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- Note: The SNG column indicates the lowest stakes single-table (STT), non-turbo SNGs on offer. How I've rated these sites. These poker rooms have primarily been ranked based on players looking to play no limit Texas Hold'em poker online for small stakes, whether that be in cash games or tournaments (i.e.
- Scrubx is here to show you how to win money playing the micro stakes online. Playing 25nl and 50nl he teaches you all the basics all the way up to GTO thinking.
I have been playing, teaching, and writing about “micro” and low stakes online poker ($0.01/$0.02 to $0.25/$0.50) for a long time now. I have played millions of hands at these stakes and had huge success.
I don’t say this to brag. After all, nobody gets rich playing at these stakes. I say this because it gives me a unique perspective on why many people do not achieve the results that they hope for in these games.
In this article I am going to discuss nine common mistakes I see newer players making at the micros and low stakes and explain how to fix them.
1. Playing Too Many Hands
If you play too many trashy hands you will never win big in this game. You will simply lose to a better hand too often. And at these lowest stakes it is very difficult to bluff people off of their hands.
This is why I typically suggest you aim to play 20% of your hands at a six-handed table and 15% at a nine-handed one. If you are considerably above either of these numbers, then it would be a good idea to start folding a few of the crappier hands in your range preflop.
Low Stakes Online Poker Australia Online
2. Playing Too Few Hands
The other extreme (which I actually see much more often these days) is people not playing enough hands. You see them everywhere at the lowest stakes. They are on a ton of different tables and they are literally waiting for the nuts on every single one of them.
The problem with this strategy is you end up having your blinds stolen all day and also getting pushed around by light three-bets. Then when you finally wake up with a big hand, people will be less likely to give you action.
If this is you, then you should consider adding some more speculative hands such as suited connectors, suited aces, and weaker Broadways to your range, especially when you are in position.
3. Slow Playing
Many beginners at the micros frequently choose to get tricky with their big hands by slow playing them. This is often because they have seen their heroes on TV doing this at a big money tournament final table against highly aggressive players.
The problem with this strategy is that micro stakes online cash games have absolutely nothing in common with big money live tournament final tables full of top pros. On the contrary, most of your opponents will be passive weak players who will happily call you down with poor hands, especially since the money is so insignificant to them.
You do not have to get tricky against these types of players. You simply have to build a pot when you make a hand by betting. In other words, the totally obvious or straightforward play is typically the best strategy.
4. Not Recognizing the Importance of Initiative
One of the biggest keys to your success at any stakes is simply being the one in control. The reason why is because when you have the initiative in the hand you give yourself more ways to win the pot.
When you are calling you have to rely on the strength of your hand in order to win. When you are betting or raising, though, you can win the pot by showing down the best hand or by forcing your opponent to fold.
This really is a huge key to success in this game. Good hands are hard to come by. When you win more of the battles in those smaller pots when nobody really has anything, you end up winning the war.
5. Not Recognizing the Importance of Position
It is important to understand the power of position in poker as well. Again, this is true not just at the micros, but at all stakes. You will make far more from the button and cutoff in particular than from any other position.
It therefore makes sense to abuse the heck out of these spots, especially in passive low stakes games where your opponents are unlikely to fight back unless they have a big hand.
This is why I suggest stealing the blinds with at least the top 30% of hands when it is folded to you in one of these seats. Furthermore, you also should be making some light three-bets in these positions from time to time in order to exploit your positional advantage even more.
6. Irrational Thinking
If you read the chat box at micro stakes poker tables, posts in online poker forum threads about these games, or YouTube comments about low stakes videos, you will see lunacy everywhere.
Many people think that if they play at higher stakes versus more highly skilled and “predictable” opponents that somehow they will start winning. You will also hear all sorts of “it’s rigged” and bad beat stories. And so on with countless other forms of silliness.
This game can do crazy things to people at times, even the top winners. However, it is important to keep your cool and focus on the long term mathematical nature of the game.
7. Tilt
The irrational thinking is really just a part of tilt. This is the number one thing that holds newer players back. It is very important to recognize the signs of tilt and when you do just quit for the day.
There is nothing more disastrous for your bottom line at the tables than sitting around making terrible calls and overly aggressive plays because you are an emotional mess and have thrown all reason out the window.
It is a much better idea to hit that “X” on the poker client, step away from the computer, and go do something completely different for the rest of the day. You can come back with a clear head the next day ready to play your best again.
8. Poor Bankroll Management
It is very important that you have the proper bankroll for the stakes that you are playing, even at the micros. If you are not properly bankrolled then you will always just be one small downswing away from ruin.
I recently wrote an in-depth guide to bankroll management on my website. In it I recommend that newer players or those with a marginal win rate have at least 40 buy-ins for any limit that they are playing online. This means if you are playing NL2 then you should have $80, if you are playing NL5 then you should have $200, and so on.
Low Stakes Online Poker Australia Match
By following these guidelines, you will ensure that you are always well bankrolled even when faced with the worst variance that this game can offer.
9. Focus on the Long Run
I have indirectly made this point several times in this article already — no matter the stakes, poker is not a get rich quick scheme. It is a long term game full of ups and downs and the biggest winners focus on monthly and yearly results, not daily or weekly.
There is absolutely nothing you can do to change this undeniable fact about the game. The sooner you learn to accept it, the easier that everything else becomes.
Nathan “BlackRain79” Williams is the author of the popular micro stakes strategy books, Crushing the Microstakes and Modern Small Stakes. He also blogs regularly about all things related to the micros over at www.blackrain79.com.
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cash game strategyonline pokermicro stakes strategylow stakes strategyno-limit hold’embankroll managementtiltpositionslow playingstarting hand selection
So, you're interested in online poker, but you don't want to risk too much money just yet. Where's the best place to play small stakes online poker for real money?
Below is a table of what I think are the best sites for low limit online poker.
Best small stakes poker rooms.
| Rank | Room | Competition | Cash | SNG | Mac | Bonus | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen Poker | Weak | $20NL | $10+50c | - | Play Now | ||
| Ignition Poker | Weak | $2NL | $1+20c | $1,000 | Play Now | ||
| SwC Poker | Weak | $2NL | $1+20c | - | Play Now | ||
| Americas Cardroom | Tricky | $2NL | $1+10c | $1,000 | Play Now | ||
| 888 Poker | Average | $2NL | $0.50+5c | $400 | Play Now | ||
| Betsafe Poker | Average | $4NL | $0.10+1c | €2,000 | Play Now |
Note: The SNG column indicates the lowest stakes single-table (STT), non-turbo SNGs on offer.
How I've rated these sites.
These poker rooms have primarily been ranked based on players looking to play no limit Texas Hold'em poker online for small stakes, whether that be in cash games or tournaments (i.e. SNGs and MTTs).
Here are the 4 main factors I took in to account when ranking these sites:
- The lowest stakes games on offer.
- The number of players frequently active at these limits.
- How bad the players at these stakes are.
- The general overall quality of the poker room based on software, traffic and support.
Clearly the level of the absolute lowest stakes cash games and SNGs on offer at a poker room is one of the biggest factors. It's not much use signing up to a poker room that doesn't offer SNG games under $5, or cash games under $10NL if you have a $30 bankroll. Even if you intend on playing at slightly higher limits anyway, it's always good to have the flexibility there to move down if needs be.
I've also taken in to account the quality of the competition. The softer the competition, the more money you will win – it's as simple as that. Therefore, I've included my rating of the 'softness' of the poker sites in the table to help you make the best choice.
Lastly, player traffic and my rating of the poker room overall has been considered. I'm sure I don't need to explain why on those two counts.
Summary of the smallest stakes games on offer.
Here's a quick summary of the most common limits of micro stakes games available at the majority of online poker sites.
- 1c/2c (this is the absolutely lowest level available online)
- 2c/5c
- 5c/10c
- 10c/25c (you can occasionally find 10c/20c games at places like the iPoker network)
- 25c/50c
- $1 + 20c
- $2 + 25c
- $5 + 50c
- $10 + $1
Playing micro limit online poker for the first time?
We've all played low stakes online poker; even the best players had to start somewhere. It all starts with grinding it out in the micro stakes cash games or low level tournaments, building a bankroll and moving up to higher limits when you get the chance.
There are two key things to remember:
- Take your time and play within your limits.
- Keep playing and learning.
1) Take your time and play within your limits.
Good bankroll management is essential. And no, I don't mean that in the 'flossing is essential' or 'remembering your relatives' birthdays is essential' way. I mean it as in 'not turning the gas cooker off before you go to sleep is essential' and 'not starting fights with bears is essential'.
Seriously, treat your bankroll with ultimate respect. Without it, you can't play poker and you can't win money. Don't get careless and fritter your earnings away because you're on tilt.
Here are the basic rules of bankroll management that you should always stick to:
- Cash games - always have at least 20 buy-ins for the stakes you're playing at.
- SNGs - always have at least 40 buy-ins (including fees) for the level you want to play at.
If Chris ferguson can do it, so can you.
2) Keep playing and learning.
The more you play and the more you learn, the better you will get. The better you get, the more money you'll win. It's the cycle that every successful poker player has taken and continues to take.
Read strategy articles, read books, watch strategy videos, join a training site.
The information on how to win money from poker is out there, it's just up to you whether or not you take advantage of it.
How the stakes of online poker are categorized.
Technically, $50NL cash games and lower are referred to as the 'micro stakes' and not 'small stakes'. Seems quite strange considering that I'd hardly call $50 (or even $10 for that matter) a micro amount of money. But that's just how it is.
I decided to go ahead and call this page a guide to the best 'small stakes sites' anyway as I know that's what most people are searching for when they use that phrase.
For the sake of education and being thorough, here's how the different levels/limits of NLHE cash games and SNGs are categorized:
| Category | Cash Games | SNGs |
|---|---|---|
| Micro Stakes | $2NL to $50NL | $1 to $10 |
| Small Stakes | $100NL to $200NL | $11 to $50 |
| Mid Stakes | $400NL to $1,000NL | $51 to $200 |
| High Stakes | $2,000NL+ | $201+ |
Note: I've used shorthand for the cash game levels in the table above. Stakes written like $50NL indicate the standard maximum 100bb buy-in for that level. So for example, $50NL is the same as writing 25c/50c, and $400NL is the same as writing $2/$4.
This is a common way of writing the varying limits in NLHE cash games. The cool thing about this notation is that it saves you having to try and type that pesky forward slash.
You may also notice that the term 'low limit' or 'low stakes' poker hasn't been used here. That term is more commonly used when referring to playing live poker in casinos, with anything up to $3/$5 being considered low limit (crazy I know). It's just another one of those things in poker.
A few extra tips.
- Use good bankroll management. I've told you about this before, but it's so important it's worth mentioning at least one more time.
- Don't get too fancy against micro stakes players. You only need to think one level above a poker player to beat them, and small stakes Texas Hold'em players are thinking on a low level for the most part.
- Avoid paying more than 10% in tournament fees. Paying 20% in fees for SNGs is just going to kill your winrate. 10% fees are standard at most levels, but in the micro levels at some rooms the fees are bumped up. Either avoid these rooms, or play at a slightly higher level where the fees are more friendly.
- Take your time. It's not about doubling your bankroll in each session. Poker is a marathon, not a sprint. If you want quick and easy winnings, play roulette.
After that, it's all about time, effort and persistence. Just make sure you give me a shout out when you win your first WSOP main event.
Useful links.
Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.