Difference between the microstakes?

[Revolver123]

Currently I'm playing at 5NL and about to crack $100... is there a difference in skill moving up to 10NL? How about 25NL? I would imagine both stakes are the same skill level you just need a bankroll to support the swings.

[kb coolman]

Bankroll Management is the biggest key. I would say there's not much differnce between 5NL and 10NL, since a lot of sites don't have lower than 10NL (FT and Bodog, just to name a couple). I do think the 10NL at Stars is tougher than full tilt, because more people have been grinding it up.

That being said, I've been known to take a shot above my BR from time to time, just to see what it's like. Trust me, there are horrible players at 50NL and higher, so it can be beat. You just have to have the proper bankroll to sustain at those levels.

[mieczkowusc]

Hi and welcome to FTR. I would check out what has been written around here about Bankroll Management. It will help you go a long way towards keeping your roll healthy.

For the time being, I would recommend staying at 5NL until you reach $250. I know it probably feels like a long way away when you want to move up to 10NL, but it sets you up for future success when you hit a bad string of variance. Even the best players have downswings, and you want to make sure that you bankroll can survive it so you can reap the benefit of running good for a period of time.

There is a difference in skill, its not necessarily that dramatic, but each level has certain things to get used to. If you are a winning player at 5NL, then I would continue to play and increase your roll until you have enough buyins to still play aggressively at the higher level.

These are just recommendations, not laws, btw. You can do whatever you like, but there isn't a whole Bankroll Management section for nuthin.

[poker_pup]

There's not a huge skill level difference between 10NL and 25NL. People tend to pay more attention to the game at 50NL and the tables move much faster.

Be sure to read up on bankroll management.

[Robb]

At 5nl, you win with just sound preflop play.

At 10nl, you win with sound preflop/flop play.

At 25nl, you need a decent game on all streets.

But none of them are impossible.

[mieczkowusc]

At 5nl, you win with just sound preflop play.

At 10nl, you win with sound preflop/flop play.

At 25nl, you need a decent game on all streets.

But none of them are impossible.

What about 2NL?

(looks around)

(lowers hand sheepishly)

[Parasurama]

At 2NL you win with sound table selection obviously

[speedcake]

all three levels are full of the worst players you'll ever see play poker. Robb sums it up well enough I think.

25NL is the first level where you better learn to not care about the amounts being played for and will teach you quick enough why the pros tell you to be over-rolled.

If you can beat 10NL you can beat 25NL.

At 2NL you win with sound table selection obviously

This joke was funnier when I thought about it

[Parasurama]

At 2NL you win with sound table selection obviously

This joke was funnier when I thought about it

Haha thanks, my goal is to try to make people think.

[daven]

At 5nl, you win with just sound preflop play.

At 10nl, you win with sound preflop/flop play.

At 25nl, you need a decent game on all streets.

But none of them are impossible.

disagree
i'm a long, long way from having decent turn play, even my flop play is pretty poor....

At 5nl, you win with just sound preflop play.

At 10nl, you win with sound preflop/flop play.

At 25nl, you need a decent game on all streets.

But none of them are impossible.

disagree
i'm a long, long way from having decent turn play, even my flop play is pretty poor....

I would say that you need to outplay your opponents on every street in every game, it's just that your opponents will be worse at everything the lower you go

[Jason]

I don't have a ton of experience at all levels, but generally speaking, I think that the majority of a poker player's money come from fish. The lower the stakes, the more players, and thus the more fish. Also the lower the stakes, the better the likelihood of coming across inexperienced players because most good players will eventually grind it out, succeed, and move up. And lastly, I think the lower the stakes, the more likely a player is to play for recreational purposes, not care as much about losing or tilting or being reckless and the like. These are just generalities - there are always some sharks and fish at every level, but I do think there is a correlation between the stakes and the distribution of sharks and fish.

yes, but the higher you go, the better the fish themselves play (not always true, but in general a good approximation)

to avoid getting crushed you have to learn not to get outplayed by the regs as well

[Robb]

At 5nl, you win with just sound preflop play.

At 10nl, you win with sound preflop/flop play.

At 25nl, you need a decent game on all streets.

But none of them are impossible.

disagree
i'm a long, long way from having decent turn play, even my flop play is pretty poor....

Every generalization is going to be incorrect at some level. Maybe I should have said that you need to play "decent/solid" for a beginner. I'm tweaking my preflop play right now, trying to raise it a level, and I can learn tons about the flop and turn, for sure. But I can play most streets in most hands without making HUGE errors.

Definitely see your point though.

I was thinking the other day about how I get so frustrated at horrible play these days when the quality of my "horrible" December '08 play pwns my July '08 A-game. The more you improve, the more you see lots of leaks that you couldn't even notice beneath all the carnage.

[will641]

Currently I'm playing at 5NL and about to crack $100... is there a difference in skill moving up to 10NL? How about 25NL? I would imagine both stakes are the same skill level you just need a bankroll to support the swings.

i think you can splash around quite a bit and still be profitable doing it, but obviously the goal is to not just be profitable its to be as profitable as you are capable of. just work on a tight/aggressive, solid game and work your way through the limits and eventually it will come together and you will have your own style of play. and by solid i basically mean dont run a lot of really elaborate bluff.

[soccerkeeper]

not really any difference at lower stakes all filled with donkeys and continues to be that way until you get to around 5 / 10 $ believe it or not still at 3/6 there's several donks who have no idea what they are doing