In this poker article we will focus on something that lot of people appear to be struggling with: moving from the mini stakes (e.g games in which normal session loss or win is at most $100) to small stakes games (to games in which normal session loss or win can be up to $500). The main focus of this article is the type of adjustments and improvements that you need to be able to make in order to be able to compete in these bigger games against tougher opponents. The writer of this article has most experience with playing headup no limit texas holdem and headsup pot limit maha poker, however at least to some extent the tips should be helpful also for people playing other poker games. Also this is an article that focuses on online poker, for the simple reason that in live poker there are huge differences depending on where you are playing but in online poker the games are pretty much equally tough / easy on a given level regardless of at which online poker site you play at.
My 5 tips for successful transition from mini poker games to small stakes poker games:
1: You need to start paying attention to game selection. At the mini stakes games you might be able to get away with playing against pretty much everyone, but at the small stakes games you will start to encounter people who play online poker for living. Naturally, you want to avoid playing against people who are serious about poker and instead play against the casual players. That is, if you goal is to make money playing internet poker. So I suggest that you sit down only to games in which there is at least one “fish” and get up the moment that there no longer any fishes playing at the table.
2: I strongly suggest using a poker tracking software. Software such as PokertTracker 2 or Holdem Manager is a great help when you want more detailed stats on your opponents. These softwares tell you how often your opponent raises from each position, how often they fold form the blind blinds, how often they fold on the river and so on. All in all they give you lot of great data which you can use for finding your opponent’s leaks and then take advantage of them.
3: Don’t move up without proper bankroll and be willing to drop down in limits if things start to go bad. It might not feel good to drop down in stakes, but when things are not going your away it is time to do it and re-asses the situation. I suggest that you don’t move up before you have at least 35 buyins for the level you are looking to play and if your bankroll drops below 30 you should drop down a re-build it. (as well as re-build your possibly damaged confidence)
4: Don’t be scared money, but don’t become a calling station either. Some observant opponents (this is naturally mostly an issue at very small poker sites) might notice that you have just moved up in limits and might try to bull you around a bit. If this happens simply take advantage of it by playing your strong hands in a smart way against them, or by take advantage of it be representing stronger hands if you suspect that they don’t think you have the balls to bully them a round. As important as it not to be scared money is to make sure that you don’t fall into the trap of becoming a calling station, usually the higher the stakes get the more aggressive your opponents become and thus you might feel like their strong betting must be a bluff, when in fact they simply have the goods and know how to play them aggressively.
5: Against very good players you will need to play mind games. At the mini stakes poker games you can often just think on the 1st level (e.g assume everyone is just playing their own hand) at the bigger games people will start to think about what you think about them, and thus you will then have to think about what they think you think. All this might sound very confusing, but you simply have to stay one step ahead of them => when they are bluffing you must know they are bluffing and when they betting for value you must know they are betting for value.
