Playing at the right stakes is not as easy to determine as one might think. Some players start low and move up. Some start at a relatively high stakes level. It often happens that a player at a high level has to go back to a low stakes level. In this article, Juicy Stakes Poker will look at this.
Why Do Players Start out at Low Stakes?
The main reason to start at low stakes, with the intention of moving to a higher stakes level as soon as possible, is because at low stakes, a player will lose a lot less money as he or she hones her game and gets in the necessary practice to become skilled at poker.
What are the Drawbacks of Playing Low Stakes Poker?
The biggest drawback by far of playing low stakes poker is that a lot of the skills you are trying to develop fall on deaf ears or blind eyes. That means that low stakes players play for the sheer fun of playing poker without any regard for the esoterica of poker.
So, you might be trapping a player who doesn’t realize that he is being trapped. You might be bluffing a player who doesn’t understand the nuances of your bluff. You might have check raised and the player will ignore any of the implications of that play. You might be aggressively betting in early position and the player will call or raise with a nothing hand “just to see the flop”.
Players do that all the time at ow stakes poker because they can easily afford to lose a few pennies.
Can a Player Really Make Money at Low Stakes Poker?
It isn’t easy but, yes, you can make money playing low stakes poker. The difficulty of making money in low stakes poker is a major drawback for most players but it is a real positive got the few players who do make money.
You have to adapt to the low skill level of your opponents, for one. On the positive side, you can play close to the vest and most low stales players won’t be able to put two and two together on those few hands that you bet strongly on.
Why Do Players Want to Play at Higher Stakes?
There are two main reasons. One is the chance to make more money. This one is pretty obvious: if the pots are bigger and you win a large share of pots, you will win more money at higher stakes.
The second, and much more insidious reason that many players move to higher stakes poker, is ego, plain and simple. Like us all, poker players want to feel that they have advanced in their game. Players want to prove to themselves that they are good enough to keep moving up until they can play in a tournament against seasoned players.
Why, then, Do Some Players Have to Go Back to Low Stakes Poker?
Many players simply move up too soon. That is a combination of the ego side of moving to higher stakes and the financial side in which players who have self-advanced prematurely lose money and have to revert to low stakes games as a way of conserving their bankroll.
How Can a Player Prepare for Going Down in Stakes?
There really is no shame in trying to play at stakes that are too high for you and finding out the hard way that they are too high for you. If you went to higher stakes because of ego, then you will have to deal with the hit to your ego when you face reality and decide to move back to low stakes poker.
When you are at low stakes, you should redouble your efforts to get good enough to win regularly at higher stakes. Many people experience failure at first only to achieve a high level of success later on.
The story of Kurt Warner is a perfect case in point. He thought that he was good enough to play in the NFL (American football league) but no one else thought so highly of him. He persevered by playing in oddball leagues and in Europe and got the chance to be the starting quarterback for his NFL team because the starter got injured.
All Kurt Warner did was become the best player in the league!
Learning from One’s Mistakes
One of the things players who have moved up soon realize is that players at higher stakes are simply better players. If your bankroll takes a big hit, don’t wait another day: go back to low stakes poker! as we said, at the low cost “school” that low stakes poker provides, you can get back to basics and do what it takes to become a better player.
In many cases, a player will discover to his or her dismay that there are many “holes” in their understanding of poker. At higher stakes, position play and hand ranges become much more important. The mathematics of poker also becomes more important. Finally, at higher stakes, you have to become far more sensitive to the people you are playing against.
Take Notes of All Hands
Online poker lends itself well to studying hands because there aren’t any players to chide you for “taking so many notes”. The notes will lead you in the right direction if you actually take them and if the notes are robust enough to be a teaching tool.
Learning to Control Your Ego
If you moved up because your ego told you to, then you have to rein in your ego before it sends you back up too soon once again. This is one of the most important aspects of high self-confidence. Self-confidence can be misplaced and then you will “confidently” move up again and need to come back to low stakes poker yet again.
Really healthy self-confidence allows you to play at low stakes poker and enjoy the game both for its own sake and also for the learning opportunity it gives you at low cost.
Juicy Stakes Poker Also Has High Self-confidence!
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These articles and all of the advice we offer players is just one of many ways that Juicy Stakes Poker is a great online place to play poker!
We invite all new players to join Juicy Stakes Poker and get your poker groove on!
