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• Micro Stakes Poker Training
• Best Micro Stakes Poker Sites
• Small Stakes Poker Strategy
• Micro Stakes Poker Cash Games

The micro stakes and the small stakes might seem distinctive, but the truth is that they are one of, if not the most immense jumps in online poker. Next to going from mid stakes to high stakes games, this is the biggest transition that almost any player will face. At 100NL (.50/1) is upon where the micro stakes end and the small stakes begin. High Stakes Poker S8 E10: Ivey Gives Up Seat, Hellmuth Blows Up. Polk Defeats Negreanu for Final Time; Finishes Up $1.2M. Full Tilt Poker Brand and Software to be Retired Feb.

The micro stakes and the small stakes might seem distinctive, but the truth is that they are one of, if not the most immense jumps in online poker. Next to going from mid stakes to high stakes games, this is the biggest transition that almost any player will face. At 100NL (.50/1) is upon where the micro stakes end and the small stakes begin.

Most poker rooms nowadays are taking around 8-12 big blinds (bb) for every 100 hands that you play at micro stakes. This means that if you were beating your opponents for 15bb per 100 hands, you’d actually only win around 5bb per 100 hands. That’s a huge chunk of your winnings — gone. That’s the challenge of micro stakes games. In a live casino, the smallest stakes poker games are $1 / $2 – with a buy-in of $200. When you go online, you’ll find the games start a lot lower than this. Almost every online poker site will have games with 1c / 2c blinds. Your maximum buy-in for these is $2, though you do not always need a full stack. Play a Loose and Aggressive Strategy. Most people are taught from day one in poker to play tight.

The most indisputable difference between these two limits is the number of regulars at each table. The density of regulars vs. fish starts to shrink more and more as you move up in limits. Along with this, the average skill level will rise tremendously. You are going to be facing a lot smarter and a lot more aggressive players in the small stakes arena. If you aren’t comfortable with some increased variance in your bankroll, the small stakes are not for you. The games truly do end once you step out of the micro stakes.

There is no denying that playing styles between micro stakes and small stakes games vary greatly. With that in mind, however, you should not be anticipating a complete shifty in your strategy when you move up a limit. One of the worst things that you can do is attempt to revamp your game completely, whether you are moving up or down in limits. The chances are that a winning skill set in the micro stakes will also do just fine in the small stakes. Plus, who knows, maybe you will do even better. Players know that the odds are that they will need to make some tweaks to their game before they find success at the small stakes, but you shouldn’t make changes until they are proven necessary.

Pre-Flop Differences

The pre-flop differences between the highest micro stakes games and the lowest small stakes games are not incredibly noticeable. The one thing that you will notice, at least over time, is an increased amount of aggression. There will be very few players who limp into pots and fewer still who will make min raises. You may also notice that the opening raises and re-raises will be a bit smaller than you were accustomed to in the micro stakes. While this is not going to always hold true at 200NL (1/2), you will certainly notice it in the 2/4 and 3/6 games.

The real increase in aggression levels at the small stakes is evidenced by the increase in players who are ready and willing to 3 bet at every opportunity. Position becomes one of the biggest advantages imaginable in these games as it means that players can steal, re-steal, and re-re-steal pots over and over again. You shouldn’t be all that shocked to see some players get all of their money in the middle with very random hands from time to time. Players will attempt to make moves that fail and will have no choice but to call off the remainder of their stack. This is where the variance begins to come into play, but that is discussed in further detail below.

In addition to increased overall aggression pre-flop, you are also going to find that the general play can seem somewhat illogical. Players are going to get involved with hands that you would not ever see at the micro stakes tables. The true profitability of most all winning poker players comes from an ability to manipulate the opponent post-flop. As a result, players in the mid stakes can get away with playing weak hands as an instrument to take down pots after the flop. Be careful, though, there is much more to this than may meet the eye. A skilled small stakes player will know exactly what they are doing when they re-raise with 3h Kh. If you don’t have a specific game plan for post-flop execution, it would be a mistake to jump into pots with seemingly random hands just because you see other people doing it.

Post-Flop Differences

Post-flop differences fall in line with the same general differences that you will notice pre-flop. Aggression as a whole is on the rise and odd lines are almost the regular. Players in these games know when to check raise for value, check raise as a bluff, or how to make money off of middle pair. To put it into context, there are plenty of small stakes online players who are better than the lower tier “pros” that you see on shows like High Stakes Poker on TV.

Do not underestimate the ability of a small stakes player to sniff out your bluff with nothing more than bottom pair, ace high, or even king high. Players in these games are very good at hand reading. If you are showing up with nothing, there is a good chance that they will make you pay for it. On that same note, winning small stakes players will ensure that they have earned every penny possible from you when they have a made hand. These games, particularly post-flop, are not for the type of player who is even remotely inexperienced. You should have a beyond complete understanding of pre and post-flop dynamics if you want any shot at posting a win rate in the small stakes.

Variance

Variance is one of the unfortunate realities that comes along with higher limit games. As you move higher and higher up in limits, the competition becomes more and more fierce. The product of this competition is a clash in skill levels. In other words, players are so evenly matched that often times there won’t be anyone at the table who has a significant advantage. In these games, players tend to trade more money around than they actually make. The best way to reduce your variance as you move up to small stakes games is to table select very well. The players who can find the best games will have the fewest tough opponents to deal with.

Regulars

Regulars, also known as regs, are another common staple of the small stakes online games. If you open up four tables of $3/$6 in the middle of a week day at any given poker site, the odds are that you will see each table is occupied with the same sets of names. The only time that you can really see who the “fish” are is at nights and on the weekends. A lot of players will try to take advantage of this by playing exclusively at night and/or on the weekends. If you are not looking to make poker a full time job, or anything close to it, playing at these times of the day and week will be the closest thing to great table selecting in the small stakes.

The reality is that the games are just so flooded with professionals and winning players that it can be quite tough to find anything that would be considered a “good” game One good line to remember, especially when you are new to small stakes games, is that “If you can’t spot the fish, you probably are the fish.”

So, you're interested in online poker, but you don't want to risk too much money just yet. Where's the best place to play small stakes online poker for real money?

Below is a table of what I think are the best sites for low limit online poker.

Best small stakes poker rooms.

Note: The SNG column indicates the lowest stakes single-table (STT), non-turbo SNGs on offer.

How I've rated these sites.

These poker rooms have primarily been ranked based on players looking to play no limit Texas Hold'em poker online for small stakes, whether that be in cash games or tournaments (i.e. SNGs and MTTs).

Here are the 4 main factors I took in to account when ranking these sites:

1. The lowest stakes games on offer.
2. The number of players frequently active at these limits.
3. How bad the players at these stakes are.
4. The general overall quality of the poker room based on software, traffic and support.

Clearly the level of the absolute lowest stakes cash games and SNGs on offer at a poker room is one of the biggest factors. It's not much use signing up to a poker room that doesn't offer SNG games under $5, or cash games under $10NL if you have a $30 bankroll. Even if you intend on playing at slightly higher limits anyway, it's always good to have the flexibility there to move down if needs be.

I've also taken in to account the quality of the competition. The softer the competition, the more money you will win – it's as simple as that. Therefore, I've included my rating of the 'softness' of the poker sites in the table to help you make the best choice.

Lastly, player traffic and my rating of the poker room overall has been considered. I'm sure I don't need to explain why on those two counts.

Summary of the smallest stakes games on offer.

Here's a quick summary of the most common limits of micro stakes games available at the majority of online poker sites.

• 1c/2c (this is the absolutely lowest level available online)
• 2c/5c
• 5c/10c
• 10c/25c (you can occasionally find 10c/20c games at places like the iPoker network)
• 25c/50c

• $1 + 20c
• $2 + 25c
• $5 + 50c
• $10 + $1

Playing micro limit online poker for the first time?

We've all played low stakes online poker; even the best players had to start somewhere. It all starts with grinding it out in the micro stakes cash games or low level tournaments, building a bankroll and moving up to higher limits when you get the chance.

There are two key things to remember:

1. Take your time and play within your limits.
2. Keep playing and learning.

1) Take your time and play within your limits.

Good bankroll management is essential. And no, I don't mean that in the 'flossing is essential' or 'remembering your relatives' birthdays is essential' way. I mean it as in 'not turning the gas cooker off before you go to sleep is essential' and 'not starting fights with bears is essential'.

Seriously, treat your bankroll with ultimate respect. Without it, you can't play poker and you can't win money. Don't get careless and fritter your earnings away because you're on tilt.

Here are the basic rules of bankroll management that you should always stick to:

• Cash games - always have at least 20 buy-ins for the stakes you're playing at.
• SNGs - always have at least 40 buy-ins (including fees) for the level you want to play at.

If Chris ferguson can do it, so can you.

2) Keep playing and learning.

Micro Stakes Poker Training

The more you play and the more you learn, the better you will get. The better you get, the more money you'll win. It's the cycle that every successful poker player has taken and continues to take.

Read strategy articles, read books, watch strategy videos, join a training site.

The information on how to win money from poker is out there, it's just up to you whether or not you take advantage of it.

How the stakes of online poker are categorized.

Technically, $50NL cash games and lower are referred to as the 'micro stakes' and not 'small stakes'. Seems quite strange considering that I'd hardly call $50 (or even $10 for that matter) a micro amount of money. But that's just how it is.

I decided to go ahead and call this page a guide to the best 'small stakes sites' anyway as I know that's what most people are searching for when they use that phrase.

For the sake of education and being thorough, here's how the different levels/limits of NLHE cash games and SNGs are categorized:

Best Micro Stakes Poker Sites

Note: I've used shorthand for the cash game levels in the table above. Stakes written like $50NL indicate the standard maximum 100bb buy-in for that level. So for example, $50NL is the same as writing 25c/50c, and $400NL is the same as writing $2/$4.
This is a common way of writing the varying limits in NLHE cash games. The cool thing about this notation is that it saves you having to try and type that pesky forward slash.

You may also notice that the term 'low limit' or 'low stakes' poker hasn't been used here. That term is more commonly used when referring to playing live poker in casinos, with anything up to $3/$5 being considered low limit (crazy I know). It's just another one of those things in poker.

A few extra tips.

• Use good bankroll management. I've told you about this before, but it's so important it's worth mentioning at least one more time.
• Don't get too fancy against micro stakes players. You only need to think one level above a poker player to beat them, and small stakes Texas Hold'em players are thinking on a low level for the most part.
• Avoid paying more than 10% in tournament fees. Paying 20% in fees for SNGs is just going to kill your winrate. 10% fees are standard at most levels, but in the micro levels at some rooms the fees are bumped up. Either avoid these rooms, or play at a slightly higher level where the fees are more friendly.
• Take your time. It's not about doubling your bankroll in each session. Poker is a marathon, not a sprint. If you want quick and easy winnings, play roulette.

Small Stakes Poker Strategy

After that, it's all about time, effort and persistence. Just make sure you give me a shout out when you win your first WSOP main event.

Micro Stakes Poker Cash Games

Useful links.

Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.