Making Money at the Micros
The majority of online poker players in today’s market are what we call, micro stakes players. When I say micro, it obviously means that I’m referring to small stakes. This is generally categorized as anything below a buy in of $100. While the stakes may be small, there is still plenty of money to be made and proof of this comes in the shape of many successful players who make a decent living playing the micros.
The micro world is filled with all types of players. You will run into the very worse, and even some really good players whose skill stretches beyond the small stakes. For the most part you will run into the bad players, which means easy pickings for a talented player. You don’t even have to be one of the better players at the table, you only have to better than a few of them.
At the higher stakes you will run into much tougher tables, where even the players who are worse than their opponents are still better than average. It takes a lot more skill and practice to beat the higher stakes.
This is one of the main reasons the micro limits are so easy to beat. You need less skill and only a solid foundation of how to play correctly. Even less than average players can make a profit if they follow a few simple rules.
Play Tight
You will often hear players advocate a tight playing style. This means to play fewer hands than most. One of the biggest mistakes you see at the micro limits is, people playing too many hands. They play them poorly as well, which only compounds their errors.
If you stick to playing only premium hands, you can still make a profit. Many players won’t recognize that you are only playing good hands, and will constantly pay you off when you have the goods. Unlike higher stakes, where it’s necessary to mix up your hands to throw your opponents off.
K.I.S.S.
This is one of my favorite rules in life and it applies in poker more than ever. Keep it simple stupid is the motto and its one to live by.
Far too often you see players trying fancy moves that fail, way more than they work. They are left scratching their heads wondering why it didn’t work. While fancy plays have a place in poker, they don’t fit in at the micros.
In order for a play to work, your opponent must have some rational thought process when it comes to playing poker. This is often not the case and they will not understand what you are trying to represent.
If you are trying to represent a certain hand on a board texture that will likely show strength, the player you are facing will often only recognize their hand value. This is very common at lower limits. Players tend to see poker hands with blinders on and only value their hand without thinking about what their opponent may have.
Point is, trying to pull off a fancy move when a player only thinks about his own is the worst mistake you can make. Play your hands straight forward for the most part and keep it simple.
Know to Hold Em, Know When to Fold Em
Another mistake I see a lot at the micros, is not folding a good hand. It can be one of the tougher aspects of playing poker, but knowing your beat is often as plain as day.
A good example of this would be when you have a pretty strong hand and are up against a player who almost never raises. Let’s say you have AK and open pre-flop for a raise. This player who never raises, all of the sudden 3 bets you. What do you do?
I know you have AK, which is a decent hand, but what can this player who never raises have? Chances are he has you beat most of the time.
Many players will say, “But I have AK, how can I fold to a 3 bet?” Very easy, click the fold button and muck your hand as quick as you can. There’s no shame in folding a strong hand, especially against a player of this type. It’s actually one of the easier folds to make in poker, yet players don’t do it as much as they should.
The bottom line is; stick to a fairly straight forward game and you will do just fine at the micro limits. Even the regulars you come across will not be all that good. A simple strategy and solid foundation of poker knowledge will be all you need to make money at the micro limits in poker. Follow the K.I.S.S. method and keep things as easy for you as possible, and you will see your winnings start to increase.