| Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Choosing the right poker site for micro stakes games.
Choosing the right poker site is one of the main things to succeed in micro stakes poker. With over 100 poker sites on the internet it's important to know which sites have a loose and juicy competition. After doing some research I have found that the sites with a
sportsbook/casino integrated and rooms with a huge player traffic has the most donks and loose players.
Sites with the sportsbook and casino (like  Sportsbook Poker,  Players Only,  Bodog) brings a lot of gamblers to the tables and most of them don't know how to play poker
very well. I once saw a casino player who shoved all in all the time with any two cards until he got broke. I've managed to double up with KK
against him. Or there was one guy who always reraises if he gets a raise in front of him. These kind of players can boost your bankroll very effectively.
Rooms with a huge player traffic (like  PokerStars,  Full Tilt Poker,  Titan Poker) are famous brands and with an aggressive TV advertising they attract a huge amount
of players, including newbies and high stakes sharks. Usually players who knows how to play poker always go to a medium/high stakes and the players with less poker knowledge
stays in micro limit games.
So, here is a list of the best poker sites for micro stakes games:
Table selection for micro stakes games.
Table selection is key. When joining the room you should always check:
1. Table size
2. Average Pot Size
3. Flop Percentage
4. Stack sizes
Table size
You should always join full tables and tables which is 6 max. Comparing to 9 max tables, 6 max players tables have these advantages:
● Easier to concentrate on each player.
● You can play a bigger variety of hands in early/mid possition.
● Easier to "isolate" players.
● The full table has the adventage because of the small/big blind posting. You can see free cards more often when you are in early or mid position.
Average Pot Size
At Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and other poker sites you can sort your games by average pot size. Make sure that the average pot is quite big, anything above 40 cents at $0.01/$0.02 blind game tables is good. This indicates loose play preflop.
Flop Percentage
The flop percentage is a measure of how many players are paying to see the flop on each hand. As you may already know, solid players and poker sharks plays
only a premium/starting hands, so the higher percentage of players see the flop - the looser and fishier the table. You should look a table greater than
40%. Any table with less than 40% flop usually means there are already solid/tight players there.
Stack sizes
 It's better to join the table that the stack sizes are all about the same size or larger than what you are buyng in for. Generally you shoud avoid joining
the table with short stackers. Sometimes they are a pain in the ass and you can't concetrate on playing your usual poker style. For example if you are buying
in for $2, it's better for your opponents to have $2 up to $4.
Bankroll management for micro stakes poker.
Bankroll management is pretty much the same as for medium stakes cash games. You generally want around 5% or less of your
BR at a given table. So, if you want to buy in for $2, you should have minimum $40 in your account. And if a buy in for you is $2 out of your $10 you're
obviously well above that 5-10% level.
How much to buy in is up to you. Some players prefers to play with a deep stack and says that playing with the minimum will dramatically reduce your winnings
and won't decrease variance, but I personally like to buy in for a minimum. My strategy for $0.01/$0.02 blind games looks like this:
I buy in for $1 and play very tight. When I double up or win more I leave the table to safe my winnings and buy in to another table again for only $1. I found myself loosing my buy in and winnings if I don't leave the table right away. Usually it happens when I have a very strong hand and face with the better flush, full house or
suffer a bad beat when going all in.
Some will criticize me saying that I must buy in for 100BB, which is $2 in $0.01/$0.02 blind games, but that's just me.
With a buy in strategy like this, it's quite easy to build up your bankroll in cash games.
General micro stakes strategy
Phil Gordon once said: "I play low stakes just the same as I play high stakes". And that's 100% correct. Micro stakes
strategy is about the same as any stakes strategy: Play tight, don't do anything creative, be patient, wait for hands and you'll make
money in no time.
Don't bluff.
One thing to remember in micro stakes is: DON'T BLUFF, it won't work. Especially on the river if you
are considering to make an value looking bet. They will call it with any two cards. It’s hard to bluff in micro stakes games so don’t
waste your time.
Bet your strong hands. Another tip that is very effective in micro limits is: if you have a strong hand - bet it. Don't slow play. Remember it's a micro stakes and there are always fools waiting to pay you. Some players might chasing their straight to the end and will fold on the river if they don't catch it.
Re-raise. Re-raise works pretty well in micro limit games. If you have a strong hand don't be afraid to reraise your opponent to get more money in to the pot. I get called almost everytime I reraise someone. After winning some pots, you can try to induce a bluff with the same strategy, and believe - they will start folding their hands. Just don't overdo.
If you have been re-raised. If you have been re-raised by your opponent and you are not sure if you have a better hand - FOLD, you might be beat. I have lost lots of money way back when I've started to play micro stakes thinking that my opponents might be bluffing me, but after few big losts I now always fold and never look back.
How to play top pockets?
Whatever you do, don't slow play your pocket AA's, KK's or QQ's. Raise preflop 3-5x big blind, if some one will call then
continue bet post flop. You don't want your opponent to hit 2 pair, straight or a flush, so your job is to win the pot
right here and right now and to stop them chasing the straight or a flush.
Multi-tabling in micro stakes
If you are not aware of playing poker on multiple tables, then this is the way you go. Playing ABC poker on multiple tables will be very profitable at micro stakes. This translates into more action, rake and more profit. If you are able to concentrate on two or three tables at once, you will get a fair amount of action instead of waiting and playing unpatient hands on one table. All you will need to do is to fold a weak hands and wait for premium hands to strike.
That's it for today and remember this article is aimed to NL Texas Holdem, if you are looking for Omaha Pot Limit micro stakes cash game strategy, check an article at OmahaPlanet.com -> Micro Stakes Tables In Pot-Limit Omaha.
Good luck beating micro stakes!
Start playing micro stakes poker at one of these sites today:
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