Are micro stakes bad for you?

[bellicoso]

I'm talking about the really small cash games; like .10/.20 or less. It seems very difficult to play a solid game because the villains chase so much and WIN! I can't see this kind of play happening in higher stakes; or at least not as often.

So, is it just a money pit playing at these levels, or what? Would I be better suited jumping in at say .50/$1 to see some real skill? What do you think?

 

[digdug0037]

If you go sit in and watch some of the highest stake cash games you will see that there is some very crazy play at all levels. You will actually see people betting thousands on a 10 high. It is poker and thats part of the game.

 

[Lieutenant_OH7]

It's personal but for me I always play more serious if it's a high/higher buyin. Just cuz there is more at stake offcourse or you can win a very big prize.

 

[Jack Reacher]

Well for someone who is fairly new to this cash game can be really difficult to adjust his play against that much pressure so if i really need to give an answer then yes,playing from start at .50/1$ will be beneficial to start your journey in becoming the billionaire.

 

[c0rnBr34d]

In my opinion the toughest part about the lowest level micros is the rake. I agree that there's more spaz and unpredictable fish play but over a meaningful sample they wont always win. It may be annoying playing for lower stakes and seeing fish be rewarded for bad play but if you're unable to adjust and at least break even in the longer run then I'd be wary of moving up to where stronger players could also force us to adjust in order to be profitable. If we can't adjust and win against weak players then we probably wont be able to adjust an win at higher stakes against stronger players either.

 

[LFC_yllnwa]

Yes, for many players, micro micro limits are nothing for the Bank), but this is a great opportunity to get into good tournaments with buy-ins from $ 2 and above), for poker skills, if you have a Bank and you feel confident, of course you need to start playing from$ 2 and above, at such limits the level of poker is higher, and players think before throwing all in

 

[Lina1020]

It is not bad to play at a low bet, the practice is perfect,the higher stakes are already played by better players.

 

[Delfino]

If you can't bear micro you probably won't beat anything higher either...

 

[sharipov8090]

You need to pass all the levels of hell to pass the limits).It is not possible to play at high limits without experience.At low limits, there is every chance to become a professional player-so start small and you will reach a lot of goals!!!Good luck!

 

[ACESOVEREZZZ]

micro stakes

Playing at low end stake tables is a good way to build a bank if you don't have a lot to gamble. Yes their are a lot of "bingo players" in these games but if one keeps good notes on players and doesn't get caught up in the fact others go on tilt and keep to your game you can add some $ to you bank if you play smart.

GL ALL!

 

[Kaleiduo]

The micros have the highest bb/100 of all other stakes, so you really need to ask yourself why you can beat higher stakes and not lower ones.

 

[1nsomn1a]

Micro-limits are always very interesting.

Unfortunately, the qualification of many players leaves much to be desired. There is always excessive aggression with weak hands and calls are not on the chances. Opponents often get the desired turn and river.

You can play tight poker and earn money slowly. But a more aggressive game is more suitable for these limits. There is no respect for the standard size of raises, so you will have to increase their size. Here it is undesirable to bluff a lot and for a long time with a weak hand, because the probability of getting a call even with the second and third pair is very high. Initially, you feel discomfort, but you must pass microlimits if you plan to climb higher.

 

[CriesuaID]

The important thing is to stay calm when you have a winning strategy, these players appear in every stack and they are usually a great opportunity to win. They may get lucky sometimes, but they always end up losing.

 

[T1ltmonkey]

The higher you play, the better your opponents will be. If you have trouble beating micro players who, as you say, call and chase way too much and make lots of other mistakes, you are unlikely to win more against better and more aggressive players.

Microstakes can feel hopeless, I know. The goal is obviously to move up. And if you are rolled to play NL50, by all means give it a shot. But I personally believe that the best strategy in the long run is to stay patient, learn to beat the micros comfortably, and them move up slowly, adapting to the play at each level (and learning a ton along the way).

Good luck, anyway! [emoji106]

 

[TheDude6622]

It's definitely not bad for you, it's just a game with some different strategies that you have to get comfortable with.

 

[quick]

As others said there's wild and bad play at all stakes. Whales still exist. Plus I'd rather learn more and more to deal with and accept the bad plays and suckouts at the micros then start out losing in high stakes to that kind of play. We want to learn to embrace and accept the high variance and when we get sucked out on we can be happy we got it in good and that there's still so many wild bad plays being made.

At micros though the rake probably has an impact too in making it harder to grind upwards. Combine the wild plays and suckouts with high rake and it's truly a grind. But I'm using it more and more to not only improve my play but also improve my acceptance of bad beats and not letting it distract from the next hand.

 

[ChickenArise]

Probably not as bad as smoking two packs a day. I never heard anyone say Micro Stakes gave me cancer.

In all seriousness though, In tournament there is a bit of a difference once you hit the $5 buy in level in comparison to the under $5. At least on PokerStars where the players tend to be good overall. You may wish to step up to this micro buy in tournament for several reasons.

You cant really run a triple barrel bluff effectively unless you are playing versus a thinking opponent that can fold. So at the low end of micro stakes you are almost forced to remove this from your arsenal.

Should you become accustomed to playing this way, then micro stakes can be bad for you as you will develop less than optimal habits that you may take with you to higher levels. But barrelling is often considered a more advanced strategy that you work on after you have perfected your fundamentals, and the low micros can be a cost effective place to hone in fundamentals of play.

 

[mt2lhd]

Every stake has it's own strategy, Of course the way of playing at 10/20c is not same with 10/20$ so you should find a good way for you that can turn this games into profit, You can be sure that micro stakes are winnable as I or many other people do good,
If you are disappointed from this tables because of chasing and maniacs just limit your bluffing range and try to bet big when you are a good hand,

Wish you luck!

 

[Jim Rivas]

I'm talking about the really small cash games; like .10/.20 or less. It seems very difficult to play a solid game because the villains chase so much and WIN! I can't see this kind of play happening in higher stakes; or at least not as often.

So, is it just a money pit playing at these levels, or what? Would I be better suited jumping in at say .50/$1 to see some real skill? What do you think?

If you want to see more strategy and game quality, you definitely have to level up, get out of micro limits. Each level as you upload the game is different and of better quality.

 

[bellicoso]

Just want to say thanks to you all for the replies. I appreciate all the advice I get here on CC!!

 

[StealTheButton]

In regards to the villains chasing and winning- this is an excellent exercise in pot size management. If you are controlling the pot size and calculating the odds at every street- chasing players will always pay too much- and this is good for your bottom line.

 

[Nathan Williams]

It is a common misconception that because the players are so bad (relatively speaking) at the micros that you shouldn't play these stakes, waste of time etc.

The problem with this line of thinking is that if you can't learn how to consistently beat these players, then you will never stand any chance of beating the much stronger opponents at higher limits.

I actually wrote an entire article on this recently:

Is it worth it to play the micros?

 

[fundiver199]

The issue, many people have with bad poker players, is all about ego and entitlement. If the opponent has some silly hand, they should have folded earlier on, then people tend to feel, that they deserve to win even more.

But poker is all about math and percentages, and in the long run people, who chase to much, are big losers. They do not ALWAYS nail their gutshot or their random two pair on the river, but we tend to focus on the few times, it happen, because its painfull. Also we often dont get to see their hand, when they miss, because then they fold to our river bet.

Poker is at its core a predatory game, and especially in cash games its all about sharks hanging out waiting for a fish to eat. The only difference between high and low stakes is, that at high stakes you will need to do more off the table study to survive against other sharks. But the profit is still going to come from bad poker players, and if you cant consistently beat them in the micros, then you also cant beat them at higher stakes.

 

[1KrazyMofo]

lol theres crazy play at all levels, you should continue to play solid though, I don't like cash games much though, the time for cash games is when you aint got time to play tournements / or you don;t have the motivation to sit for 5-6 hours, just feel like the best winners are in mtts.

 

[poliaris747]

I think you should try your style of play first and start playing on micro or meters. after that, when you feel confident. what you can win when you can go to the next limit.