Playing better at higher limits.

I've been playing lots of microlimit poker lately. I play on Dynamite poker, and I usually stick around the .05/.10 tables. My bankroll was getting low, and I was getting annoyed by all the bad beats and chasers that were killing me at the micros.

So I took my 4 bucks I had left in the account, and went to a .25/.50 table. Had a good run of cards and made some well timed bluffs to turn my 4 into 30.

Then today, for giggles, I took my thirty to a 2/4 table. Long story short, I played tight, sat back, and turned my 30 into about a 100 in a couple hours.

So I've turned 4 bucks into 100 in two days. Now, some of this is attestable to the pretty decent cards I was hitting, but other than running out limpers and chasers, is there a reason my game would improve so much moving UP in levels?

Well, 2 days is still just 2 days. You could just be on a rush, and could come crashing back down and lose $100 in 2 days just as easily (but hopefully not :wink: ).

This is true.

Hey, if that keeps up you'll be a millionare in 8 days!

Seriously though, be careful about playing the high limits without enough bankroll. Most likely your huge success was just a run of good luck and good cards.

My hot streak continues. I've turned my hundred into about 170 now.

The progress has slowed down, but I still am swimming well at the higher tables.

Actually, I think the reason for my improved play is simple....

1) Flop Turn River.
2) Finally reading Sklansky.
3) Finished Hellmuth's book. Not a bad little read, but the guy is clearly full of himself.
and am currently working through Caro's Book Of Tells.

The tips I've learned in these sources actually tend to WORK on higher levels. At the Microlimits, you just can't buy anyone out with a nickel or dime bet.

I found out the hard way that the only way to win by playing solid poker, is playing stakes that mean something to the players, 0.05/0.10 will grind you down regardless of how good you are.

I just lost 3/4 of my bankroll thinking I could beat the ring game.
Well, that didn't work so I went back to SnG's and built my bankroll back up.

For solid play, I honestly believe that SnG's cannot be beat.

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Originally Posted by Aceofone

I found out the hard way that the only way to win by playing solid poker, is playing stakes that mean something to the players, 0.05/0.10 will grind you down regardless of how good you are.

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I don't understand the "OMG, they play so bad the game must be unbeatable." Play weak/tight on 4 tables and you can destroy those games.

When this notion used to creep into my mind when I was on a "Real Good" table I would tell myself "If you can't beat a table of real bad players, how do you expect to ever beat a table of good players".

Things to note on bad player tables.

1 Variance goes through the roof.

2 Big Pairs lose value and drawing hands gain value, that is AA will win less (its still the best starting hand and no other hand will win more pots) Axs will win more $$ when it hits.

3 Don't Bluff or semi-bluff unless you are sure they will fold (very unlikely) or for a free card (may work).

As fnord mentioned weak/tight is the way to go on these tables then once you have a great hand go crazy. O and remember you can cap a 4 to the flush on the flop if you have enough people in the hand as for every bet you put in you are winning more than a bet back. 2:1 odds on 6:1 bet.

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Originally Posted by Toasty

3 Don't Bluff or semi-bluff unless you are sure they will fold (very unlikely) or for a free card (may work).

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...but make sure to bet strong draws (flushes) for *value* into a large field.