On the face of it, playing at micro-stakes in poker is an attractive prospect. If you play poker online, micro-limit online poker games are always on the go, 24/7. The sizes of the pots are hardly ever larger than the cost of a cup of coffee, and there are tables of mostly beginners trying their hand at the game. You can also come up against players who are not very skillful and have money to burn. 

Assuming you are neither of these and are working on improving your poker skills, putting in the time at the tables, and most importantly, really enjoying the challenges of poker, then you probably have been frustrated at just not beating micro-stakes poker players as often as you should. Take a look at how you can turn that around.

Four Common Poker Mistakes in Micro-Limit Games

At all the different starting stakes in poker, balance is essential. Play tight. Play Loose. Play aggressive. These are all valid and proven strategies that can take your game to the next level, but too many of these will get you into trouble. Aim for balance. Despite your efforts to turn a profit, even with applying every known micro-stakes poker strategy, there might be leaks in your game. With this in mind, have a look at the top micro-limit poker mistakes that might be costing you money.

1. Too Aggressive

While aggression is an essential tool in any successful poker player’s arsenal and is integral to your game at higher stakes where you would more likely be up against more skillful players, at the micro-stakes level, your aggressive strategy can, and will, often fall flat. Most players at this level refuse to fold, no matter the strength of their hand, and often call huge raises and bets and regularly continue to the river. It is frustrating when they hit the nuts. Better players would long have folded or shown aggression to counteract yours. 

In the long run, which is a healthy way of looking at bad beats, and at poker in general, your strategy would be the best one to employ, but at micro-stakes, you need to adjust your game since bad beats could lead to other problems like doubting a perfectly sound strategy. Also, you will not be the only good player at the table. Other players might pick up on your loose aggression and, in this way, exploit you. Ease up on the aggression, but avoid playing it too passively.

2. Too Passive

As much as an overly aggressive strategy could cost you, swinging it the other way could also land you into trouble. The tendency of limping and calling and being too cautious to bet or raise can easily be picked up by other players. You might as well be playing open cards with the rest of the table. There is no bluffing, bets, raises, or action, and this type of play is just as harmful. The one time you bet with the nuts, everyone around you folds. Betting more often on middle pairs or occasionally c-betting with an open-ended straight draw is a good play that can win money in the long term. Loosen your bluff range, but not too much.

3. Too Loose

As with everything in poker, the key to deciding on a strategy and your range of starting hands is first considering all the variables. How many players are at the table? What kind of players are they? What is your effective stack size, and how does it compare to the others? In what position do you find yourself?

A general rule of thumb that will take you very far is that in a six-seater game, it would be safest to play the top 20% of starting hands. The more players at the table, the tighter your range should be, and you’ll do very well looking at only playing the top 15% of hands dealt to you in an eight-seater or any bigger tables. Any range wider than this, you risk too much playing hands that are not very profitable to start with, and you will probably lose money in the long run. But, on the other hand, there might be players at the table who raise and bet all the time, which could have you playing too tight and folding more often than you should.

4. Too Tight

Playing too tight is a strategy that will cost you in the long run. Yes, you might win a couple of pots on the way, but keen players quickly notice and will push you around, taking advantage of your folding habit. The trouble with this strategy is ignoring the implied odds of your hands and the loss of value from possibly very profitable hands. Also, you miss an opportunity to trap the loose players at the table and call their bluffs.

Extra Tips

When playing on micro-limit tables, the general rule of thumb is to play it by the book. You will be up against too many beginners and recreational players who cannot read your game, calling wildly and taking down your well-timed, innovative bluffs and plays.

Think in the long run. It can be easy to get rattled once your aces and flushes get cracked. Keep playing these hands strongly.

Passive players dominate micro-stakes. When they start betting big, fold your top pair. They are most probably sitting with two pairs or higher.

Stick to the basics and try not to overthink. Soon, you’ll be able to crush the micro-stakes and move up in the poker stakes with a solid playing foundation.

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