We’re all familiar with how the lion is able to separate the weak wildebeest from the herd and select it as its next meal. Preying on the weak is just part of the circle of life. It’s part of the circle of poker as well, as strong players seek out the weak in a never-ending cycle to devour their chip stacks.

In the online game, the hunt begins in the table selection process. It’s much easier online to observe players at any table than it is at a brick-and-mortar casino, so good players take advantage of this bonus and scout out locations. Taking notes and determining what the trend of the table is – tight or loose – is unique edge the online player is able to capitalize on.

Online poker sites even provide assistance to players who go on reconnaissance missions of sort. The No. 1 clue most professional online players look for is the flop percentage. When you’re in the lobby of most online poker websites, the amount of players remaining after the flop is represented in a percentage. In this case, the more, the merrier.

A big number of players sticking around after the flop means there is likely a high number of novices at that table playing fast and loose with their money. They’re not playing smart and chasing a lot of drawing hands. If the flop percentage is listed as more than 35 percent, it’s likely you’ve stumbled onto a table that could pay high dividends. And a profitable table is the whole point.