since seen that dwindle down to about $10 (still worth it since I'm almost at $400 in bonuses). I thought that I got lucky first starting out playing at some loose/passive tables and ran into some tight/aggressive tables lately accounting for my bad streak so I've made an effort to find tables whre a large percentage of people saw flops (and I used PokerOffice to watch a table for about 7 hands to get some data). I figured I'd throw away all the garbage hands and play some suited drawing hands in middle position (normally I play very very tight) since the pots would get up to a decent size. It didn't work out well at all; variance says this isn't out of the ordinary but I was continually getting my strong hands cracked by the 2 or 3 people left in by the river. I don't need to outline the beats for you all since I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

My question is what do you do look for at the low limits to find tables that will end up paying you off? If not a high percentage of calling stations and fish, what else can you look for? Or was this just a really bad cluster of hands and I just need to ride it out? I ended the session down about $20; I don't think I even won a single hand. And you'll love the stat that one player saw 27/27 flops (yes, all of them), 80% to the river, and was up about $22 by the time I'd seen enough.

I guess variance says this isn't anything weird, but how do you keep yourself from going insane watching someone play so stupidly and not loosening up your starting hand requirements and end up losing even more money?

I like a couple of deep stacks, and a few small stacks. The biggies can pay you off and the shorties you can push around.

I like to watch what other players are doing who are taking down pots. Do they push into a minraise? Checkraising the turn? Who bets how much when they have a big hand? Who folds to how much? Who smooth calls with the nuts? Who check raises with the nuts? Who will play a 74 to the river just cause the hand is named after him?

Warning: This is not an answer to your question.

I'm concerned that there are 3 or 4 people at the river.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by drtofu66

... but I was continually getting my strong hands cracked by the 2 or 3 people left in by the river

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Betting gets information and gives information. I'm afraid that the 'winning' hand at the flop isn't giving enough info to make the other hands fold before the river. I don't know what the 'right' percentage of hands that one should show down, but if you have 3 others in the hand at the river, you better have a great hand, or be seeing the river for free with a crappy hand. If your bet is too small, that is considered slow play or weak play. Pot sized bets say, "I got the stuff, so you lay down, Son." Raise preflop to isolate, raise again to avoid showdown, or isolate further.
I'm sure this not the whole issue, but letting many stay in until the river is a bad sign. Slow play is an every-now-and-then technique. And even then, be prepared to puke up a ton of chips.