From The Felt: Know Your Limits
Monday, December 22, 2008 - John Greene
When you begin to play poker for real money, one critical element to consider is the limit. First: what can you afford? This question is pretty basic. If you can’t afford to lose $100 in the blink of an eye, then you probably shouldn’t be playing at tables where a hand can cost you that much. The anonymity of online poker has shed the stigma that playing at lower-limit tables puts upon you when you’re playing with friends in a casino. After all, who are you trying to impress by playing at higher limits (and losing money) in online poker, anyway?
Lower-limit games are where very, very few professional players sit in. Frankly, it’s not worth their time. This means that you’re paying against other players who are likely at the same skill level (or even a bit lower) than yourself and, just like in every fighting video game, you can learn more about yourself by battling players at the same level as you at first and once you dominate them, you can move your way up. If you want to lose money quickly, play in a table with Hollywood Dave right off the bat. If you want to stand a chance to take him toe-to-toe, then train yourself at lower limit tables and work your way up.
Outside of the affordability of lower-limit games, there’s a lot to be said about avoiding playing while nervous, and if you’re not ready, a higher-limit game can be absolutely nerve-wracking. While situational awareness is a good thing, becoming paranoid with each hand or second-guessing yourself because you’re out of your depths early on is a sure way to lose money without even trying.
I recommend playing well at a limit level for at least six to eight sessions in a row prior to moving upwards. If you do get whacked when you move up, don’t get scared and fall back down to the beginning all over again. Move down one level and work the heavy bag a while longer, considering the mistakes you made and how to avoid them in the future. It’s how the pros became pros: by thinking about the risks in their games and treating each level of their way up as a learning experience.
Related posts:
- From The Felt: Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose. It’s a simple fact: in poker, it’s the player who...
- From The Felt: Stacked Last time, I reviewed short-stack strategy in games and how...
- From The Felt: More Online Poker Tells (And How To Avoid Them) Last week, I talked about looking for online poker tells...
- From The Felt: Short Stacks Let’s talk about short stacks in cash games for a...
- From The Felt: Online Poker Tells One of the reasons a lot of players are attracted...
Tags: poker levels, poker limits
